Day 1 at the ACORE Policy Forum

ACORE CEO Ray Long speaking with Representatives Scott Peters and Gabe Evans.

We’re only halfway through the ACORE Policy Forum, but we’ve already heard voices from across the entire clean energy sector.

We kicked things off with a conversation between Republican Representative Gabe Evans and Democratic Representative Scott Peters, covering the importance of speeding the permitting process, modernizing the grid, and pursuing energy security by deploying all available technologies.

Representative Peters was candid in assessing his perception of the grid-related issues the United States is facing. “The grid is old, dumb, and insecure. If it were a person, you wouldn’t want to hang out with them.”

“We need to depoliticize the forms of energy and not look at them as Democratic or Republican forms of energy,” said Representative Evans. “To win the AI race, we have to have the power – the all-of-the-above power – and we have to have it now.”

“We’ve got this huge demand growth out here that we need to solve for,” continued Rep. Peters. “We need to be taking up permitting in our committee. As far as the prospects for a deal: We need to do it right away.”

Acting U.S. Under Secretary of Energy Alex Fitzsimmons further emphasized how important it is to improve our electric grid to support national security, including focusing on reconductoring and deploying advanced transmission technologies. Earlier in the day, the Department of Energy announced a $26.5 billion loan to Southern Company, which will support multiple energy priorities, including 1,300 miles of transmission lines and grid enhancement projects.

Throughout the day, voices from across the energy sector, from all sides of the ideological spectrum, pointed out the issues facing the American energy sector: the need for electricity reliability, the push for affordability, and the critical role energy security plays in guaranteeing America’s lead in AI and tech innovation.

These messages should sound familiar to ACORE’s followers, because we and our members are pursuing the solutions to these problems every day. What are the solutions?

  • Build all the energy capacity we can.
  • Bolster our electric grid with modern technology.
  • Guarantee regulatory consistency to unleash investment.

Check back in tomorrow as we close out the ACORE Policy Forum with more great panels and speakers. Be sure to follow us on X and LinkedIn tomorrow and the rest of the year as we continue to share pragmatic solutions to our energy challenges.