Energy Customers Concerned that Buffett
Successor Greg Abel has written the Berkshire Energy
Playbook
OMAHA,
Neb., May 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Outside of
Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholder meeting today, nonprofit
organizations hosted a rally to raise awareness about the
anti-consumer policies of the company's energy division. The energy
utilities run by Berkshire, unlike other companies in the Berkshire
portfolio, have complete monopolies over their service
territory.
Berkshire Hathaway Energy owns and operates utilities serving 11
states across the U.S., including PacifiCorp (Western U.S.),
MidAmerican Energy (Iowa), and NV
Energy (Nevada). Operating one of
the largest fleets of coal plants in the nation, Iowa and Nebraska residents have borne the health and
financial costs of their polluting facilities. Two large coal units
operated by Berkshire's MidAmerican Energy Company in Council Bluffs, IA loom across the river from
Omaha. Coal ash from these plants,
including the Walter Scott Jr. Energy Center in Council Bluffs, has been found to leak
toxic levels of arsenic, lithium, boron and more into nearby
groundwater.
Over the past few years, these utilities have pushed
anti-consumer policies in the states where they operate, including
efforts to roll back energy efficiency programs, attempts to kill
net metering for distributed solar energy customers, and more.
"Rocky Mountain Power (PacifiCorp) recently ramped up its
assault on renewables. RMP pulled out of its Community Renewable
Energy Program agreement with 18 Utah cities/counties pledged to
100% net-zero by 2030," said Stan
Holmes, Utah Sierra Club volunteer leader. "This on the
heels of its other moves to forego renewables in favor of fossil
fuel-fired energy generation."
"MidAmerican's anti-consumer lobbying in Iowa has left the state with some of the
highest energy burden in the country," said Kerri Johannsen, Energy Program Director at the
Iowa Environmental Council. "From leading the charge to gut energy
efficiency programs, killing efforts to require utilities to
consider the cost of new generation, and proposing to dump coal ash
leachate into the Missouri River, MidAmerican constantly
demonstrates that their profits are more important than their
customers."
"Nevada Energy, which is owned by Berkshire Hathaway, is
interfering with Nevadans who want to install solar panels on their
own homes or in their own communities. Because of this
anti-consumer activity by Berkshire Hathaway, we are going to see
more climate chaos and higher electricity rates," said Cathy Fulkerson, Co-facilitator Third Act
Nevada.
Greg Abel, Chairman and CEO of
Berkshire Hathaway Energy, has been named as Berkshire Chairman
Warren Buffet's successor.
"Greg Abel has written the
playbook for Berkshire's anti-consumer energy policy that has
negatively impacted countless energy customers in states all across
the U.S." said Steve Guyer, Energy
Policy Counsel, Iowa Environmental Council. "It's time to rewrite
the playbook and put consumers first. Berkshire shareholders should
be concerned about the future of the company with a new leader that
has a track record of anti-free market and monopolistic decision
making."
"In Nevada, consumers can't afford to keep up with NV Energy's
rate increases," said Maria
Prentice, promotora with Chispa Nevada. "Instead of
investing in clean, solar energy, NV Energy is building new dirty
gas plants that will pollute our air and make electricity prices
more unpredictable. Nevada
families are demanding that Berkshire Hathaway and its corporate
utilities put people and planet over profit."
At a time when wind and solar are the lowest cost sources of new
energy generation, Berkshire Hathaway operates one of the largest
fleets of coal plants in the nation. According to the "Benchmarking
Air Emissions" report, Berkshire Hathaway Energy had the
fourth-highest CO2 emission among electric power
producers in the U.S. while generating the ninth-most
electricity.
The Clean Up MidAm campaign is a coalition of
organizations, including the Iowa Environmental Council,
Environmental Law & Policy Center, Clean Energy Districts of
Iowa, Iowa Interfaith Power &
Light, the Sierra Club, Moms Clean Air Force, Action for the
Climate Emergency, Great Plains Action Society and countless Iowans
who care about our future. Learn more at
www.cleanupmidam.com.
The Iowa Environmental Council (IEC) is the state's
largest and most comprehensive environmental alliance, comprised of
diverse organizations and individuals working together to protect
Iowa's natural environment.
Through education, advocacy and coalition building, the Council
raises awareness, generates action, and creates large-scale change.
We work on federal, state, and local public policy issues to ensure
a just, healthy environment and sustainable future for all Iowans.
Learn more at iaenvironment.org.
Chispa Nevada is a program of the League
of Conservation Voters that builds the power of Latinx communities
to fight for climate justice and our democracy. Visit us at
https://chispalcv.org/state/nevada for more information.
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SOURCE Iowa Environmental Council