Kentucky Congressman Brett Guthrie, Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, recently met with President Trump to discuss policy priorities for the new administration. Their meeting and joint commitment to “increase baseload power, lower costs, and deliver real results for the American people” is a strong indication that future policies will better respond to Kentucky’s needs and challenges, creating new economic opportunity and reducing the risk of electricity shortages.
One of the most pressing issues facing Kentucky’s power grid is the harmful impact of federal regulations implemented by the previous Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to shut down the dependable sources of electricity that have powered our state for generations. These regulations have placed significant burdens on electric utilities, leading to higher costs for consumers and uncertainty for industries dependent on affordable electricity. They have also made it more difficult to fully leverage our natural energy resources, especially coal, undermining economic growth and job creation.
This is important as technology companies rush to build new data centers to power their artificial intelligence technologies that require huge amounts of consistent, 24/7 electricity. As an energy-rich state, Kentucky is an ideal candidate for billions of dollars of new investment and thousands of new jobs in this sector. EPA regulations are unfairly damaging this competitive advantage by attempting to make it economically impossible for many Kentucky power plants to keep operating.
Fortunately, President Trump has indicated that he intends to re-evaluate and potentially rescind many of these EPA policies, which Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman and other prominent Kentucky officials have been advocating for years. Just last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, President Trump commented on the reliability of coal and its importance to America’s leadership in AI and other new technologies. Considering that 68% of Kentucky’s electricity was generated from coal in 2023, this was an important endorsement of the Commonwealth’s potential as a hub for emerging industries.
However, affordable and dependable electricity is not just an issue for large companies. It is a foundation of daily life for Kentucky residents. High electricity costs can strain household budgets and limit small business growth, and reliable electricity is critical to preventing rolling blackouts and other power disruptions that jeopardize public health. To address these challenges, policymakers and industry leaders must work together to roll back harmful EPA regulations, support local energy resources, and invest in grid reliability. Our state General Assembly has already taken important steps in this direction, and now the new federal government appears primed to work in partnership with Kentucky other states to develop common-sense solutions. We are grateful to Congressman Guthrie for championing these issues and are excited for the new economic opportunities that will result from a more balanced energy policy.