With the recent federal proposal to overhaul the Obama Administration Clean Power Plan, the new 'Affordable Clean Energy' plan has garnered much attention, hailed by very conservative organizations and decried by environmental and health organizations. While the energy sector has moved away from coal at a pace quicker than many predicted, one of the more interesting comments was about the 20 year planning timeline the utility sector generally uses and the futility of trying to plan around regulatory proposals when they change so significantly every 4 or 8 years. That is one observation most would agree with. Effective regulation can't constantly swing dramatically – no one benefits. Another fact, many, many utilities are already planning for and making switches to prepare for a lower carbon future.
The ongoing back-and-forth on energy regulations like the Clean Power Plan replacement really highlights how tough it is for industries to plan for the long term. It’s good to see many utilities already preparing for a lower-carbon future, even with all the uncertainty. Kind of reminds me of checking Thscore.mobi for live scores—you need consistent updates to stay ahead in the game!