Few people in America understand how vulnerable our power grid is today. Two-thirds of America is at risk of not having enough power to meet demand. Two-thirds of our nation could be sitting in a dark room wondering what to do next, at the mercy of a long line of leaders who didn’t do their jobs.

We all can agree that in a nation blessed with energy resources of all types we should never be without power. Fortunately, North Dakota is well positioned to cover our needs thanks to our diverse and innovative energy industry and leaders who have fought hard to advance and protect it. But America as a whole is on the edge. Truly, our nation is committing energy suicide.

The problem is much of our energy policy is driven by advocates not scientists or engineers. And it is threatening our economy, our families, and our national security.

For North Dakota, the stakes are high. More than half of our state revenues and nearly 60,000 jobs hang in the balance of our national energy policies. The forces coming against our coal, oil and natural gas industries are attacking at every angle: insurance, financing and mountains of federal regulations.

This week the US Environmental Protection Agency unleashed a deluge of rules that pose a huge threat to the reliability and affordability of the power our families, businesses and communities depend on for our lives and livelihoods.

As a North Dakota Public Service Commissioner, I am part of North Dakota’s efforts to fight these new rules including the Greenhouse Gas Regulations and the Mercury and Air Toxins (MATS) Rule.

Read the rest of the Op-ed at Inforum: https://www.inforum.com/community/letters/paid-political-letter-epa-rules-increase-energy-prices-and-threaten-reliability-5c42027021e12668ac8da793-6632f34d99179c000e051263