For Immediate Release: September 5, 2014

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Offers Comments on PUC

Proposed Alternative Energy Rule
(Camp Hill) Pennsl!ania Farm "#rea# (PF") $as s#bmitted %ritten &omments to t$e P#bli& 'tilit
Commission (P'C) in response to a proposal to re!ise t$e re(#lator standards )or implementation o) t$e
*lternati!e +ner( Port)olio Standards *&t o) 2004, Standards adopted b t$e P'C %ill impa&t t$e eli(ibilit
o) on-)arm ele&tri&al (eneratin( sstems $oo.ed to p#bli& s#ppl lines to /#ali) )or 0net meterin(1 treatment
t$at pro!ides )armers %it$ (reater e&onomi& ret#rn on s#rpl#s ele&tri&al s#ppl,
In its &omments, PF" e2pressed &on&ern t$at P'C3s proposed standard to distin(#is$ 0&#stomers1 eli(ible
)or net meterin( )rom #tilities and ot$er 0&ommer&ial (enerators1 o) ele&tri&it is #n%or.able )or )amilies #sin(
on-)arm (enerators o) ele&tri&it to mana(e t$eir )arm b#siness operations,
0Farmers are not &ommer&ial ele&tri& &ompanies, 4$eir primar )o&#s is ma.in( t$eir )arm b#siness
pro)itable, not earnin( a li!in( t$ro#($ s#pplin( ele&tri&it,1 said PF" President Carl 4, S$a))er, 04pi&all,
)armers #se alternati!e ener( prod#&tion to mana(e t$e $i($ !ol#me o) ener( needed to r#n t$eir )armin(
operations, 'se o) met$ane di(esters, solar panels and %ind )arms, o)ten pla a &riti&al role in proper
en!ironmental mana(ement o) )arms and )armers3 abilit to meet en!ironmental re(#lations, For man )armers,
mana(ement o) en!ironmental impa&ts o) a(ri&#lt#ral prod#&tion is t$e most important reason %$ t$e )armer
installs and operates t$e alternati!e ener( sstem,1
PF" spe&i)i&all %ants t$e P'C to re&onsider its proposal t$at %o#ld pro$ibit )armers )rom bein( eli(ible
)or net meterin( i) t$e (eneration &apa&it o) t$e on-)arm sstem e2&eeds 110 per&ent o) t$e )armer3s a&t#al #se
o) ele&tri&it,
05i!en t$e $i($ &osts and debt t$at )armers m#st in&#r to de!elop t$ese sstems, t$e 110 per&ent limitation
%ill a&t as a disin&enti!e )or )arm )amilies #sin( 4ier I (eneration to a&$ie!e t$e le!el o) en!ironmental &ontrol
or e&onomi& e))i&ien& t$at t$e %ill need to !iabl s#stain t$eir )arms in a(ri&#lt#ral prod#&tion,1 &on&l#ded
S$a))er,
Farm "#rea# added t$at it is read to %or. %it$ t$e P'C to de!elop net meterin( re(#lations t$at en&o#ra(e
)armers to implement alternati!e ener( pro6e&ts t$at impro!e t$e en!ironment and prod#&e 0&lean ele&tri&it,1
Pennsylvania Farm Bureau is the states largest farm organization with a volunteer membership of nearly
60,000 farm and rural families, representing farms of every size and commodity across Pennsylvania.