Safety valves are in place to prevent rules regulating power plant emissions from impacting electric reliability, making legislation unnecessary, according to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Jon Wellinghoff.
The chairman offered his perspective at an April 26 roundtable with reporters at FERC headquarters in Washington, D.C., in response to a question about Capitol Hill concerns over the cumulative effect of federal environmental regulations on the grid.
The FERC chief voiced a greater sense of urgency on the grid’s vulnerability to cyber attacks. The electric system is “potentially vulnerable,” Wellinghoff said, but added there has been no indication of increased exposure during his five and a half years at FERC.
