New Study Confirms That Renewable Energy Mandates Hike Energy Prices

April 22, 2019

Power The Future has warned that renewable energy mandates being pushed by the eco-left have massive negative consequences for regular Americans – notably that they act as a backdoor carbon tax, hiking energy prices on those that can least afford them.

Now, a new groundbreaking study from the University of Chicago confirms that this is indeed the case.

This morning, the University of Chicago Energy Policy Institute announced its findings from an investigation into state-level renewable energy mandates. Activists on the left, backed by billionaires like Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg, have been pushing renewable energy mandates for years. Oftentimes these mandates are defeated at the ballot box, as was the case with a proposal in Arizona during the 2018 elections backed by Steyer.

But the eco-left has had success in convincing state legislators and liberal governors to sign onto the idea, which requires states to achieve a certain percentage of their energy from renewables. The left views this as more politically palatable than carbon taxes, which would transparently show voters just how high politicians are raising energy prices.

The problem is mandates force states to use renewable energy even if it is far more expensive, raising costs to consumers.

In fact, the University of Chicago study found that renewable mandates are raising energy prices by a whopping 17 percent.

That means higher electricity bills on low-income families. That means more money out of people’s pockets and into utility companies.

Notably, the study also found that renewable power generation is up just single digits because of the mandates.

In other words, we get higher prices and not much to show for it.

It’s unsurprising that the policies pushed by the eco-left would raise costs on families to little effect, and that the conventional wisdom pushed by environmental activists with respect to renewable mandates is flawed.

It’s time for politicians to reverse these costly mandates before prices rise even higher. Regular Americans will thank you.