Energy Affordability is a Policy Choice: Lora Current on the Let People Prosper Show

ALEC Energy, Environment & Agriculture Task Force Senior Manager Lora Current appeared on the Let People Prosper Show with Vance Ginn, breaking down energy affordability, state energy policies, and the growing divide between states with low-cost electricity and those burdened by higher prices and regulatory mandates.

The conversation began with Current explaining how her work at ALEC focuses on promoting energy policies rooted in free markets, federalism, and limited government while helping lawmakers understand how policy decisions directly affect families and businesses.

“It’s exciting to wake up in the morning and work on energy policy, because it’s something that does affect every single American today,” she said.

The discussion then turned to ALEC’s latest Energy Affordability Report, which ranks states based on retail electricity prices and examines the policy trends behind those costs. Current also highlighted the benefits people are seeing in the top states of the report in regards to their energy savings.

“These families and in our top 10 states, are saving around $3,000 a year,” she explained. “That’s a large chunk of cash. So that becomes very real for families, very real for businesses, very real for states that want to stay competitive.”

Current highlighted the contrast between states with affordable electricity and those with higher costs, noting that the same states consistently rank among the most expensive year after year.

“Our top 10 states, very few of them have any of those three policies,” Current said, referring to renewable portfolio standards, net metering mandates, and cap-and-trade programs. “Our bottom 10 states, almost all of them have all three of those.”

The conversation also covered ALEC’s Affordable Reliable Clean Energy Security Act, known as the ARC Act, which prioritizes affordability and reliability in energy policy decisions.

“We can have great energy. We can have reliable, strong energy,” Current noted.

Current also warned against prematurely shutting down reliable energy sources without ensuring replacement capacity is available.

“If that’s your plan,” she said, “do you have the reliability that you are going to replace that energy source in the amount of time needed?”

The discussion concluded with Current emphasizing the importance of keeping families and consumers at the center of policymaking as states confront rising energy demands and affordability concerns.

“We’ve got to start having states look at the family first,” Current emphasized, “before looking at any kind of political agenda.”