Brickhouse provides testimony to United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Energy

Todd Brickhouse, Basin Electric chief executive officer and general manager, was invited to provide testimony during a hearing held by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy in Washington, D.C. on March 5, 2025. The hearing titled, “Scaling for Growth: Meeting the demand for reliable, affordable electricity,” focused on the challenges facing utilities to deliver reliable and affordable electricity to consumers amid the growing demand for power across the United States. 

The hearing also provided an opportunity to address reliability issues in the nation’s electric grid and discuss the importance of strengthening and expanding the ability to generate and distribute power to homes, businesses, and emerging data centers. 

“American families and businesses expect the lights to stay on at a cost they can afford,” Brickhouse told the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy. “Our nation’s energy policies must meet this fundamental expectation.”

Brickhouse said co-ops are urging policymakers to:

• Support a diverse supply of energy resources to meet skyrocketing demand for U.S. energy production and manufacturing, especially in rural areas.
• Improve environmental permitting processes and cut costly, burdensome regulations—including the Environmental Protection Agency’s power plant rule—to accelerate deployment and maintenance of electric infrastructure.
• Ensure federal programs and resources that support electric co-op energy projects are run efficiently and effectively as co-ops invest to meet the needs of the communities they serve.

Basin Electric plans to invest $12 billion in capital expenditures—more than doubling its balance sheet of assets—over the next decade. Those investments are being made because the co-op’s load growth over the next 10 years is projected to be about 3.3%—significantly higher than the national average of about 2.4%.

Co-ops across the country, including Basin Electric, also participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s New Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program, a voluntary grant and loan program designed specifically for electric co-ops as they deploy new nuclear, carbon capture, batteries, renewables, and other technologies that make sense for local communities.

As energy demand grows, federal regulatory policies must be addressed to allow Basin Electric and other cooperatives to build and maintain critical infrastructure. “We are in an era of energy expansion, not just a transition, and every available electron will be needed to meet growing demands of our membership and power rural America,” Brickhouse said. “Congress should support USDA and co-ops as they deploy these projects and oppose any cuts to the New ERA program.”

In closing, Brickhouse said, “Our nation is at an energy crossroads. Basin Electric stands ready to support efforts by Congress, the Administration, and federal agencies to enhance affordability and reliability for American consumers as we meet the growing energy needs of our country.”