For Immediate Release
’Utility rates and safety should not be contingent on DEI or ESG factors,’ says Christian Employers Alliance CEO Margaret Iuculano
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress will consider legislation supported by the Christian Employers Alliance (CEA), aimed at holding utility companies accountable for disastrous decisions that prioritize politics over people.
Introduced by Rep. John McGuire of Virginia, the FAIR Act (H.R. 4603) reflects the Christian Employers Alliance’s work in developing and advocating for this important legislation. This Act would prohibit state regulators “from approving rates charged by electric utilities that engage in certain diversity, equity, or inclusion practices, or that consider environmental, social, or governance factors, and for other purposes.”
CEA President Margaret Iuculano says prioritizing political ideologies when approving utility rates is bad business and a betrayal of public trust.
“Utilities should deliver power, not political agendas, and utility rates and safety should not be contingent on DEI or ESG factors,” Iuculano said. “The FAIR Act seeks to ensure a fair playing field for all energy consumers, regardless of their political standing.”
Iuculano says holding utilities accountable reflects two biblical business principles: good stewardship and good governance.
“Preoccupation with DEI and ESG agendas is wasteful, abusive, and poor stewardship of our God-given natural and financial resources,” Iuculano said. “Utility companies should focus on their core mission: delivering safe, reliable, and affordable energy.”
The FAIR Act emerged as a project of CEA’s Center for Biblical Business, which provides policy, legislation, and litigation support to ensure Christian-led companies are treated fairly — including in the consideration of utility rates.
Iuculano pointed to last year’s million-acre Smokehouse Creek Fire in Texas as a consequence of utility provider Xcel Energy’s apparent prioritization of DEI and ESG ideologies over actual public interests.
“This use of monopoly power to promote political ideologies has come at the expense of reliability, affordability, and public safety,” said Iuculano. “Christian employers should take the lead in advocating for the accountability of business leaders and government officials who make destructive policy decisions that put the public at risk.”
CEA urges members of Congress, regulatory agencies, and the public to demand transparency, reform, and a fair playing field from politicized utilities.
Media inquiries: media@christianemployersalliance.org