Trump Administration Eases Oil, Gas Safeguards Developed in Response to Deepwater Horizon Spill

Trump Administration Eases Oil, Gas Safeguards Developed in Response to Deepwater Horizon Spill

The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement on Sept. 28 updated the 2016 well control rule, one of the spate of safety regulations implemented in the wake of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill that spewed 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over nearly three months. The agency said…

Michigan Regulator Approves $7.6 Million in Second Round of Refunds From Federal Tax Cut Savings

Michigan Regulator Approves $7.6 Million in Second Round of Refunds From Federal Tax Cut Savings

The Michigan Public Service Commission on Sept. 28 approved settlements that will return a total of about $7.6 million under the second round of federal tax cut adjustments to electric customers of Alpena Power Co. and Upper Michigan Energy Resources Corp., and gas customers of Michigan Gas Utility Corp., Northern States Power, SEMCO Energy Gas…

U.S. Enacts Law Establishing $10 Million Threshold For Merger Transactions to Seek FERC Approval

U.S. Enacts Law Establishing $10 Million Threshold For Merger Transactions to Seek FERC Approval

U.S. President Donald Trump signed legislation on Sept. 28 that requires mergers or consolidations of public utilities with a value above $10 million to be first approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. For transactions valued below that threshold but above $1 million, the law requires the utilities seeking merger to notify the commission within…

U.S. Enacts Laws to Foster Advanced Nuclear Technologies, Encourage Private Sector to Boost Energy Innovation

U.S. Enacts Laws to Foster Advanced Nuclear Technologies, Encourage Private Sector to Boost Energy Innovation

U.S. President Donald Trump signed legislation that will eliminate financial and technological barriers to nuclear innovation, according to a Sept. 28 press release from the U.S. Energy Department. The department said the legislation builds on the success of its Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear or GAIN initiative, which seeks to enable the industrial community…