namePGE Building Wikipedia Alt FI 2

California Regulators Blast PG&E For Failures During Unprecedented Emergency Blackout

The California Public Utilities Commission’s President Marybel Batjer ordered Pacific Gas and Electric Company to take a multitude of immediate corrective actions after it encountered significant problems with communication and coordination during the largest public safety power shut-off event in the history of California, which impacted an estimated 2 million people, according to an Oct.…

California Adopts Strategies to Further Vehicle-Grid Integration

Connecticut Unveils Draft Roadmap to Create Self-Sustaining Electric Vehicle Market

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection on Oct. 16 released a draft plan, identifying policies, programs, and strategies that the state should implement to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles and expand charging infrastructure. The roadmap, which aims to develop a self-sustaining EV market, builds on the state’s prior work with vehicle rebates…

Electric Vehicles on Utility Services

Ameren Wins Missouri Approval to Add 1,000 EV Charging Stations

The Missouri Public Service Commission approved an agreement allowing Ameren Missouri to implement three sub-programs under its $11 million Charge Ahead initiative to encourage adoption of electric vehicles, according to an Oct. 17 press release. The programs namely, public charging, workplace charging, and multi-family charging, are scheduled to begin next year. Ameren Missouri expects to…

city 275953 960 720

Cuomo Orders National Grid to Immediately Connect Over 1,000 Gas Customers Previously Denied Service by Moratorium

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, announced that National Grid is being directed to immediately connect more than 1,000 customers that were previously denied service following supply constraints, according to an October 11 press release. The company is currently under investigation and facing millions of dollars in penalties for failing to connect existing residential customers…

U.S. Interior Approves 465 Megawatts of Solar Projects in California

National Grid’s Enrollment in Massachusetts Solar Incentive Program Quadrupled in Third Quarter

About 23.7 megawatts of capacity was enrolled in the service territory of National Grid plc during the third quarter of this year, up from 5.6 megawatts in the previous quarter, under the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target, or SMART, program, according to an Oct. 18 report. Community solar accounted for nearly 7 megawatts of the capacity. The…

industrial 3410064 960 720

Michigan Regulators Propose Overhaul of Natural Gas Standards Including Cybersecurity Rules

The Michigan Public Service Commission is proposing to amend rules governing the technical standards for gas service for utilities under the Commission’s jurisdiction, including cybersecurity measures, according to an Oct. 17 press release. The proposed rules reflect new technologies in the area of metering, equipment inspections and tests as well as removing references to obsolete…

U.S. EPA Reverses Finding That Formed Basis for Obama-Era Power Plant Mercury Rules

U.S. Lawmaker Proposes Bill Requiring Federal Regulators to Consider Climate Impacts of Gas Pipeline Projects

U.S. House Representative James McGovern, a Democrat representing Massachusetts, introduced legislation on Oct. 11 that would require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to consider greenhouse gas emissions when reviewing natural gas pipeline projects. Recent FERC approvals of pipeline projects have drawn attention to the commission’s divided approach to assess greenhouse gas emissions, underscoring the need…

Bolster Battery Critical Materials Supply Chains

FERC Clears PJM, SPP Proposals Establishing Energy Storage Market Participation Models

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Oct. 17 largely approved plans filed by PJM Interconnection LLC and Southwest Power Pool Inc. addressing electric storage participation in their wholesale markets. The orders mark the agency’s first move to implement the landmark Order No. 841, which directed grid operators to establish a market model that recognizes the…

Energy Department Secretary Rick Perry

U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry to Step Down This Year Amid Ukraine Scandal

U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry announced his resignation on Oct. 17 amid a Democratic-led impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump’s actions to pressure the Ukraine government to investigate his political opponent Joe Biden. The Energy Department wrote to House Committees that it would not comply with a subpoena demanding Ukraine-related documents, arguing that the House…