Before heading out for the weekend, check our handpicked list of energy policy events and deadlines you don't want to miss, brought to you by the EnerKnol Platform.
Alaska RCA
BOEM
California PUC
Connecticut GA
EPA
Florida PSC
Idaho PUC
Illinois CC
Michigan PSC
MISO
New Jersey DEP
PJM
U.S. CIT
U.S. Congress
The United States Court of International Trade will consider a lawsuit by three Canadian solar companies seeking a preliminary injunction against the 30 percent tariff imposed by the Trump administration on solar panel imports.(Case No.18-00023)
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will host information-gathering sessions about the National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing program. President Trump proposed opening offshore tracts to drilling in January in the latest bid by the administration to remove restrictions on oil and gas producers. (BOEM-2017-0074)
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce, chaired by Republican Rep. Fred Upton, will consider the state of the nation’s energy infrastructure, opportunities to modernize it and ways to improve workforce training in the sector. President Trump recently unveiled a $1.5 trillion plan to rebuild America’s aging infrastructure.
The House subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources will discuss the geopolitical implications of liquified natural gas exports, which have steadily increased as more liquefaction capacity comes online and the commodity becomes more tradable in international markets. The U.S. is gearing up to become a major global supplier of the super-chilled gas amid booming production from shale reserves.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will hold listening sessions in San Francisco on the Trump administration’s repeal of the Clean Power Plan. U.S. EPA chief Scott Pruitt is leading efforts to scrap the landmark Obama-era climate regulation, which is designed to limit greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector. (EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0355, et al)
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce will hear updates on the restoration of Puerto Rico’s power grid. The island’s electric system was destroyed by hurricanes Maria and Irma in September, leading to prolonged outages and a regulatory push towards grid resilience and distributed generation.
The Florida Public Service Commission will consider adjustments to Southern Co. subsidiary Gulf Power Company’s electric rates to reflect the savings the utility reaps under the federal tax cuts. The regulator will look into a settlement agreement amounting to an $18.2 million annual cut to Gulf’s base rate. (20180039-EI)
The Illinois Commerce Commission will issue a report on the adequacy of the electric generating capacity in the southern portion of the state, known as MISO Zone 4. Dynegy Inc., the largest producer in the region, has raised concerns about reliability as two-thirds of its Illinois coal-fired plants face risk of retirement. (Workshop)
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator Inc. and PJM Interconnection LLC will continue a joint stakeholder process to address issues associated with the operation of the markets where they connect, known as a seam. The work aims to enhanced coordination and achieve a fluid market across the PJM-MISO border.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Board of Public Utilities will start setting rules to facilitate the state’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Governor Murphy, a Democrat, issued an executive order on Jan. 29 directing the regulators to begin negotiations with member states and to form a framework for allocating funds from the program. (RGGI)
The Connecticut legislature will consider a report by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority that endorsed measures to support Dominion Energy Inc.’s 2,100-megawatt Millstone nuclear plant after finding the generator is critical for the region’s fuel security and emission reduction goals. The agencies’ final assessment said that any assistance should require proof that the plant is at risk of retirement and provide measures to protect ratepayers from above-market costs. (Report)
The Michigan Public Service Commission will consider DTE Energy Company’s potential violation of the agency’s rules after a malfunction in a new billing system improperly shut power for customers in January last year. The commission said it initiated the investigation after the utility provided inaccurate information. Administrative Law Judge Lauren VanSteel will preside over the prehearing conference. (U-20084)
The Regulatory Commission of Alaska will consider an application by Olympus Equity LLC, a Hydro One Limited subsidiary, to acquire a controlling interest in Alaska Electric Light and Power Company by purchasing all the common stock of Avista Corp. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Jan. 16 authorized the $5.3 billion merger of the Canadian transmission and distribution service provider with Avista, an electricity and gas utility. (U-17-097)
The Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison Company, and San Diego Gas & Electric Company face a deadline to adjust 2018 energy storage procurement applications and contracts to reflect new market rules. The California Public Utilities Commission approved about a dozen regulations designed to enable storage systems to tap into the revenue streams for the multiple benefits provided to the electric grid, such as balancing supply and demand, deferring transmission and distribution projects and supporting microgrids. (R1503011)
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission will consider IDACORP Inc. subsidiary, Idaho Power Company’s proposal to create a separate compensation scheme for customers who are paid for the excess rooftop solar power supplied to the grid. The utility argues that the full retail rate paid to customers is too generous. (IPC-E-17-13)
