ENVIRONMENTAL MARKETS
The House Energy and Power Subcommittee heard testimony from Secretary Moniz on the DOE FY 2016 budget request, which outlined $1+B in renewable energy program funding increases but a decrease to fossil energy research and development. On February 11, 2015, the House Energy and Power Subcommittee held a hearing on the Department of Energy’s (DOE)…...
California Senators Propose to Increase State’s Renewable Energy Targets in Support of Governor’s 50-50-50 Goal On February 10, 2015, California Democrat Senator Kevin de León publicly announced four bills as part of the California Climate Leadership bill package to support the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and establish objectives beyond its 2020 emissions reduction targets…....
Senators in the Environmental and Public Works Committee presented dueling cost-benefit arguments for the climate change mitigation proposal that split between Republicans and Democrats, despite widespread state opposition to the rule. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the Clean Power Plan (CPP) proposal on June 2, 2014, to address greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from existing…...
The Georgia House of Representatives has approved a bill that would enable customers to access free-market financing to invest in and install solar technologies on their property. On February 9, 2015, the Georgia House of Representatives unanimously approved the Solar Power Free-Market Financing Act of 2015 (HB 57) aimed to allow third party ownership (TPO)…...
A new Massachusetts energy bill aims to enhance energy diversity by rate-basing natural gas pipeline additions and mandating offshore wind procurement. A new energy bill filed by Rep. Patricia Haddad (D-MA) in the Massachusetts House of Representatives on January 16 proposes fundamental changes to the state’s energy landscape through increased renewable generation and natural gas…...
The President’s Budget Leaves a Legacy of Clean Energy and Climate Change Mitigation Support The president’s budget provides strong support for clean energy and addressing climate change. The proposal would allocate substantial funding for clean energy and climate initiatives, while removing favorable tax deductions for the fossil fuel exploration and production (E&P) industry. The budget…...
High clearing prices in ISO-NE’s ninth forward capacity auction will stimulate new resource build-out to meet future demand. FCM Auction Attracts New Resources to Meet Low Reserve Margin The New England Independent System Operator’s (ISO-NE) ninth annual Forward Capacity Market (FCM) auction to acquire resources to meet June 1, 2018 through May 31, 2019 electricity…...
The DOE’s new SunShot Program funding could help lower costs across the solar PV value chain to help remove barriers to entry and de-risk solar energy grid integration. On January 29, 2015, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced more than $59M in funding to expedite commercialization of innovative solar manufacturing technologies and support multi-year solar…...
Industry stakeholders call for streamlined rail and pipeline permitting to sustain market impacts from oil and gas production when prices are low. Enhanced oil and natural gas transportation and storage infrastructure is needed to ensure the domestic energy revolution is sustained in the current period of low prices. Streamlining infrastructure permitting processes would aid investor…...
The DOI’s fourth competitive renewable energy lease sale on the Outer Continental Shelf has nearly doubled the federal offshore acreage available for commercial-scale wind energy projects. Despite the expanded acreage, the U.S. offshore wind industry continues to face unique challenges of high costs, mitigation of environmental impacts, project installation, and grid interconnection, and continued federal offshore…...
Bipartisan Bills Aim to Expedite DOE Decisions on LNG Export Applications According to domestic producers and other stakeholders, a more predictable LNG export terminal approval timeline would provide industry and markets with much-needed certainty to drive forward multi-billion dollar investments. On January 29, 2015, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on…...
Governor Cuomo’s 2015 Opportunity Agenda reiterates his commitment to early stage energy technology and grid resiliency investments. In his 2015 State of the State address on January 21, 2015, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo proposed significant initiatives to advance clean energy, environmental protection, and climate resilience efforts that support the Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) proceeding…....