ENVIRONMENTAL MARKETS
Approval of the project would ease transportation constraints to refiners and decrease reliance on foreign imports, but would have minimal impact on benchmark WTI prices. While the U.S. House of Representatives passed a Keystone XL approval bill quickly last week under suspension of the rules by a two-thirds majority vote, the Senate companion bill will…...
The EPA Clean Power Plan and new generation source emission rule finalization to mid-summer 2015 pushes back compliance deadlines. On January 7, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a revised schedule to finalize rulemakings for power plant emission standards under its proposed Clean Power Plan. The EPA intends to finalize the rules by mid-summer…...
The proposed increase to 50 percent by 2030 could also result in indirect boost to energy storage industries. In his inaugural address on January 5, 2015, California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. proposed new initiatives to expand the state’s emissions reduction efforts under the AB 32 climate law and establish the next set of objectives…...
DOE’s efficiency standards will not slow demand, but could save up to $78 billion in electricity bills. On December 31, 2014, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced energy efficiency standards for general service fluorescent lamps (GSFLs) and automatic commercial ice makers (ACIMs), achieving its goal of finalizing 10 energy efficiency standards in 2014. Together, the…...
$14.5M in funding supports market-ready emissions reduction technologies and is part a larger pool of more than $400M of Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) proceeds that could help moderate future RGGI auction prices. On December 30, 2014, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced $14.5M in funding to support market-ready technologies…...
The Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station has been officially disconnected from the grid. On December 29, 2014, the Vermont Public Service Department (PSD) announced the official closure of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station. The plant began operations in 1972 and was acquired by Entergy in 2002. Its current operating license expires on March 21,…...
A federal appeals court has rejected portions of revisions to EPA’s 2008 ozone rule that would delay compliance deadlines and revoke transportation conformity requirements. On December 23, 2014, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated portions of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2008 National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ground-level ozone. The court…...
EPA’s Clean Power Plan, regional programs, and continued solar installation growth aim to improve state-level resource and grid reliability. The proposed Clean Power Plan and regional reliability programs will continue to influence an energy mix shift and electric system improvements in the coming years. The energy mix shift is also being pushed by fuel and…...
The CEQ has published revised draft guidance for federal agencies on how to evaluate emissions and climate impacts of proposed actions in their NEPA reviews. On December 24, 2014, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) published a revised draft guidance to provide direction for federal agencies on how to consider greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and…...
Demand response (DR) performance in wholesale power markets has improved over the past six years, in part as a result of multiple FERC Orders. Removal of DR from organized electricity markets would favor generators through increased sales; this could lead to higher associated emissions and peak power prices. The Solicitor General has until January 15 to file…...
The EPA has issued the first national regulations for disposal of coal ash as solid waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. On December 19, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule to regulate disposal of coal combustion residuals (CCR) generated from electric utilities and independent power producers. The final rule…...
ARPA-E has announced $60M in funding under its MONITOR and DELTA programs to check methane emissions and facilitate energy-efficient thermal management. On December 16, 2014, the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) announced $60M in funding for 22 innovative projects through its Methane Observation Networks with Innovative Technology to Obtain Reductions (MONITOR)…...