ENVIRONMENTAL MARKETS
2013 Year-over-year GHG emissions rose 2.5 percent and are projected to rise an additional 1.1 percent over the course of 2014, mainly due to harsh 2014 winter conditions. If energy efficiency, demand response, and renewable resources are not increasingly developed, the U.S. power sector will be challenged to affordably meet emissions goals if extreme weather…...
A federal appeals court has lifted the stay of EPA’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule which addresses interstate transport of air pollution that affects downwind states’ ability to meet air quality standards. On October 23, 2014, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit granted the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) motion to lift…...
New York’s first energy management network operations center will provide statewide public facilities with real-time energy use data to improve building performance. On October 21, 2014, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the launch of NY Energy Manager (NYEM), the state’s first energy management network operations center, at the Colleges of Nanoscale Science and…...
The DoD’s 2014 Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap lays out a comprehensive strategy to address potential climate challenges. On October 13, 2014, the Department of Defense (DoD) released its FY 2014 Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap, which sets forth adaptation activities to increase its resilience to climate impacts by integrating climate considerations into its plans, operations, and…...
Massachusetts offered its first green bond sale in June 2013, and several additional states have offered green bonds over the last two years. Green bonds offer issuers access to capital to finance projects for water quality and infrastructure, energy efficiency, renewable energy, pollution cleanup, and other capital-intensive projects.. With the Green Bond Principles gaining marketplace…...
The DOE has issued a final rule establishing standards for green building rating systems that provide certification for federal buildings. On October 10, 2014, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued a final rule establishing standards for green building certification systems to strengthen federal buildings’ energy management through enhanced energy use measurement and energy efficient design…....
The EIA’s annual fuel economy report shows that MY 2013 vehicles achieved an all-time high fuel economy and record low emissions levels. On October 8, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its annual “Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 through 2014” report which tracks average fuel economy, emissions,…...
ISO-NE’s eighth Forward Capacity Market Auction (FCA-8) rates became effective September 16, 2014, despite FERC being unable to reach agreement on whether the filing was “just and reasonable.” The final price for existing sources was set at the administrative price of $7.025/kW-month, a 123 percent increase from the FCA-7 clearing price. The Northeast Massachusetts (NEMA)/Boston…...
The Massachusetts Attorney General has sought DPU action to mitigate spikes in winter rates and extend the state’s Winter Moratorium by one month. On October 2, 2014, Massachusetts Attorney General (AG) Martha Coakley wrote to the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) requesting an investigation into ways to mitigate National Grid’s winter rate spikes that will…...
Governor Brown has signed SB 1414 into law to include demand response into resource adequacy and procurement planns. On September 29, 2014, California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed Senate Bill 1414 (SB 1414) into law, facilitating implementation of demand response (DR) programs to meet the state’s growing electricity needs. SB 1414, sponsored by Sen…....
On September 17, 2014, the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance held a hearing entitled “Reforming America’s Outdated Energy Tax Code.” Retroactively extending tax provisions has significant impact on financial accounting for multiple energy industries, including wind and solar, and also small and mid-sized businesses such as commercial building owners, architects, engineers, contractors, and design-construction companies…....
Massachusetts has awarded the first round of grants under the Community Clean Energy Resiliency Initiative for six municipal resiliency projects. On September 25, 2014, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) awarded $7.4M in the first round of project implementation grants under the Community Clean Energy Resiliency Initiative. The funding will support six projects designed…...