FOSSIL FUELS
Benchmark crude oil price declines may threaten domestic producers’ continued production growth. On January 5, 2015, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released a report — drawing from the S&P Goldman Sachs Commodity Index (GSCI) — showing that energy commodity prices recorded the largest declines in 2014 compared to non-energy commodities. Notably, the GSCI’s energy component…...
$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 FERC has approved Cheniere Energy’s proposal to construct an LNG terminal and related natural gas pipeline facilities in Corpus Christi, TX. On December 30, 2014, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authorized Cheniere Energy’s Corpus Christi Liquefaction LLC to construct and operate liquefied natural gas (LNG) export and import facilities on the Corpus Christi…...
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 continued increase in rail transportation of U.S. crude oil reflects rising production, which reached 8.5 million bbl/d in June 2014, the highest since July 1986. On December 24, 2014, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released a report showing that the amount of U.S. crude oil and refined petroleum products transported by rail increased by…...
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…...
The New York State DEC has announced that it will prohibit high-volume hydraulic fracturing activity in the state based on findings and recommendations in the DOH Public Health Review. On December 17, 2014, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) released its Public Health Review of the Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) draft Supplemental…...
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)…...
The EIA has projected that U.S. crude oil production will grow in 2015 despite the recent price decline. On December 12, 2014, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released a report forecasting that U.S. crude oil production will continue to grow in 2015 despite the potential for weaker production levels due to the recent price decline…....