FOSSIL FUELS
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…...
The FERC has authorized Dominion’s Cove Point LNG terminal to export up to 5.75 million metric tons of LNG per year from its existing import terminal at Calvert County, Maryland. On September 29, 2014, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authorized Dominion Cove Point LNG, LP to construct and operate facilities for liquefaction and export…...
On September 17, 2014, the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance held a hearing entitled “Reforming America’s Outdated Energy Tax Code.”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…....
On September 9, 2014, FERC accepted ISO-NE’s Transmission, Markets and Services Tariff revisions to aid its 2014/2015 Winter Reliability Program (Docket No. ER14-2407-000). ISO-New England’s Winter Reliability Programs offer incentives to oil-fired generators to hold increased inventory to meet peak winter demand, as much of natural gas pipeline capacity is dedicated to firm service contract…...
NYC has committed to reduce emissions to 80 percent below 2005 levels by 2050, beginning with a comprehensive plan to retrofit all public buildings by 2025 and set target reductions and mandates for private buildings. On September 21, 2014, New York City (NYC) Mayor de Blasio announced a new goal of reducing emissions to 80…...
On September 17, 2014, the Senate Committee on Finance held a hearing titled “Reforming America’s Outdated Energy Tax Code” to discuss possible reforms to the U.S. energy tax policy. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) underscored the need for predictable, level playing-field tax policy that puts renewables on the same footing as other…...
The EPA has extended the comment period for its proposed emission guidelines for existing fossil fuel-based power plants by 45 days. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has extended the comment period for its proposed Clean Power Plan from its mid-October deadline to December 1. The decision, which extends the initial 120-day comment period by an…...
The FERC has approved Alaska LNG Project’s pre-filing review request and selected NRG as the third-party contractor to assist with the environmental review process. On September 12, 2014, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project participants’ request to commence the pre-filing review process. The project participants – ExxonMobil,…...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) June Gas-Electric Coordination report highlighted industry responses to FERC’s March 20 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The NOPR aims to reform mismatched wholesale electricity and natural gas transportation market operating day, day-ahead, and intraday schedules. Both the natural gas and electric industries support a change in the intraday scheduling cycles…...
The DOE has authorized Cameron LNG LLC and Carib Energy LLC to export LNG to non-FTA countries from Louisiana and Florida, respectively. On September 10, 2014, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued final authorization for two liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects – Cameron LNG LLC in Cameron Parish, Louisiana and Carib Energy LLC in…...
The DOT has proposed new measures to strengthen security requirements for unattended freight trains containing crude oil. On September 9, 2014, the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a Notice of Rulemaking aimed to strengthen security requirements for unattended freight trains. The proposed rule strengthens existing regulations for railroad cars transporting certain…...
The Alaska LNG Project participants have submitted a pre-filing request to FERC to begin the environmental review required for federal authorization to build and operate the project. On September 8, 2014, the Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Project participants – ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, BP, TransCanada, and Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC) – announced the submission of…...