FOSSIL FUELS
Under a cooperative agreement with DOE, Southern Company will evaluate carbon capture technologies and advanced fossil-fuel conversion systems. On June 12, 2014, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that it has signed a five-year, $187M cooperative agreement with Southern Company to test advanced carbon-capture and gasification technologies at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC) in…...
The Repeal and Rebuild Act would repeal the federal gas tax and increase the per-barrel tax of oil processed into gasoline to solve the current transportation funding crisis. On June 11, 2014, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) introduced the Repeal and Rebuild Act (HR 4848), which seeks to eliminate the current per-gallon gas tax and increase…...
The North Carolina Governor has signed the 2014 Energy Modernization Act, which lifts a 2012 ban on hydraulic fracturing in the state. On June 4, 2014, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed the Energy Modernization Act of 2014 (SB 786) into law, allowing oil and gas extraction using hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling methods. The…...
The EPA stressed State flexibility in its Clean Power Plan to reduce emissions 30 percent by 2030. Overview On June 2, 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed its Clean Power Plan to set carbon pollution guidelines for existing power plants and emission standards for modified and reconstructed power plants. The proposal is key…...
Domestic energy production supplied 84 percent of U.S. demand in 2013, with natural gas representing the largest domestically produced resource for the third consecutive year. On June 2, 2014, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released a report showing that 2013 U.S. energy production reached 81.7 quadrillion British thermal units (quads) and met 84 percent of…...
EPA has released its Clean Power Plan proposal, outlining the first emission guidelines for existing fossil fuel-fired power plants, with a goal to reduce power sector emissions by 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. On June 2, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the Clean Power Plan proposal to address greenhouse gas emissions…...
DOE has proposed to suspend its practice of issuing conditional decisions on LNG export applications involving non-FTA countries before completing the review required under National Environmental Policy Act. On May 29, 2014, the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy published a Notice of Proposed Procedures for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Export Decisions concerning…...
The New York State Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) initiative aims to answer the question of how to proceed with New York’s energy future in the face of aging electric generating plants and the need for a more resilient energy infrastructure. Overview The initiative – announced by Governor Cuomo in April 2014 – tasks the…...
Despite the recent surge in domestic crude oil and natural gas production, diesel-fueled passenger vehicles and natural gas-fueled fleet vehicles still face challenges in achieving large-scale adoption. Overview Diesel-fueled vehicles provide an option for manufacturers to meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emissions standards and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration average fuel-efficiency standards of 54.5 miles…...
In response to Superstorm Sandy, DOE has announced the first federal regional gasoline reserve to create one million barrels of gasoline storage in the Northeast. On May 2, 2014, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced establishment of the first regional refined petroleum product reserve creating one million barrels of gasoline storage in the Northeast. The action,…...
Since the turn of the century, increased scrutiny has been placed on the U.S. electric grid. The threat of weather disruption, physical and cyber-attacks, and decreased regional power generation capacity due to emissions regulations are key factors framing the debate over how to achieve power security and supply. Overview In 2012, Hurricane Sandy exposed electric…...
The Supreme Court upheld EPA’s air pollution rule that regulates cross-border emissions of 28 upwind states to address downwind states’ compliance with air quality standards. On April 29, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), reversing an August 2012 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals…...