Power & Utilities
Hawaiian Electric Companies have proposed comprehensive electric energy plans with a goal to achieve more than 65 percent renewable energy by 2030. On August 26, 2014, the Hawaiian Electric Companies – Hawaiian Electric, Maui Electric, and Hawaii Electric Light Company – proposed electric energy plans in response to the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC)…...
The New Jersey BPU has released a draft program guide for its Energy Resilience Bank, the first-of-its-kind energy recovery and resiliency financing initiative in the U.S. On August 22, 2014, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) released a draft program guide to develop and implement the Energy Resilience Bank (ERB), an energy recovery…...
A federal appeals court has ruled that FERC acted within its statutory authority in adopting FERC Order 1000 which mandates regional planning for transmission providers. On August 15, 2014, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) reforms to electric transmission planning and cost…...
Federal lands contain significant oil and gas reserves, however federal staffing resource challenges have led to decreases in resource development and delayed state and federal revenue. The proposed BLM Permit Processing Improvement Act of 2014 (S. 2440) has significant bipartisan support, and its passage would expand and extend upon the current federal land permitting program…...
Vermont’s Green Mountain Power has begun work on an innovative solar project that combines energy storage and microgrid integration. On August 12, 2014, Green Mountain Power (GMP), a Vermont electricity utility, announced breaking ground on the $10M Stafford Hill Solar Farm project in Rutland, Vermont. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, it is the…...
DOE has issued its final Environmental Impact Statement for a 336-mile electric transmission system between the United States and Canada, clearing the way for final Presidential Permit issuance. On August 11, 2014, Transmission Developers Inc. announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) has issued the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for its proposed Champlain Hudson Power…...
The United States is set to begin construction this year on its first offshore wind farm – the Cape Wind Project, led by Cape Wind Associates, LLC – located off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The 130-turbine, 468 MW Cape Wind Project would more than quadruple Massachusetts’ current wind power capacity (Figure 1),…...
Rhode Island’s climate law prioritizes climate adaptation, emissions reduction, and institutional design to address climate change. The Resilient Rhode Island Act of 2014 (H 7904) is the state’s first climate bill and aims to make the state economy and society resilient to the effects of a changing climate. Signed into law on July 2, and ceremonially signed on August 1,…...
The latest round of low-cost power allocations under ReCharge NY is expected to leverage an estimated $270M in capital investments. On August 4, 2014, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that the New York Power Authority has approved the ninth round of ReCharge NY power allocations, providing a total of 11.8 MW of low-cost power for…...
Massachusetts has enacted legislation, qualifying renewable heating and cooling technologies for Alternative Energy Credits under the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard. On August 1, 2014, the Massachusetts Legislature enacted S 2214 – An Act Relative to Credit for Thermal Energy Generated with Renewable Fuels – mandating utilities to procure renewable thermal energy credits to meet their…...
During a Trade and Investment Mission to Mexico, California Governor Brown signed agreements with Mexico to enhance cooperation on environmental issues and encourage cross-border clean energy investments. On July 28, 2014, California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Undersecretary Rodolfo Lacy, and Mexican National Forestry Commission Director General Jorge Rescala…...
Renewable Heat NY will facilitate a sustainable, high-efficiency, and low-emissions wood heating sector across New York. On July 29, 2014, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo launched Renewable Heat NY, a $27M initiative aimed to build market for high-efficiency, low-emissions wood-fired heating systems across state. The initiative will offer incentives to replace highly polluting outdoor and indoor…...
