The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities took the first step towards developing an incentive program to support the purchase and use of electric vehicles and associated infrastructure in the state, according to a Sept. 27 news release. The state has a goal of achieving 330,000 EVs on the road by 2025, which will cut…
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Sept. 19 announced a final rule establishing nationwide uniform fuel economy and emission standards for automobiles and light duty trucks. As part of the rule, the agency said it is withdrawing a 2013 waiver that allowed California to pursue its own tailpipe pollution standard and zero-emission vehicle mandate. The…
Carbon reduction is becoming ingrained in the planning strategies of utilities across the Northwest in response to state-level decarbonization policies and market changes. As coal plants are no longer cost-competitive, utilities are taking advantage of new technologies and favorable economics of natural gas and renewables.
California’s energy landscape is evolving rapidly driven by its ambitious clean energy and carbon reduction goals. Recent actions range from enhancing renewable integration to reforming carbon market rules, strengthening auto-emission standards, and revising energy efficiency policies.
The California Public Utilities Commission on Aug. 15 approved a settlement allowing San Diego Gas & Electric Company to build charging infrastructure for a minimum of 3,000 medium and heavy electric vehicles. The agency authorized cost recovery of $107.4 million for the five-year program, as well as $1.7 million for a vehicle-to-grid pilot that will…
The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission voted to approve a zero-emission vehicle mandate, which requires more than 5 percent of vehicle sales in the state to be electric vehicles by 2023, according to an Aug. 16 press release. The requirement rises to more than 6 percent of sales by 2025. Automakers will get credits for each…
The transportation sector’s overwhelming reliance on higher-emitting fossil fuels combined with a federal retreat on climate change policy and fuel economy standards has made the widespread deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) one of the top priorities for states looking to achieve increasingly stringent emission cuts. Electric utilities, playing a central role in the shift away from gasoline-powered cars, are now rolling out of hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure investments and a grab bag of consumer incentives.
Democratic Governor Kate Brown signed legislation on July 15 that sets goals to promote zero-emissions vehicles in the state, including a requirement that all light-duty vehicles owned or leased by the state of Oregon be ZEVs by 2029. The new law aims for at least 50,000 registered ZEVs by 2020 and 250,000 by 2025. At…
North Carolina lawmakers approved a measure on July 8 allowing charging stations to resell kilowatt-hours purchased from an electric utility to the public, in a bid to encourage private investment in charging infrastructure. The bill determines that operators of these stations are not public utilities. Under the legislation, charging stations must be immobile and entities…
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on June 25 approved Xcel Energy Inc.’s 2018 rate adjustments for its revenue decoupling mechanism, which results in bill credits totaling $13 million for residential and small business customers that are subject to the program. The adjustment is calculated to match the actual electric revenue per customer to the level…
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has released the draft version of the 2019 Energy Master Plan, which provides a blueprint made up of seven strategies for achieving the state’s goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emission by at least 80 percent compared to 2006 levels,…
Democratic Governor Jared Polis on May 30 signed a slate of bills that will transform the state’s energy and environmental landscape, and unveiled a roadmap for the state to reach 100 percent renewable energy by 2040. Among the measures, House Bill 19-1261, the centerpiece of the state’s climate policy, sets a goal of achieving emission…