New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Dec. 28 announced an increase in emergency aid for low-and middle-income families to keep their homes heated during the winter. The move aims to prevent disconnecting or exhausting sources amid expected increases in fuel prices. Compared to last year, the emergency benefit planned for this winter ranges from 32…...
The U.S. Energy Department on Dec. 16 announced a $100 million funding opportunity to support innovative technologies that can contribute to emissions reductions, increase energy efficiency, and support grid modernization. The agency’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) will run the funding program, which is expected to support President Biden’s Building a Better America initiative by…...
The U.S. Department of Energy on Dec. 13 announced $54 million in funding for small businesses to research and develop new technologies that help accelerate the transition to clean energy. The agency-led initiative will provide up to $250,000 and the applicants will qualify for up to $1.6 million follow-on funding, under the Small Business Innovation…...
The California Public Utilities Commission on Dec. 2 introduced new programs and modifications to existing programs to lower energy demand and increase supply during critical hours to prevent electricity breakdowns during extreme heat events such as the west-wide heat waves of 2020 and 2021. To protect the grid during extreme weather seasons, the regulator approved…...
The Michigan Public Service Commission on Dec. 9 initiated a study to examine the potential of renewable natural gas (RNG) development. The study aims to identify existing and potential sources of RNG in Michigan and any barriers to development, in order for the state to provide a carbon neutral energy solution, using the existing natural…...
The growing incidence of extreme weather events has triggered regulatory and legislative efforts across the U.S. to improve the reliability and resilience of the energy system. Winter Storm Uri, which caused widespread outages in the South Central U.S. in February, prompted a regulatory upheaval in Texas, which suffered the brunt of the storm, leaving more than 4.5 million people without power. California has adopted measures to ensure reliability in the event of extreme weather in the summers of 2022 and 2023. Federal regulators have approved new cold weather electric reliability standards.
The Texas Public Utility Commission staff on Dec. 8 filed reports of violation against eight generation companies for failing to timely submit winter weather readiness plans. Thirteen of the state’s 850 generation resources owned by these companies missed the Dec. 1, 2021 deadline. In October, the commission adopted a rule addressing weather emergency preparedness of…...
The U.S. Energy Department on Dec. 2 announced $35 million in funding for technologies that aim to reduce methane emissions in the coal, oil, and natural gas sectors. The department selected 12 projects for the grants under a new program called “Reducing Emissions of Methane Every Day of the Year,” or REMEDY, a three-year research…...
The Biden administration is walking a tightrope on climate action as recent moves in the oil and gas industry challenge its aggressive climate agenda, which calls for net-zero emissions by 2050.