Xcel Energy Inc. on June 17 filed a plan with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to invest almost $3 billion in accelerated and incremental projects in an effort to help the state’s economy recover from the slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposal follows the commission’s request for information from electric and gas utilities…...
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on June 17 announced that this year’s distribution of impact fees collected from natural gas producers totaled $200 million, nearly 43 million lower than the prior year. The commission attributed the change to the lower average price of natural gas in 2019, resulting in lower impact fee payment for each…...
New England’s average wholesale electricity prices dropped by 40 percent to $28 per megawatthour during the 2019-2020 winter from $47 per megawatthour in the previous winter, according to a June 10 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Natural gas-fired generators set the price of electricity more often compared with previous winters because of the…...
U.S. summer electricity demand, from June through August, is expected to total 998 billion kilowatthours, a 5 percent drop compared to 2019 and the lowest value since 2009, according to a June 10 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Retail electricity sales in the commercial and industrial sectors are expected to decline 12 percent…...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on June 9 adopted a rule that forbids natural gas projects from commencing construction until the agency acts on rehearing requests. The move intends to protect stakeholders, including landowners affected by pipeline projects. The rule attempts to address some of the concerns raised in a lawsuit before the U.S. Court…...
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on June 4 directing federal agencies to use emergency powers to expedite infrastructure projects to facilitate recovery from the economic slowdown caused by COVID-19. The order allows agencies to consult with the White House Council on Environmental Quality to identify “alternative arrangements” for complying with the requirements…...
Canada is the second-biggest destination for U.S. energy exports, next only to Mexico, and the main source of U.S. energy imports, according to a June 5 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In 2019, energy accounted for $85 billion, or 27 percent, of the trade value for U.S. imports from Canada; crude oil and…...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on June 1 issued a final rule specifying the timeframe for states to review water quality requirements for infrastructure projects under a section of the Clean Water Act. The rule requires states or authorized tribes to take final action within one year of a certification request. The agency also clarified…...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on June 5 announced it will convene a technical conference next month to consider the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on various segments on the U.S. energy industry. The agency will analyse the potential longer-term impacts on regulated entities to ensure efficient functioning of energy markets, power transmission, oil…...
U.S. natural gas consumption is expected to fall by 3.4 billion cubic feet per day led by a decline in industrial consumption, according to a May 26 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The agency attributed the decrease to the economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and to milder temperatures in the first…...
U.S. active crude oil and natural gas rigs dropped to their lowest number in over three decades, according to a May 20 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The number of rigs declined sharply to 339 on May 12, a 56 percent decline since March 17, due to an unprecedented drop in petroleum demand…...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on May 21 authorized the Alaska LNG Project, which includes an 800-mile pipeline and a liquefied natural gas export facility. The $40-$45 billion project, developed by Alaska Gasline Development Corp. in partnership with BP and ExxonMobil, is expected to be the largest in the U.S. Democratic Commissioner Richard Glick dissented…...