A coalition of 15 states on Sept. 9 filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for approving oil and gas leasing activities in the 1.56 million-acre Coastal Plain area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The lawsuit, filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska, argues that the approval is based on…...
The Pennsylvania Senate on Sept. 9 voted in favor of a bill that would require legislative approval before the state can impose a carbon tax or join a multi-state carbon-trading program. The House of Representatives approved the legislation in July. The move comes ahead of a Sept. 15 meeting of the state’s Environmental Quality Board…
Proposals to accelerate the phase-out of coal-fired generation appear more prominently in long-term resource plans of U.S. electric utilities, reflecting the growing shift to renewable energy. The transition from coal continues to be driven by state clean energy mandates, emissions reduction goals, low natural gas prices, and increased availability of low-cost renewables and storage resources.
Duke Energy Carolinas LLC and Duke Energy Progress LLC on Sept. 1 unveiled their 15-year integrated resource plans for the Carolinas, presenting a range of scenarios with accelerated coal retirement options and substantial increases in solar, wind, and energy storage technologies. The proposal details six generation portfolios that would keep Duke Energy Corp. on a…...
The Bureau of Land Management’s quarterly oil and gas lease sale in New Mexico generated net proceeds of $8.28 million, according to an Aug. 28 press release. Nearly half the revenue from the sale is allotted to the states where the oil and gas activity takes place namely, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. The remainder…...
About 5 billion cubic feet per day of new natural gas pipeline capacity came online in the U.S. during the first half of 2020, according to an Aug. 24 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. At the same time an estimated 8.7 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of pipeline projects were canceled in…...
The Michigan Public Service Commission on August 20 authorized a settlement allowing DTE Gas to increase its revenues by $110 million, which is about 46 percent lower than the utility’s original request. The new rate, effective Oct. 1, will raise monthly residential bills for customers using 100 cubic feet of gas by about $2.97 or…...
The U.S. Energy Department on Aug. 20 authorized the Alaska LNG Project LLC to export liquefied natural gas in a volume equivalent to 929 billion cubic feet per year from a facility to be constructed in south central Alaska. The authorization allows Alaska LNG to export natural gas to non-free trade agreement countries for a…...
The Florida Public Service Commission on Aug. 18 approved Peoples Gas Systems’ request for an accounting mechanism to track and record additional costs brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The mechanism allows the utility to request approval of cost recovery through rates at a later time. The implementation of this tracking system provides a method…...
The U.S. Interior Department on Aug. 17 issued a decision approving oil and gas leasing activities in the 1.56 million-acre Coastal Plain area in Alaska’s 19.3 million Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The move follows the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which directed the Secretary of the Interior to establish a competitive program for the…...
The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management on Aug. 14 issued a final environmental review for ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc.’s proposed Willow Master Development Plan, an oil and gas development project in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. The project is expected to produce up to 590 million total barrels of oil during its 30-year…...
From 2011 to 2019, the U.S. repurposed 121 coal-fired plants to burn other fuels, of which 103 switched to natural gas, according to an Aug. 5 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The agency attributed the trend to stricter emission standards, low gas prices, and more efficient natural gas turbine technology. Of the 316.8-gigawatts…...