Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered the New York Department of Public Service to broaden its probe into National Grid’s gas connection moratorium and take action to ensure that the company immediately provides gas to customers who were improperly denied service, according to an Aug. 28 news release. Cuomo also directed the department to impose penalties…
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Aug. 29 proposed to reverse regulations put into place in 2016 to limit the emissions of methane, a potent global warming pollutant, during oil and natural gas drilling operations. The move follows a sweeping executive order that President Trump issued in 2017 to undo the prior administration’s climate regulations…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Aug. 29 found that New York waived its water quality certification authority for Williams Co.’s Constitution Pipeline by failing to act within the one-year timeframe under the Clean Water Act. The decision reverses the agency’s 2018 order that upheld New York’s permit denial. The commission followed a recent ruling…
The Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors on Aug. 22 approved the utility’s integrated resource plan, which calls for a continued reduction in its carbon footprint partly through the addition of up to 14 gigawatts of solar capacity by 2038. The resource plan, unveiled in June, updates TVA’s 2015 IRP in response to continuing changes…
The U.S. Interior Department announced that its Gulf of Mexico oil and gas lease sale held on Aug. 21 generated $159.4 million in high bids for 151 tracts covering about 835,000 acres, down from the previous sale, which drew about $244.3 million. The region-wide lease sale offered 77.8 million acres, including all available unleased areas…
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality on Aug. 16 unveiled a draft Clean Energy Plan outlining policy and action recommendations for the state to transition to carbon-free electricity by 2050, starting with a 60 to 70 percent reduction from 2005 levels by 2030. An executive order issued last year by Democratic Governor Roy Cooper…
U.S. petroleum and natural gas production increased by 16% and by 12%, respectively, in 2018, and these totals combined established a new production record, according to the Energy Information Administration. In 2011, the country overtook Russia to become the world’s largest producer of natural gas and just last year surpassed Saudi Arabia in the production…
Natural gas feedstock deliveries to LNG export facilities were the fastest growing among all U.S. natural gas consumption sectors in the first seven months of 2019, according to an Aug. 19 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Deliveries to export terminals set a new monthly record in July, averaging 6.0 billion cubic feet per day. The…
A coalition of 22 states and 7 cities on Aug. 13 filed a lawsuit challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Affordable Clean Energy” rule that replaced more stringent Obama-era restrictions on power sector emissions. The new plan allows states the flexibility to choose from a list of technologies to set performance standards for individual facilities, making…
The Ohio Public Utilities Commission on Aug. 14 proposed revisions to gas pipeline safety rules as part of its regular five-year review. The proposed rule would adopt the 2019 federal safety standards and include a requirement for pipeline operators to develop a plan for abandoning inactive service lines in the state. The revisions will establish…
The ISO New England Inc.’s short-term program to compensate resources for maintaining inventoried energy during winters 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 became effective by operation of law because the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission lacked a quorum to act on the proposed reforms before the statutory deadline, according to an Aug. 6 notice. A resource is eligible to…
The California Public Utilities Commission on Aug. 1 revised a 1992 energy efficiency policy to allow funding for electrification efforts, paving the way for new programs that use electric technologies powered by emissions-free resources. The decision modifies the “three-prong test” that was originally adopted to avoid encouraging programs that involved substituting one fuel for another,…