New Jersey 100 Percent Clean Energy

New Jersey Unveils Energy Master Plan for 100 Percent Clean Energy by 2050

Democratic Governor Phil Murphy on Jan. 27 released a comprehensive plan, outlining strategies to reach the administration’s goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050 and achieve the target of 80 percent emissions reduction from 2006 levels set by the Global Warming Response Act enacted last year. To support the strategies, Murphy signed an executive…

Blog Preview 2020 01 29

EnerKnol’s State Policy Playbook: Pennsylvania Strives to Embrace Clean Energy

Climate change and clean energy are figuring more prominently in Pennsylvania, which has been historically associated with coal and nuclear until the shale gas boom. Over the past year, Pennsylvania set the first statewide climate goals, committed to join the regional carbon market, funded solar projects, established alternative ratemaking, and unveiled a roadmap to boost electric vehicle adoption.

U.S. Energy Department Announces Crude Oil Purchase to Test Market

U.S. Interior Department Announces Utah Oil, Gas Lease Sale

The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management will offer 25 parcels of land, totaling about 32,700 acres located on Uintah County, at the March quarterly oil and gas lease sale, according to a Jan. 23 news release. The bureau will hold the lease sale online on March 10. The agency will conduct an additional…

Planned Generating Capacity 2020

Solar, Wind Represent 76 Percent of New Electric Generating Capacity in 2020: EIA

About 42 gigawatts of new power generating capacity is expected to come online in 2020, with solar and wind accounting for almost 32 gigawatts of the capacity, according to a Jan. 14 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Wind represents the largest share at 44 percent, followed by solar at 32 percent and natural…

PHMSA Underground Natural Gas Storage

U.S. Transportation Department Strengthens Safety Standards for Underground Natural Gas Storage

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued a final rule addressing safety issues related to underground natural gas storage facilities, according to a Jan. 13 news release. The rule stems from legislation enacted in 2016 that directed the agency to establish minimum federal safety standards for these facilities, following a…

Atlantic Coast Pipeline Project Canceled Due to Legal Uncertainties

Court Overturns Permit for $7.5 Billion Atlantic Coast Gas Pipeline Citing Environmental Justice Issues

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on Jan. 7 vacated a permit issued by the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board for Dominion Energy Inc. for the construction of a compressor station to support natural gas transmission through the 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The court remanded the permit back to the agency for…

SoCalGas Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Flexibility

SoCalGas Prepared to Meet Winter Natural Gas Demand With New Rules Facilitating Withdrawal from Aliso Canyon: EIA

Southern California Gas Company has more flexibility to meet natural gas demand this winter than last year after California regulators approved new rules that make it easier for the company to withdraw gas from its Aliso Canyon storage facility, according to a Dec. 13 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Working natural gas inventory…

U.S. Interior Department Announces Colorado Oil, Gas Lease Sale

U.S. Set New Records for Oil and Natural Gas Production in 2018: EIA

Year-over-year increases in U.S. proved reserves resulted in record-high levels of crude oil and lease condensate, up 12 percent, and natural gas up 9 percent in 2018, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s U.S. Crude Oil and Natural Gas Proved Reserves, Year-End 2018 report. Strong oil and natural gas prices in 2018 drove the increase in…

Solar Panels Power Plants

Michigan Regulator Endorses Upper Peninsula Power’s 125-Megawatt Solar Contract as Part of Resource Plan

The Michigan Public Service Commission accepted portions of Upper Peninsula Power Company’s integrated resource plan, including a 125-megawatt solar power contract as the lowest-cost energy supply option, according to a Dec. 6 news release. The agency recommended removal of the company’s proposal to build a 20-megawatt natural gas-fired unit, and called for a more robust…

Natural Gas Flaring Venting

U.S. Natural Gas Flaring Hit Record High in 2018 Amid Glut in Oil Production: EIA

Venting and flaring of U.S. natural gas reached its highest average annual level of 1.28 billion cubic feet per day in 2018, with North Dakota and Texas accounting for 82 percent of the amount, according to a Dec. 6 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. As crude oil production has outpaced the buildout of…