Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo on Nov. 25 announced a settlement with National Grid plc to immediately lift the moratorium on gas service in Long Island, Queens and Brooklyn. The move follows Cuomo’s notification earlier this month threatening to revoke National Grid’s operating license over its inability to provide reliable supply. The utility committed to short-term…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission authorized the siting, construction and operation of NextDecade LNG LLC’s proposed Rio Grande liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility in Brownsville, Texas and the associated Rio Bravo Pipeline, according to the Nov. 22 order. The project would have a nominal production capacity of up to 27 million metric tonnes per…
The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management on Nov. 21 issued a draft environmental review for a new integrated activity plan for the 23-million acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The proposal includes an alternative that would open as much as 18.3 million acres, or about 80 percent of the reserve, to oil and gas development,…
U.S. House Representative Donald McEachin, a Democrat representing Virginia, introduced legislation on Nov. 21 that would set a nationwide goal of achieving a 100 percent clean energy economy by 2050. The bill, which has over 150 co-sponsors, calls on federal agencies to use their existing authorities to reach the net-zero carbon goal while remaining technology-neutral. The…
Staff members of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission have reached a partial settlement with Avista on the company’s request to hike electric and natural gas rates for its customers, according to a Nov. 21 press release. The proposed settlement lays out an agreement that recovers in rates the remaining costs associated with Avista’s partial…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Nov. 21 established a new method to determine the return on equity, or ROE, for setting jurisdictional rates charged by public utilities. The agency applied the new process in complaint proceedings against the transmission owners of Midcontinent Independent System Operator, concluding that their existing 12.38 percent ROE was unjust…
The New York Independent System Operator Inc. has adequate supplies to meet the projected demand for electricity and maintain necessary operating reserves during the 2019-20 winter, according to a Nov. 21 news release. The power system is expected to have a total resource capacity of 43,346 megawatts including generation, imports, and demand response this winter.…
Northern States Power Company proposed two residential electric vehicle charging programs to incentivize charging during off peak times, according to a Nov. 20 filing with the Wisconsin Public Service Commission. Customers would be provided with charging equipment and allowed to utilize time-of-use rates to charge their cars. To overcome the upfront cost barrier to EV…
Community choice aggregation has existed for over two decades, but it has gained popularity in recent years, driven by competitive rates, consumer interest in controlling their electricity source, and the desire for renewable energy options. The procurement model allows local governments to buy power on behalf of their communities, tailoring their purchases to meet customer preferences.
Democratic Governor Phil Murphy signed an executive order on Nov. 19 that raises the state’s offshore wind generation target to 7.5 gigawatts by 2035, more than double the previous goal of 3.5 gigawatts by 2030. The target is the second largest in the nation, next only to New York, which aims to achieve 9 gigawatts…
The California Department of Conservation halted approval of new permits for wells that use high-pressure steam to extract oil from underground formations and instituted a scientific review of pending applications to conduct hydraulic fracturing and other well stimulation practices, according to a Nov. 19 news release. The new measures stem from legislation enacted last month…
California adopted a policy that prohibits state agencies from buying sedans powered by an internal combustion engine, except for certain public safety vehicles, according to a Nov.15 announcement by the Department of General Services. The department is also developing a policy, which will require state agencies, beginning next year, to purchase vehicles from manufacturers that…
