The Bureau of Land Management on Sept. 18 issued final revisions to an Obama-era rule aimed at reducing the waste of methane, a potent global warming pollutant, from venting, flaring, and leaks during oil and natural gas drilling operations. The final rule largely re-establishes the requirements that were in place before the 2016 rule, which,…
The Trump administration issued a 10 percent import tax which will apply to $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, including inverters used in renewable energy installations as well certain types of batteries. According to the U.S. Trade Representative’s Sept. 18 announcement, the tariffs go into effect on Sept. 24 and are set to jump to…
Avista Corporation’s purchased gas adjustment would lower gas bills by about 0.7 percent, according to a Sept. 18 press release from the Idaho Public Utilities Commission. The adjustment accounts for changes in costs incurred by the utility to purchase, store, and transport gas needed to serve its customers. Avista attributed the proposed rate decrease to…
The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission approved a settlement allowing NorthWestern Energy to refund $3 million in savings resulting from the federal tax reform that slashed the federal income tax rate to 21 percent from 35 percent effective Jan. 1., according to a Sept. 18 press release. The company agreed to a rate moratorium to…
The U.S. Energy Department announced funding to renew the agency’s innovation hub dedicated to battery science over five years, according to a Sept. 18 press release. The Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, established in 2012, addressed major scientific challenges in electric storage including efforts to lay the foundation for doubly-charged magnesium batteries instead of…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Sept. 17 allowed the Atlantic Coast pipeline to resume construction activities, a month after suspending all work on the line due to a court decision that vacated two federal permits. In August, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth District ruled that the permits issued by the National…
Southwest Power Pool Inc., the grid operator for 14 states in the central U.S., said that over a dozen western utilities have committed to receive its reliability coordination services which will launch in the west in December 2019, according to a Sept. 17 press release. SPP is collaborating with Peak Reliability and the California grid…
The U.S. Energy Department is seeking information to better understand the emerging smart technology market, including any energy efficiency trends in smart appliances and commercial equipment. Recognizing the investments in innovative products, the department said that the request for information will ensure that the department does not hamper innovation in the process of setting efficiency…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted a request by Gateway Energy Storage LLC, a unit of LS Power Development LLC, for an order directing San Diego Gas & Electric Co. to provide transmission and grid-connections to deliver the output of its battery storage system onto its service territory within the California grid. FERC said that…
The New York Public Service Commission ruled in favor of NRG Community Solar LLC, finding that the power supplier’s community solar project should be awarded more generous so-called volumetric credits than the rates offered by Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corp. and Orange and Rockland Utilities Inc. In its Sept. 12 ruling, the commission dismissed…
The Arizona Corporation Commission announced Sept. 12 that it approved applications by Tucson Electric Power Co. and UNS Electric Inc. to adjust compensation to customers exporting electricity onto the grid, wrapping up the agency’s years-long bid to develop a replacement of its net metering program. Export rates for Tucson Electric customers who connected solar power…
New York’s goal to add 1,500 megawatts of energy storage capacity by 2025 could create about 30,000 research, development and manufacturing jobs, while also cutting about 2 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, according to a Sept. 12 report commissioned by state regulators. Expanded deployment of energy storage figures prominently in the state’s efforts to…
