U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on May 5 announced the creation of a new office devoted to environmental justice within the Department of Justice, as well as a comprehensive enforcement strategy to guide the department’s work. The launch is part of a series of actions to secure environmental justice including an interim final rule to…...
The swift advancement of sophisticated cyber threats alongside the increase in advanced energy system control technologies has called for stronger measures to secure critical infrastructure and energy sector resilience.
The Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) has proposed rule amendments that would eventually allow the state to take over the approval of Class VI injection wells used to sequester carbon dioxide, a prerequisite to asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to give the state primacy over Class IV well permitting. If the EPA grants the RRC…...
The California Independent System Operator Corp. on May 3 announced that the Bonneville Power Administration and Tucson Electric Power have joined the Western Energy Imbalance Market, or WEIM. Enrolling with the WEIM allows both utilities the opportunity to achieve cost saving and lower carbon emissions for their customers. Moreover, participating in the market provides another…...
The Oregon Public Utility Commission on April 25 approved the 2022 Wildfire Mitigation Plans (WMPs) for PacifiCorp, Portland General Electric, and Idaho Power. The commission also recommended that the utilities collaborate with commission staff as a means of improving the information they include in their plan for 2023. The Idaho Power 2022 plan was approved…...
The Texas Public Utilities Commission on April 29 announced the completion of the Electricity Supply Chain Map of critical infrastructure that can be used during emergency preparedness and response activities. The map will enable emergency management officials to pinpoint the location of critical facilities as well as their emergency contact information. The map identifies critical…...
The increasing focus on reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas emissions to achieve climate goals has drawn renewed attention to the deployment of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies. Federal investments in carbon management through the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) have provided a near-term opportunity to scale commercial carbon capture projects.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, unveiled a roadmap for transitioning the state to 100 percent carbon-free electricity by the middle of the century, including a potential clean energy standard. The Clean Energy Plan, which is in response to a 2019 executive order, highlights four major pathways to a carbon-free future: accelerating clean energy technology…...
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, vetoed legislation on April 27 that would have phased down compensation for customer generators under the state’s net metering program and allowed utilities to impose new charges on those customers to recover their alleged underpayment of grid maintenance costs. DeSantis said that the new charges, designed to recover lost…...