U.S. Energy Department

U.S. Energy Department Releases First Supply Chain Strategy to Support Clean Energy

The U.S Energy Department on Feb. 24 published a comprehensive plan that details more than 60 actions to boost U.S. supply chain resiliency, stimulate domestic manufacturing capacity, and support job creation. The all-encompassing report labelled, “America’s Strategy to Secure the Supply Chain for a Robust Clean Energy Transition,” examines a number of paramount strategies to…...

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U.S. Offshore Wind Lease Sale Draws $4.37 Billion in Winning Bids

The first offshore wind auction held under President Joe Biden’s administration drew a record $4.37 billion in winning bids, according to a Feb. 25 press release from the Department of the Interior. The auction provisionally offered six leases covering an area of about 488,000 acres in the New York Bight, which spans the eastern tip…...

UntitlCalifornia’s Carbon Auctioned

California’s Thirtieth Carbon Auction Generates $975 Million

The thirtieth quarterly carbon auction held by California and Quebec sold all more than 58.5 million carbon permits offered for current emissions at a price of $29.15 per allowance, above the floor price of $19.70, according to the results released on Feb. 24 by the California Air Resources Board. The settlement price is nearly 3.1…...

Indiana Michigan Power

Indiana Regulator Approves $95 Million Rate Decrease for Indiana Michigan Power

The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission on Feb. 23 approved a rate settlement agreement that will decrease the annual revenues of Indiana Michigan Power Company by 5.9 percent or $94.7 million. This will occur over two phases with the first phase effective immediately. The second phase will take effect in January 2023. The order represents a…...

FERC Proposes Broad Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation Reforms

FERC Examines Dynamic Line Ratings for Transmission Facilities to Foster Grid Efficiency

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Feb.17 initiated an investigation to assess whether the application of dynamic line ratings, or DLRs, would improve just and fair transmission rates, by enhancing the precision of line ratings. The DLR is an electric power transmission operation idea, aiming at increasing load, when weather conditions allow it. The commission…...

California Renewable Portfolio Standard

California Surpassed 2020 Renewable Portfolio Standard Target

In 2020, 34.5 percent of California’s retail electricity sales were served by renewable energy resources, such as solar and wind that qualify for the state’s Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS), according to a Feb. 22 report from the California Energy Commission. This is above the state’s 2020 RPS goal of 33 percent, a mark which California…...

Advanced Energy Projects

DOE to Invest $150 Million to Reduce Environmental Impacts of Energy Technologies

The U.S. Energy Department on Feb. 22 announced $150 million in funding to advance projects that would enhance efficiency and cut emissions from energy technologies and manufacturing. Researchers will use the grant to conduct projects supporting the agency’s  2021 Energy Earthshots Initiative targets to improve clean energy technologies within the next decade, including hydrogen technology,…...

Pacific Gas and Electric Proposes Subscription Pricing for Commercial Electric Vehicles to Boost Investment

California Board Announces Milestone in Low-Emission Truck Program

The Heavy-Duty Vehicle Air Quality Loan Program, a partnership of the California Pollution Control Financing Authority and the California Air Resources Board helped get more than 36,000 cleaner trucks on the road, according to a Feb. 14 press release. This is equivalent to removing 164 tons of particulate matter per year. The board has contributed…...

Natural Gas Project

FERC Updates Policy for Natural Gas Project Reviews

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Feb. 17 issued two policy statements intended to enhance the legal durability of its natural gas project certifications and decisions. The first one, an update to the 1999 policy for the certification of new interstate natural gas projects, incorporates landowner protections and environmental justice considerations in the decision-making process…....

Nuclear Power

Visual Primer: Nuclear Power Increasingly Viewed as Vital Resource to Support Energy Transition

Nuclear power is increasingly viewed as a necessary resource to compensate for the decline in fossil fuel-based electricity in the transition towards a low-carbon future. Recent actions range from the U.S. Energy Department’s launch of a $6 billion program to sustain the existing nuclear fleet to West Virginia’s move to end a ban on nuclear plant construction and efforts to delay the closure of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in California.

Crude Oil Production

U.S. Crude Oil Production to Approach Record High in 2023: EIA

Prices for crude oil are projected to remain high enough to drive record output in the U.S. in 2023, reaching 12.6 million barrels a day, according to a Feb. 16 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The Permian Basin is expected to contribute to the growth of overall crude oil production. According to…