The California Air Resources Board on June 25 adopted a rule requiring a transition from diesel trucks and vans to electric trucks from 2024. The first-in-the nation standard requires all trucks sold in California to be zero emission by 2045. The rule will advance the state’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent…...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will convene a technical conference in September to consider state adoption of mechanisms to price carbon emissions in regions with commission-jurisdictional wholesale power markets, according to a June 24 notice. State-level activity on emission-trading programs and carbon pricing has been on the rise as more jurisdictions embrace policy goals to…...
The Wyoming Public Service Commission approved a contract term of 15 years for Rocky Mountain Power’s power purchase contracts with independent electricity generators under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act 1978, or PURPA. The commission denied the company’s request to reduce the contract length to seven years, finding that there is no evidence that qualifying…...
The U.S. daily natural gas delivered to facilities that produce liquefied natural gas for export fell to less than 4 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) by far in June, less than a half of the record 9.8 Bcf/d in late March 2020, according to a June 23 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration…....
Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak on June 22 announced the Clean Cars Nevada initiative to consider the adoption of low- and zero-emission standards for light-duty vehicles. The program will help advance the state’s goal of reducing emissions by 28 percent by 2025 and 45 percent by 2030 relative to 2005 levels. Nevada would join 14 other…...
The Nevada Public Utilities Commission on June 24 announced that subscriptions for the third tier of its net metering program reached the 80-megawatt threshold established by a 2017 law, which created a four-tier structure to compensate customers for grid-exported energy. There is no capacity limit for Tier four, which is now open for applications, but…...
The New York Department of Public Service and the state’s Energy Research and Development Authority on June 18 released a whitepaper that identifies a framework to achieve the state’s goal of sourcing 70 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030 under the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Achieving the goal is…...
As the pandemic continues to unfold, utility regulators across the U.S. are focusing on the core issues of providing relief for the hardest-hit customers and reviving the economy with the help of utility initiatives. To date, several states have extended disconnection moratoriums and implemented customer relief programs, while others are examining how additional spending by the utilities could provide new jobs while minimizing customer bill impacts in the future.
Democratic Governor Phil Murphy on June 16 announced plans to develop an offshore wind port on an artificial island along the Delaware River. The 200-acre New Jersey Wind Port would provide a location for staging, assembly, and manufacturing activities for projects planned along the East Coast. The $300 to $400 million green infrastructure project positions…...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on June 18 approved the New England grid operator’s Inventoried Energy Program to compensate resources that provide fuel security during the winters of 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. The commission found that the program is a reasonable short-term solution that will help address winter energy security in light of the misaligned incentives…...
Xcel Energy Inc. on June 17 filed a plan with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to invest almost $3 billion in accelerated and incremental projects in an effort to help the state’s economy recover from the slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposal follows the commission’s request for information from electric and gas utilities…...
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on June 17 announced that this year’s distribution of impact fees collected from natural gas producers totaled $200 million, nearly 43 million lower than the prior year. The commission attributed the change to the lower average price of natural gas in 2019, resulting in lower impact fee payment for each…...