Vermont Governor Phil Scott, a Republican, signed legislation on Sept. 23, which directs energy efficiency funds to support emissions reduction measures in the thermal energy and transportation sectors for a period of three years. The new law requires the Public Utility Commission to authorize an entity appointed to provide energy efficiency and conservation programs to…...
The Maine Public Utilities Commission on Sept. 23 approved 17 renewable energy projects totaling 546 megawatts to enter into long-term contracts with the state’s investor-owned utilities. The projects represent solar, wind, hydro-electric, and biomass resources, with solar accounting for 482.5 megawatts of the capacity. The selection, which marks the largest renewable energy procurement in Maine,…...
The Michigan Public Service Commission on Sept. 24 requested staff and stakeholders in its MI Power Grid initiative to recommend how utility resource planning requirements should be revised to reflect the new emissions reductions goals set by an executive order from Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The order, issued on Sept. 23, creates the MI Healthy Climate…...
The U.S. Energy Department on Sept. 16 announced $24 million in funding for projects designed to commercialize efforts in sodium-ion battery development and methane detection technologies. The initiative, titled Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy technologies with Untapped Potential, is the first-of-its kind to build on the research and development efforts of the agency’s Advanced…...
The share of U.S. energy production from fossil fuels peaked in 1966 at 93 percent, but production from nuclear power and renewables have also risen. Fossil fuels have accounted for about 80 percent of U.S. energy production in the past decade, according to a Sept. 14 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In 2019,…...
U.S. net natural gas exports continued to grow in the first six months of 2020 compared to the same period last year, but began to decline in spring 2020 due to the global economic slowdown resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and related containment measures, according to a Sept. 15 report from the U.S. Energy Information…...
Democratic Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation on Sept. 18, which directs the state to deny permits if an environmental justice analysis finds that a new facility will have a disproportionate impact on overburdened communities. The law marks the toughest measure in the nation to safeguard overburdened communities from pollution. Under the bill, “overburdened” applies to…...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Sept. 17 approved a long-awaited rule, directing regional grid operators to open their markets to distributed energy resource aggregations. The order removes barriers preventing these resources from competing on a level playing field in the wholesale capacity, energy, and ancillary services markets. The rule requires regional grid operators to…...
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, on Sept. 16 announced a draft regulatory framework to implement a recently-enacted law, which established the Office of Renewable Energy Permitting to expedite the siting and regulatory review of large-scale renewable energy facilities. The proposed framework is expected to dramatically speed up clean energy project development and help…...
The Florida Public Service Commission on Sept. 15 authorized a settlement allowing a $5 million reduction in Gulf Power Company’s restoration costs related to Hurricane Michael, which caused widespread power outage and infrastructure damage upon making landfall in October 2018. In a November 2019 filing, the company requested approval to recover about 295 million. As…...
The Michigan Public Service Commission on Sept. 10 ratified a settlement allowing Consumers Energy Company to increase its natural gas rates by $144 million, which is approximately 40 percent less than the utility’s initial request. Under the new rates, effective Oct. 1, residential customers will see a 9.1 percent increase in their monthly bills. In its…...
The Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board on Sept. 15 voted in favor of a proposed regulation that would allow the state to participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, a cooperative effort among 10 states to cap and reduce emissions from the power sector. Democratic Governor Tom Wolf applauded the move, which stems from…...