The U.S. Interior Department issued a decision allowing the Bureau of Land Management to offer a right-of-way grant for TC Energy to construct the Keystone XL pipeline across 44 miles of federal lands in Montana, according to a Jan. 22 news release. The decision brings the $8 billion project a step closer to construction despite pending…
Virginia Delegates Mark Keam, a Democrat, and Lee Ware, a Republican, introduced legislation on Jan. 17 that would enable customers to purchase electricity from the retail provider of their choice, ending monopoly control over the state’s energy system. The bill would require each incumbent investor-owned utility, electric cooperative, and municipal electric authority to separate its…
The Maryland Public Service Commission requested rehearing of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s order issued last December to revamp PJM Interconnection LLC’s capacity market rules, according to a Jan. 21 news release. The ruling would expand the minimum offer price rule, or MOPR, to new or existing resources entitled to state subsidies, with certain exemptions.…
Democratic Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation on Jan. 17 that sets a goal of having 2 million light duty plug-in electric vehicles in the state by 2035 and requires at least 85 percent of new light duty vehicles sold or leased to be electric by 2040. The legislation creates an incentive program to provide at…
The California Public Utilities Commission on Jan. 16 approved $830 million in new funding for the Self-Generation Incentive Program, or SGIP, prioritizing energy storage projects for communities most impacted by utilities’ public safety power shutoff events to avoid the risk of power lines starting wildfires. When added to unspent funds from previous years, the decision…
The New York Public Service Commission on Jan. 16 issued an order authorizing the state’s Energy Research and Development Authority to offer an index renewable energy credit price option in addition to the traditional fixed-price in future solicitations for long-term renewable energy contracts. The new pricing structure, expected to reduce risks for developers and lower…
The New York Public Service Commission on Jan. 16 adopted a three-year rate plan for Consolidated Edison Company of New York Inc., allowing the utility to increase electric and gas rates annually through 2022. The agency authorized a first-year electric revenue increase of about $113 million, or 3.1 percent, down from the original request of…
Democratic Governor Gina Raimondo signed an executive order on Jan. 17 setting a goal for the state to source all of its electricity from renewable resources by the end of 2030. The order directs the state’s Office of Energy Resources to conduct an economic and energy market analysis and develop policies and programs to attain…
About 42 gigawatts of new power generating capacity is expected to come online in 2020, with solar and wind accounting for almost 32 gigawatts of the capacity, according to a Jan. 14 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Wind represents the largest share at 44 percent, followed by solar at 32 percent and natural…
The U.S. Energy Department revised its current rulemaking method for considering new or modified energy efficiency standards for consumer appliances and some industrial equipment, according to a Jan. 15 news release. The rule, which updates a procedure that was developed in 1996, defines a significant energy savings threshold that must be met before the agency…
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued a final rule addressing safety issues related to underground natural gas storage facilities, according to a Jan. 13 news release. The rule stems from legislation enacted in 2016 that directed the agency to establish minimum federal safety standards for these facilities, following a…
The New Jersey legislature passed a bill on Jan. 13 which sets a goal of having 2 million light duty plug-in electric vehicles in the state by 2035 and requiring at least 85 percent of new light duty vehicles sold or leased to be electric vehicles by 2040. The legislation also creates an incentive program…
