Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur announced on Jan. 31 that she would not be seeking a third term at the agency and plans to step down later this year. LaFleur, the longest-serving member on FERC, added that she will stay through the end of her term until June 30, and probably longer, depending on…
New York State Democratic Senator Liz Krueger introduced legislation on Jan. 24 that would protect electric and natural gas customers against slamming by prohibiting suppliers from switching customers without proper authorization. The bill would authorize the state Public Service Commission to establish requirements for obtaining customer consent to effect a change in their supplier and…
Consolidated Edison Company of New York Inc. outlined a strategy to continue procurement of demand reduction beyond the 41 megawatts initially planned for 2019 through 2021 under its Brooklyn/Queens Demand Management, or BQDM, program, according to a Jan. 29 filing with the New York Public Service Commission. The company said the strategy, which details the program’s budget…
The New York Public Service Commission issued a notice to AAA ESCO Llc., a natural gas supplier, for failure to file its second quarter 2018 historic pricing data, threatening to revoke the supplier’s license to operate in the state. The regulator alleges that AAA has not complied with the filing deadlines for pricing data and has repeatedly missed…
BlueRock Energy Inc. submitted a request to the New York State Public Service Commission asking for relief from the approximately $185,000 per month that it would have to pay the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority for zero-emission credits. The company explains that it entered into an agreement in October to assign all of…
The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities issued an order on Jan. 23 opening an investigation into initiatives that would promote and protect electricity consumers in the state. The study will discuss measures including increasing customer awareness, improving the department’s ability to investigate dubious practices by suppliers and other means that would improve the operational efficiency of the market.…
Massachusetts House Democratic lawmakers Marjorie Decker and Sean Garballey introduced legislation on Jan. 28 that would transition Massachusetts to 100 percent renewable electricity. The bill would set a target for the state to source all of its electricity from renewable energy by 2035 and calls for an economy-wide transition to renewables, including heating and transportation,…...
The New York Department of Public Service will conduct an analysis of the changing market conditions that led to Consolidated Edison Company of New York Inc.’s decision to stop enrolling new gas customers, according to a Jan. 28 press release. The study will focus on Westchester County and other areas facing supply and demand issues,…...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission determined that it has concurrent jurisdiction with bankruptcy courts over wholesale power contracts that Pacific Gas & Electric Company may seek to reject through bankruptcy, according to a Jan. 25 order. The ruling comes in response to a request by NextEra Energy Inc. and NextEra Energy Partners L.P seeking commission…...
Hydro One Ltd. and Avista Corp. have decided to terminate plans to merge after regulators in Washington and Idaho refused to approve the deal, according to a Jan. 23 press release. After weighing the chances of getting those decisions reversed, both companies have decided to kill the plan, with Hydro One having to pay Avista a $103 million termination…
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced a final rule addressing nuclear plant safety to incorporate lessons learned from the 2011 accident at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant, according to a Jan. 24 news release. The rule removes the requirement in the final draft presented by the commission staff in 2016 requiring nuclear plants to take additional…...
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission issued an order on Jan. 23 approving Tenaska Inc.’s 260 megawatt Nobles 2 wind farm in Nobles County, southwestern Minnesota. The project will include between 65 to 82 wind turbines, with a nameplate capacity ranging from 2 to 4.2 megawatts each, spread over approximately 42,200 acres. In December, Nobles 2 executed a power purchase…
