U.S. President Donald Trump signed legislation that will eliminate financial and technological barriers to nuclear innovation, according to a Sept. 28 press release from the U.S. Energy Department. The department said the legislation builds on the success of its Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear or GAIN initiative, which seeks to enable the industrial community…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Sept. 27 upheld New York’s zero emission credit program adopted in August 2016 to support the state’s financially struggling nuclear plants. The ruling rejects complaints that the program depresses energy and capacity prices in the wholesale power auction overseen by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.…
The California Air Resources Board extended its low-carbon fuel standard, mandating a 20 percent cut in the carbon intensity of transportation fuels by 2030, compared with the current requirement of 10 percent by 2020, according to the agency’s Sept. 27 press release. The requirement, “the most stringent in the nation,” aligns with the state’s 2030…
The Kansas Corporation Commission approved a settlement that lowers electric rates for customers of Westar Energy Inc. by $66 million annually, resulting in a $3.80 cut in monthly bills, according to a Sept. 27 press release. The settlement includes bill credits of about $50 million to reflect savings from the federal tax law that slashed…
The U.S. Energy Department is providing the funding for cost-shared research and development to develop technologies that can lower the cost of capturing carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants, according to a Sept. 27 press release. The projects selected under the department’s “Novel and Enabling Carbon Capture Transformational Technologies” will facilitate the development of solvents…
The Bureau of Land Management on Sept. 26 authorized right-of-way grants for the Enefit American Oil Utility Corridor Project which would provide access, natural gas, electricity, and water to Enefit American Oil’s South Project while allowing transport of processed oil. The South Project comprises commercial oil shale mining operations on 7,000- acre to 9,000-acres of…
The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities on Sept. 26 approved compensation for new solar owners under the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target or SMART program, a long-term, sustainable solar incentive solution that replaces the Solar Renewable Energy Certificate or SERC II program. The program has a goal of 1,600 megawatts, implying that ten percent of the…
The owners of the Vogtle nuclear plant on Sept. 26 agreed to continue with the project expansion after resolving issues over budget overruns. The deal follows majority owner Southern Company’s announcement in August to raise project costs by $2.3 billion, prompting a vote on the future of the project under provisions of the joint ownership…
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission approved Intermountain Gas Company’s purchased gas adjustment that will lower gas bills by about 10 percent for residential customers and 11.9 percent for commercial customers on Oct. 1, according to a Sept. 26 press release. The annual adjustment reflects changes in the costs incurred by the utility to purchase, store,…
The Ohio Public Utilities Commission approved a settlement allowing Dayton Power & Light Company to raise its distribution revenues by $29.78 million annually, and set a rate of return of 7.27 percent, according to a Sept. 26 press release. The rates reflect savings under the federal tax law which slashed corporate income tax to 21…
The U.S. Interior Department proposed to offer all available unleased areas in the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas leasing in the auction to be held in March 2019, according to a Sept. 25 press release. The auction marks the fourth offshore sale under the 2017-2022 leasing program. The last auction held in August…
The U.S. Energy Department announced a funding opportunity for projects designed to study the application of big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning technology and tools to enhance the value of sensor data used to monitor the power grid, according to a Sept. 25 press release. The department said that advanced sensors called “phasor measurement…
