A Louisiana federal judge on Aug. 18 issued a permanent injunction preventing the Biden administration from blocking oil and gas leasing on federal lands in 13 states, a day after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit lifted an earlier injunction against the administration’s pause on leasing. Judge Terry Doughty of the Louisiana…...
The Ohio Power Siting Board on Aug. 18 approved the construction of two utility-scale solar farms totaling 250 megawatts. The projects comprise the 150 megawatt-Wild Grains and 100 megawatt-Nottingham projects slated for development in Van Wert and Harrison counties, respectively. Spanish utility Iberdrola subsidiary Avangrid is developing Wild Grains and expects construction on the project…...
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Aug. 18 announced a request for interest aimed to determine public interest in the expansion of commercial offshore wind leases on nearly 13.7 million acres in the Gulf of Maine. The bureau also published a separate request for competitive interest in response to Maine’s research lease application to…...
Natural gas pipeline exports from West Texas to Mexico were documented to be at record levels at 1.6 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) during May 2022, according to an Aug. 18 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The administration also reported U.S. gas pipeline exports to average 1.4 bcf/d for the period Jan-May…...
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities on Aug. 18 accepted a cost impact study, assessing how the state’s transition to renewable energy will affect utility rates under the Energy Master Plan, or EMP. The study found that most ratepayers would be able to reduce their energy bills by electrifying buildings and transportation and lowering…...
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, announced on Aug. 16 the third solicitation in the process of the large-scale renewable energy purchasing program identified as Competitive Tier 2, which is intended to maintain the state’s existing renewable energy resources. The announcement underlines the significance of the state’s baseline energy production as an…...
The Southwest Power Pool Inc. (SPP), the grid operator for 17 states in the central and western U.S., on Aug. 16, 2022, announced that its “Market+” service offering designed to provide hurdle-free transmission service and facilitate reliable integration of fast-growing renewable resources, has gained the attention of customers in the Western Interconnection. The service, which…...
Wind generation represented 32 percent of total U.S. energy capacity growth last year, according to an Aug. 16 news release from the U.S. Energy Department. The sector employs 120,000 people and currently supplies adequate energy to power about 40 million households. The agency issued three reports discussing the onshore utility-scale, offshore utility-scale, and distributed wind…...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering revisions to greenhouse gas emission limits for heavy-duty vehicles, according to an Aug. 15 press release. The proposal marks the third phase of a comprehensive plan designed to reduce emissions from the transportation sector. The agency invites small businesses to take part as small entity representatives on an…...
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission on Aug. 15 announced a partial multi-party settlement in Puget Sound Energy’s existing rate increase request, explicitly addressing the company’s Green Direct Program. The agreement is subject to authorization by the three member commission. The program permits commercial and governmental clients to willingly purchase 100 percent of their energy…...
The Supreme Court of Ohio issued a decision upholding the Ohio Power Siting Board’s issuance of a certification of environmental compatibility and public necessity to build the Icebreaker project in Lake Erie. The six-turbine, 20.7 megawatt offshore project would be constructed by the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation, around 10 miles off the coast of…...
The New York Public Service Commission on Aug. 11 approved compliance filings for five major wind and solar farms in upstate New York. The move allows 517 megawatts worth of renewable energy projects to move forward. These actions are necessary for the projects to begin construction or become operational. In a separate press release, the…...