The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio on Nov. 21 directed the Dayton Power & Light Company, a subsidiary of AES Corporation, to terminate its distribution modernization rider, which authorized the utility to collect $315 million over a three-year period for future investments in grid modernization. The agency based its decision on a recent ruling by…
The staff of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission recommended rejecting Puget Sound Energy’s requested electric and natural gas rate hikes, proposing smaller increases instead, according to a Nov. 25 press release. In June, the company applied for $139.9 million, or 6.9 percent, in additional electric revenue and an extra $65.5 million, or 7.9 percent, in…
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority is seeking an additional $573 million to help achieve the expanded 6 gigawatts of solar energy by 2025 policy goal set by Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo earlier this summer, according to a Nov. 25 filing. From this request, the agency wants to allocate $290 million for the…
The Nevada Public Utilities Commission on Nov. 26 proposed to establish an energy storage procurement target of 1,000 megawatts by 2030 for utilities that are required to file a triennial resource plan. The measure stems from agency’s finding last year that setting battery deployment goals by regulation results in net benefits. A 2017 law directed the agency to determine whether targets for energy storage…
U.S. energy sector carbon emissions rose by 2.7 percent last year compared to 2017, reaching 5.27 billion metric tons, according to a Nov. 26 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Emissions in 2018 rose for the first time since 2014, driven by higher natural consumption to meet demand during extreme weather conditions and transportation-related…
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio on Nov. 21 denied a request by American Electric Power to impose a non-bypassable charge on its customers to support two solar power projects totaling 400 megawatts, finding that the utility failed to demonstrate the need for the new generation based on resource planning projections. The agency noted that…
Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo on Nov. 25 announced a settlement with National Grid plc to immediately lift the moratorium on gas service in Long Island, Queens and Brooklyn. The move follows Cuomo’s notification earlier this month threatening to revoke National Grid’s operating license over its inability to provide reliable supply. The utility committed to short-term…
Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak signed an executive order Nov. 22 directing state agencies to evaluate policies and regulatory strategies to achieve emissions reductions consistent with Nevada’s commitment as a member of the U.S. Climate Alliance. The directors of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Governor’s Office of Energy will coordinate the efforts…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission authorized the siting, construction and operation of NextDecade LNG LLC’s proposed Rio Grande liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility in Brownsville, Texas and the associated Rio Bravo Pipeline, according to the Nov. 22 order. The project would have a nominal production capacity of up to 27 million metric tonnes per…
The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management on Nov. 21 issued a draft environmental review for a new integrated activity plan for the 23-million acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The proposal includes an alternative that would open as much as 18.3 million acres, or about 80 percent of the reserve, to oil and gas development,…
U.S. House Representative Donald McEachin, a Democrat representing Virginia, introduced legislation on Nov. 21 that would set a nationwide goal of achieving a 100 percent clean energy economy by 2050. The bill, which has over 150 co-sponsors, calls on federal agencies to use their existing authorities to reach the net-zero carbon goal while remaining technology-neutral. The…
Staff members of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission have reached a partial settlement with Avista on the company’s request to hike electric and natural gas rates for its customers, according to a Nov. 21 press release. The proposed settlement lays out an agreement that recovers in rates the remaining costs associated with Avista’s partial…