U.S. President Joe Biden on April 22 announced a new target for the U.S. to reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52 percent in 2030 relative to 2005 levels. In January, Biden took action to recommit the U.S. to the Paris Climate Agreement, as part of a series of executive actions reflecting his energy agenda…...
PJM Interconnection LLC opened a solicitation on behalf of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities for potential offshore wind transmission solutions, according to an April 15 press release. The move stems from the board’s request to integrate New Jersey’s offshore wind policy objectives into the grid operator’s transmission planning through a competitive solicitation process…....
The Kansas Corporation Commission on April 8 directed Evergy to refund residential distributed generation customers for charges collected under the company’s three-part rate rejected by the Kansas Supreme Court. In February, the commission eliminated the controversial demand charge and ordered the company to restore the two-part standard rate design for these customers. The decision is…...
Washington state lawmakers on April 8 passed legislation to establish a clean fuels standard aimed to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuel to 20 percent below 2017 levels by 2035. The program is expected to facilitate the shift to lower carbon fuels, including expanding the market for renewable natural gas as a transportation fuel…....
The Biden administration has announced a series of initiatives to advance the U.S. offshore wind industry, including committing to a goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of capacity by 2030. Achieving the 2030 target is expected to lead up to the installation of 110 gigawatts of capacity by 2050. The 2030 goal, a shared commitment by…...
The Ohio legislature on March 25 passed a bill to repeal the provisions of a 2019 law that provided FirstEnergy Solutions Corp., which is now known as Energy Harbor Corp., with annual subsidies of nearly $150 million over seven years to keep its ailing nuclear plants operating. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, is expected…...
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed legislation on March 26, which commits the state to achieve net-zero emissions in 2050. The law allows Massachusetts to procure an additional 2.4 gigawatts of offshore wind energy, bringing the state’s total authorization to 4 gigawatts by 2027. The law – An Act Creating a Next-Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate…...
Democratic Governor Tom Wolf on March 22 announced a clean energy initiative that aims to source nearly 50 percent of state government’s electricity from solar installations totaling 191 megawatts to be built across the state. The initiative, called Pennsylvania Project to Utilize Light and Solar Energy, or PULSE, represents the largest government commitment to solar…...
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas Inc. on March 12 held an urgent Board of Directors meeting in which invoice payouts for market participants and settlements across Feb. 19 – March 8 were divulged. From Feb. 13 – 19, the state of Texas was plagued with near-unprecedented grid infrastructure failures due to extreme winter weather…....
The member states of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, on March 15 announced the third adjustment for banked allowances held by market participants for the five-year period from 2021-2025. The adjustment is a reduction in the number of carbon allowances that is being sold over the period. The amount of the reduction is…...
The California Public Utilities Commission on March 5 released a proposal detailing utility programs to manage energy supply during peak hours so as to ensure reliability in the event of extreme heat in the summers of 2021 and 2022. The proposal is the latest in a series of actions under a proceeding that was opened…...
The U.S. Interior Department on March 8 announced the completion of its environmental analysis of Vineyard Wind LLC’s proposed 800-megawatt wind project offshore Massachusetts. Conclusion of the final review marks a key milestone for the project, which is expected to be the nation’s first large-scale offshore wind farm. In January, U.S. President Joe Biden signed…...