The California Public Utilities Commission issued a proposed decision on Sept. 23 that would authorize the state’s investor-owned utilities to collect from ratepayers a non-bypassable charge to support California’s wildfire fund, which is designed to help utilities pay for wildfire damages linked to their transmission equipment. Pacific Gas and Electric Company must emerge from bankruptcy…
The U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasts that natural gas-fired electricity generation in the United States will increase by 6 percent in 2019 and by 2 percent in 2020, while wind power will go up by 6 percent in 2019 and by 14 percent in 2020, according to its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook. These trends vary widely among…
The General Assembly’s Legislative Regulation Review Committee has unanimously approved updates to carbon dioxide emissions regulations under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) that strengthen the state’s commitment to a zero-carbon grid by 2040, according to a September 25 press release. The regulations, proposed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) in…
The Illinois Commerce Commission will hold a policy session on October 1 to explore the current and future role of nuclear energy in fulfilling its commitments under the Paris climate agreement, according to a September 24 press release. The state became a member of the U.S. Climate Alliance, a 24-state coalition committed to reducing greenhouse…
DTE Energy Company plans to achieve net-zero carbon emissions from electric generation by 2050, building on its existing commitment to cut emissions 50 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2040, according to a Sept. 26 news release. The company said that achieving carbon neutrality requires technological advancements in carbon capture, large-scale storage, and modular nuclear…
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities took the first step towards developing an incentive program to support the purchase and use of electric vehicles and associated infrastructure in the state, according to a Sept. 27 news release. The state has a goal of achieving 330,000 EVs on the road by 2025, which will cut…
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities announced that state’s community solar program has received an overwhelming response, attracting over 250 applications that represent more than 650 megawatts of capacity, according to a Sept. 26 press release. The three-year pilot, launched in January, has a capacity limit of 75 megawatts for the first year. The…
The Colorado Public Utilities Commission joined a coalition of western utility regulators, a cooperative effort formed in 2006 to promote clean energy and reduce carbon emissions, according to a Sept. 24 news release. The commission is the fifth to take part in the Joint Action Framework on Climate Change, following the Nevada’s utility commission, which…
The Michigan Public Service Commission approved Consumers Energy Company’s third round of federal tax cut adjustments, which will refund about $1.63 billion to its electric and gas customers in amounts amortized over periods of up to 44 years, according to a Sept. 26 press release. The agency established a three-step process to address the short-…
California state lawmakers passed a measure that allots 10 percent of the 2020 funds from the Self Generation Incentive Program, or SGIP, to battery and distributed energy systems that can back up critical infrastructure in high fire threat districts to support resiliency during a deenergization event. The bill, which awaits the governor’s signature, allots $16.6…
The number of net-metered facilities in Maryland has been growing in recent years, but the current installed capacity of about 754 megawatts is just over half of the eligible cap, according to the Maryland Public Service Commission’s annual report issued on Sept. 24. The agency does not recommend changes to the cap as it is…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Sept. 20 authorized the construction of Tallgrass Energy LP’s proposed Cheyenne Connector Pipeline and the related Cheyenne Hub Enhancement project to deliver natural gas from processing plants in Colorado into Rockies Express Pipeline LLC at the Cheyenne Hub, allowing access to markets in the Midwest, Midcontinent, and Gulf Coast.…