The U.S. Supreme Court on May 26 rejected a petition from a coalition of states led by Louisiana to block the use of the social cost of carbon, or SCC, estimates that federal agencies were directed to incorporate in their environmental analyses of major actions by an executive order that President Joe Biden issued in…...
Several states that have ambitious clean energy and emissions reduction mandates are investigating the role of natural gas in the shift to a low-carbon power system. Actions at the federal level, spurred by the Biden administration’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, are also catalyzing efforts to decarbonize the gas system.
The thirty-first quarterly carbon auction held by California and Quebec sold all of the more than 58.3 million carbon permits offered for current emissions at a price of $30.85 per allowance, above the floor price of $19.70, according to the results released on May 26 by the California Air Resources Board. The settlement price is…...
Droughts in California are expected to reduce the state’s summer electricity generation from hydroelectricity, according to a May 26 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The impact of drought is projected to cut hydropower generation by nearly 50 percent, in comparison to normal precipitation conditions. The agency, in its report titled “Short-Term Energy Outlook…...
Amid federal and state policies aimed at catalyzing solar power to facilitate power sector decarbonization, an investigation into circumvention of tariffs on solar panels imported from Southeast Asia has created market uncertainty, threatening U.S. solar buildout.
The U.S. Energy Department on May 18 announced savings of $15.3 billion through its energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction initiative. The Better Buildings program, a public-private partnership brings together 900 companies, utilities, housing authorities, state and local governments, and other organizations throughout the country committed to pursuing ambitious goals in energy, water, waste, and…...
The U.S. Energy Department on May 12 published a request for information seeking input on long-duration energy storage that could power the grid for at least ten hours. The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides $505 million in funding towards the Long Duration Energy Storage for Everyone, Everywhere Initiative. To achieve a carbon-free electric…...
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s wind energy auction in the Carolina Long Bay area, the second major offshore wind lease sale this year, drew competitive winning bids from two companies totaling $315 million, according to a May 11 press release. The sale offered two lease areas covering 110,091 acres in the Carolina Long Bay…...
The U.S. offshore wind industry is poised for continued progress as evident from the recent record-setting New York Bight wind auction, the first to be held under the Biden administration.
