The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit on Jan. 24 vacated three orders issued by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2017 granting extensions of small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS, program. The court ruled that the agency cannot allow extensions of exemptions that had lapsed, noting that none of…
Democratic Governor Phil Murphy on Jan. 27 released a comprehensive plan, outlining strategies to reach the administration’s goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050 and achieve the target of 80 percent emissions reduction from 2006 levels set by the Global Warming Response Act enacted last year. To support the strategies, Murphy signed an executive…
The U.S. Energy Department will provide funding to advance sustainable transportation resources and technologies, with a focus on spurring further innovation in advanced batteries, innovative hydrogen concepts, and biofuels. The funding opportunity will be issued on behalf of the agency’s three transportation offices – Vehicle, Fuel Cells, and Bioenergy Technology Offices. The investment aims to…
The Public Service Commission of Maryland has issued its annual report on the implementation of the Maryland Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard with data for calendar year 2018. According to the report, published on Dec. 10, Maryland RPS obligations were almost entirely fulfilled through the submission of the appropriate level of Tier 1 and Tier 2 Renewable Energy Credits…
The 46th quarterly carbon auction of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the nation’s first mandatory cap-and-trade program to cut power sector emissions, resulted in a price of $5.61 per short ton for the 13.1 million tons of carbon allowances sold. The clearing price was almost the same as the June 2019 price, which was the…
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…
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…
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…
California, joined by 22 other states, filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to withdraw a 2013 waiver that allowed the state to set its own tailpipe pollution limits and zero-emission vehicle standards, according to a Nov. 15 news release. The agency acted in September to cancel the waiver as part of…
The California Air Resources Board on Nov. 4 announced that all entities subject to the cap-trade emissions reduction system met their compliance requirements in 2018, which marks the first year of the program’s final three-year compliance period. Businesses covered by the program account for about 80 percent of the state’s emissions. The agency also reported…
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Nov. 4 issued two proposals that would ease the Obama administration’s 2015 regulations governing the disposal of coal ash, a toxic product of coal combustion, and wastewater management from steam electric power plants. The first proposal sets a new date of Aug. 31, 2020 for facilities to begin closure…
The Trump administration has submitted a formal notification to the United Nations to withdraw the U.S from the Paris agreement on climate change, according to a Nov. 4 announcement from the State Department. The move initiates a one-year process to leave the 2015 pact that the U.S. joined during the Obama administration, committing to achieve…
