The Maine legislature has passed a bill on June 11 which was set to mandate an 80 percent renewable portfolio standard by 2040, but the goal was removed to focus instead on workforce initiatives and solar installations in schools. The final version of the bill, which was introduced by Democratic Representative Chloe Maxmin, centers instead on workforce…
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has released the draft version of the 2019 Energy Master Plan, which provides a blueprint made up of seven strategies for achieving the state’s goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emission by at least 80 percent compared to 2006 levels,…
U.S. coal consumption declined from its peak of 1,128 million short tons in 2007 to 687 MMst last year, the lowest since 1978, according to a June 10 report from the Energy Information Administration. Nearly all of the coal consumed in the U.S. is produced domestically, and most of it is used to generate electricity.…
The Oregon legislature on June 7 approved a measure that seeks to prohibit the use of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas exploration and production. The ban is set to expire on Jan. 2, 2025. (HB 2623) The bill exempts the use of fracturing for natural gas storage wells, geothermal activities, and existing coal bed…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Court on June 6 ruled in favor of TC Energy’s proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline, vacating a lower court decision that halted construction of the project after determining that the environmental review of the project was incomplete. The appeals court found that the injunction no longer…
The Missouri Public Service Commission authorized Invenergy Investment Company LLC to acquire ownership of Clean Line Energy Partners LLC’s 780-mile Grain Belt Express transmission project, according to a June 5 press release. The $2.3 billion multi-state transmission line is designed to deliver 4 gigawatts of wind power from Western Kansas to Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and…
The Bureau of Land Management issued a revised environmental review for four major coal leases in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, finding that they would not have significant impacts beyond those already disclosed, according to a June 3 news release. The review responds to a 2017 court order, which ruled that the agency’s original analysis did…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on June 4 dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s consideration of greenhouse gas emissions in approving Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. LLC’s $400 million Broad Run Expansion Project. The court ruled that the petitioners did not provide sufficient evidence to support their…
The Ohio Public Utilities Commission on June 5 set the alternative compliance payment for the non-solar portion of the state’s renewable portfolio standard at about $53 per megawatt-hour for 2019. Ohio has a target to procure 12.5 percent of electricity from renewables by 2027, with a solar carve-out of 0.5 percent. Electric distribution utilities or…
Nuclear power is making its way into clean energy policies as more states embark on ambitious emissions reduction plans. The need to build up carbon-free energy resources in the fight against global warming is driving a number of policymakers to put nuclear power on equal footing with renewable resources.
The U.S. Energy Department authorized Freeport LNG Expansion L.P. and FLNG Liquefaction 4 LLC to export liquefied natural gas equivalent to up to 0.72 billion cubic feet per day from a fourth liquefaction train to be built at the Freeport Terminal on Quintana Island, Texas, according to a May 28 press release. The authorization allows…
Duke Energy plans to decommission its already retired Crystal River Nuclear Plant in Florida by 2027, 50 years before originally scheduled, according to a May 30 press release. The plan for early decommissioning is still subject to the approval of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Florida Public Service Commission. Duke had previously announced its decision to…
