The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Department of Natural Resources said they may not take final action on Enbridge Inc.’s permit applications for its Line 3 replacement project until the deficiency in the environmental review of the proposed oil pipeline is addressed, according to a June 18 news release. The announcement follows a recent ruling…
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on June 19 finalized its long-awaited carbon emission rules for the nation’s power sector, replacing more stringent Obama-era restrictions. The agency described the “Affordable Clean Energy Rule” as an effort to provide existing coal power plants with “achievable and realistic standards” to cut emissions. The rule allows states the flexibility to…
FERC Commissioner Bernard McNamee said the agency approved four LNG export projects in the span of three months, following a two-year drought of facility authorizations, FERC Commissioner Bernard McNamee said the agency approved four LNG export projects in the span of three months, following a two-year drought of facility authorizations, according to testimony filed June 12…
The Court of Common Pleas in Hampton County on June 11 finalized a settlement in a class action lawsuit over the costs that South Carolina Electric & Gas Company’s electric ratepayers have incurred towards the abandoned VC Summer nuclear power project. The settlement includes a $115 million cash component, an estimated $60 million to $85…
Legislation creating an ambitious cap-and-trade program in Oregon cleared a key committee on June 12 and is scheduled for a House vote on Monday. If passed, the bill would make Oregon the second state after California to adopt the market-based approach to slashing greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change. Democrats currently hold a trifecta in…
Democratic Governor Janet Mills signed legislation on June 14 establishing the position of a “nonwires alternative coordinator” to investigate and identify alternatives to proposed transmission projects, and evaluate the costs and benefits of nonwire alternatives compared to utility capital investments in the transmission and distribution system. Nonwire alternatives refer to infrastructure, technology, or application that…
Magnolia LNG LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of LNGL, submitted a request to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to boost liquefied natural gas production capacity at its proposed Magnolia LNG export terminal in Louisiana, according to a June 7 notice. The company wants to expand the production capacity of the project from the currently approved 8 million…
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…
