The Washington legislature on April 24 passed legislation aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by implementing an economy-wide cap-and-invest system. Upon enactment, Washington will become the second state – next to California – to have a comprehensive carbon-pricing program. The state would auction carbon allowances starting in 2023, aligned with the 2030, 2040, and 2050…...
Texas state lawmakers are exploring solutions to address the issues faced during and after the mid-February winter storm event that caused widespread outages across the state. California, which faced a similar predicament due to an unprecedented heatwave in August 2020, albeit smaller in scale and severity, has advanced measures to ensure reliability this summer.
U.S. President Joe Biden on April 22 announced a new target for the U.S. to reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52 percent in 2030 relative to 2005 levels. In January, Biden took action to recommit the U.S. to the Paris Climate Agreement, as part of a series of executive actions reflecting his energy agenda…...
Utility resource planning continues to evolve as state regulators take a holistic approach to evaluate the energy delivery process and strive to provide more transparency in the planning process. Carbon reduction is becoming a key component of integrated resource plans (IRPs) amid the influx of distributed energy resources and new renewable generation under various state programs. IRPs provide an evaluation of utilities’ future electricity needs and potential means to meet the requirements.
PJM Interconnection LLC opened a solicitation on behalf of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities for potential offshore wind transmission solutions, according to an April 15 press release. The move stems from the board’s request to integrate New Jersey’s offshore wind policy objectives into the grid operator’s transmission planning through a competitive solicitation process…....
The Kansas Corporation Commission on April 8 directed Evergy to refund residential distributed generation customers for charges collected under the company’s three-part rate rejected by the Kansas Supreme Court. In February, the commission eliminated the controversial demand charge and ordered the company to restore the two-part standard rate design for these customers. The decision is…...
Ongoing state initiatives to transition to a low-carbon future and new actions from the federal level are impacting natural gas utilities’ long-term planning strategies. The challenge for utilities is to adapt to the changing policy landscape, evolving in ways that contribute to decarbonization.
Washington state lawmakers on April 8 passed legislation to establish a clean fuels standard aimed to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuel to 20 percent below 2017 levels by 2035. The program is expected to facilitate the shift to lower carbon fuels, including expanding the market for renewable natural gas as a transportation fuel…....
The prospects of the U.S. offshore wind industry are brightening as East Coast states and the Biden administration step up efforts to harness the potential of carbon-free electricity. The administration has established a goal to deploy 30 GW of offshore wind in the U.S. by 2030. To facilitate the achievement of the goal publicized on March 29, the administration announced several investment and funding opportunities. These include access to $3 billion in funding for offshore wind projects through the Department of Energy’s Innovative Energy Loan Guarantee Program and $230 million in funding opportunity for port authorities and other applicants for infrastructure-related projects through the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration.
