The U.S. Interior Department announced a conditional permit for Hilcorp Alaska LLC’s Liberty Project, the first oil and gas production facility in federal waters off Alaska, according to an Oct. 24 press release. The company proposes to construct a nine-acre artificial gravel island in the Beaufort Sea about 20 miles east of Prudhoe Bay and…
The Michigan Public Service Commission on Oct. 24 approved DTE Gas Co.’s second round of federal tax cut refunds that will be reflected on customer bills from January 2019 through June 2019, resulting in a $2.21 cut in monthly residential bills. The first round, called Credit A, was approved in May, lowering monthly bills by…
The Missouri Public Service Commission on Oct. 24 approved a settlement authorizing Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corporation, to construct and operate its proposed High Prairie Wind Farm in Schuyler and Adair counties. Under the settlement, TG High Prairie LLC, a special purpose entity tasked with building the facility, would merge into Ameren Missouri…
Dominion Energy Inc. on Oct. 24 announced a request for proposals for up to 500 megawatts of wind and solar in Virginia under a plan to add 3 gigawatts of renewables in the state by 2022. The company said it will issue annual RFPs to meet the goal. The solicitation is open to onshore projects…
Exxon Mobil Corp. was the target of a lawsuit by New York’s top legal representative which alleges that oil and gas giant deceived investors over its management of the risks posed to the business by climate change regulation, according to an Oct. 24 filing. The suit further alleges that Exxon assured investors it had adequately…
President Donald Trump selected Commissioner Neil Chatterjee, a Republican appointee, to be the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, replacing fellow Republican Kevin McIntyre, according to an Oct. 24 announcement. Chatterjee, a former energy adviser for Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, was acting chairman of FERC last year before McIntyre’s confirmation, and during…
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio on Oct. 24 established the PowerForward Collaborative, a utility workgroup charged with monitoring marketplace developments to fulfil the objectives of its grid modernization roadmap. The PowerForward roadmap charts a path forward for the state’s grid modernization endeavor, creating a regulatory paradigm to foster innovation that allows for an enhanced…
PJM Interconnection LLC is at the crossroads for capacity market reforms as participation of sources receiving out-of-market state revenues continues to grow. Significant debate around the issue of price suppression from subsidized resources culminated in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's invalidation of PJM’s capacity market rules. Several states have opposed the premise arguing that the threat from subsidies is overstated and sweeping changes would unlawfully intrude on state energy policies. Following the FERC directive which rejected PJM’s changes proposed in April, the grid operator on Oct. 2 unveiled a plan which would address price distortion while advancing state policy interests.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Oct. 19 suspended water crossing authorizations in two counties of West Virginia for the Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline. The Corps stated that because more than a thousand water crossing verifications are currently suspended along the majority of the 303-mile pipeline route in that area, it considers it…
The U.S. Energy Department’s Argonne National Laboratory signed an agreement with 14 members of the Advanced Lead Acid Battery Consortium to explore the next generation of lead batteries making it more attractive to the automotive industry and the power grid, according to an Oct. 19 press release. Lead battery makers have largely focused on the…
The California Public Utilities Commission approved Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s energy storage contracts totaling 165 megawatts with six storage resources including a 20-megawatt project that would provide distribution deferral services, according to an Oct. 19 decision. The commission also authorized a 10-megawatt contract proposed by Southern California Edison Company. The contracts stem from a…
