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week of Sep. 29, 2023

The EnerKnol Week Ahead is back to give you the key energy policy events happening next week, all powered by the EnerKnol Platform. Coming up, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency discusses a $4.6 billion competitive grant to fund programs and policies that cut climate pollution; the U.S. Energy Department announces a $2 billion funding opportunity to convert long-standing facilities to manufacture electric vehicles and components; the California grid operator examines enhancements to its resource adequacy program in light of an evolving generation mix.

Featured Entities

BLM

CAISO

DOE

EPA

Maryland PSC

Maine PUC

Minnesota PUC

New York PSC

NYSERDA

Federal Agencies

Monday,
October 2
EPA Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is due to receive comments on its proposal to amend requirements that apply to the petroleum and natural gas systems source category of the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule. The proposed revisions would improve the accuracy of reported emissions of greenhouse gases, including methane from applicable petroleum and natural gas facilities, consistent with the Methane Emissions Reduction Program under the Inflation Reduction Act enacted in August 2022. The program provides more than $1 billion to reduce methane emissions from the petroleum and natural gas sector and also establishes a waste emissions charge for methane from applicable facilities that report more than 25,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent per year and that exceed statutorily specified waste emissions thresholds. READ MORE

Monday,
October 2
BLM Oil and Gas Lease Sale

The Bureau of Land Management is due to receive comments on an environmental review analyzing 36 parcels totaling about 19,140.94 acres for an oil and gas lease sale in Wyoming. The sale, to be held in March 2024, will include updated fiscal provisions authorized by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, including a royalty rate of 16.67 percent.

Monday,
October 2
DOE Domestic Manufacturing Conversion Grants

The U.S. Energy Department is due to receive concept papers in response to a $2 billion grant funded through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act to spur the conversion of long-standing facilities to manufacture electric vehicles and components. In August, the department announced $15.5 billion in funding and loans mainly focused on retooling existing factories to facilitate the transition to electric vehicles. This includes the aforementioned $2 billion grant, up to $10 billion to support conversion projects through the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program, and a notice of intent to provide $3.5 billion to expand domestic manufacturing of batteries for EVs and the grid. READ MORE

Tuesday,
October 3
DOE Energy Efficiency Program

The U.S. Energy Department will hold an informational webinar to discuss a $10 million funding opportunity under the Career Skills Training program, which aims to expand energy efficiency workforce training programs. The program, authorized by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, will provide the grants to nonprofit partnerships between public or private industry and labor organizations in order to deliver programs that provide both energy efficiency classroom instruction and on-the-job training. Applicants must submit a Community Benefits Plan detailing how their proposal will support local community and labor, invest in the workforce, advance diversity, equity, and inclusion, and aid economic and environmental justice initiatives.

Tuesday,
October 3
EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will hold an informational webinar on a $4.6 billion competitive grant to fund state, local, and tribal programs and policies that reduce emissions, advance environmental justice, and deploy clean energy solutions. The initiative includes a general competition, which is the focus of this webinar, and another competition specifically for tribes and territories. The agency anticipates awarding 30 to 115 grants ranging from $2 million to $500 million under the general competition, and 25 to 100 grants ranging from $1 million to $25 million under the tribes and territories competition. Another webinar will be held on Oct. 5 to discuss the tribes and territories competition.

Friday,
October 6
DOE Hydroelectricity Incentives

The U.S. Energy Department is due to receive applications for a hydroelectricity incentive program administered by its Grid Deployment Office. The program is designed to improve existing hydropower and pumped storage facilities for capital improvements related to grid resilience, dam safety, and environmental improvements. The $554 million program, funded by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, is aimed at ensuring that generators continue to provide clean, affordable electricity, while integrating additional renewable energy resources and reducing environmental impacts.

Eastern Region

Monday,
October 2
NY PSC Gas System Planning

New York State Electric and Gas Corporation and Orange and Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation are due to file their initial long-term gas system plan with the New York Public Service Commission. A May 2022 order established a long-term gas system planning process for local gas distribution companies. The order also directed commission staff to facilitate meetings between a gas utility and stakeholders interested in its long-term plan. The commission conducted an informational session on Sept. 13 to allow representatives from the companies to respond to stakeholder inquiries. 20-G-0131

Monday,
October 2
MD PSC Columbia Gas Infrastructure Plan

The Maryland Public Service Commission is due to receive comments on Columbia Gas of Maryland’s 2024-2028 Strategic Infrastructure Development and Enhancement, or STRIDE, plan. The NiSource Inc. subsidiary’s investment plan accelerates cost recovery of eligible gas system infrastructure replacements and is estimated to range from $17 million to $22.4 million a year to be collected over a five-year period from the start of 2024. The estimated monthly surcharge under the plan would be approximately $2 for a residential customer.

Wednesday,
October 4
ME PUC Central Maine Power’s Interconnection Practices

The Maine Public Utilities Commission will hold a settlement conference to discuss issues associated with Central Maine Power Company’s compliance with a stipulation addressing the utility’s interconnection practices. The stipulation, approved by the commission in March 2022, resolved issues arising from three separate dockets, the first being an investigation of the company’s small generator interconnection practices. The second docket pertains to processing of aggregate transmission-level interconnection studies, and the third about processing of cluster studies. 2021-00262

Wednesday,
October 4
ME PUC Arrearage Management Program

The Maine Public Utilities Commission is due to receive comments on an upcoming report to the legislature regarding the Arrears Management Program, or AMP, which electric utilities must implement to assist eligible low-income residential customers who are in arrears on their bills. Utilities are required to work with these customers to create affordable payment plans and offer credits towards their outstanding arrears, provided they adhere to the plan’s terms. The commission is required to compile a report assessing the program’s effectiveness by Jan. 28, 2024. The report should provide specific information including the number of AMP participants, completion rates, payment patterns, post-AMP, forgiven arrearages, and comparisons with non-participants. 2023-00239

Thursday,
October 5
NYSERDA Flexible Energy Technical Analysis

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority is due to receive proposals in response to its solicitation to establish a pool of consulting firms qualified to provide diverse technical, energy, economic, and environmental analytical capacity. The authority has broadly defined potential needs across a list of support areas, which include macroeconomic analysis and modeling, fuel delivery infrastructure, nuclear safety, electric system analysis, and large scale renewables technical analysis and review.

Western Region

Thursday,
October 5
CAISO Resource Adequacy Working Group

The California Independent System Operator will hold a meeting of a working group established to collaborate on enhancements to the Resource Adequacy program in light of a changing generation mix, variable supply and demand conditions, and changes to resource planning frameworks in California and the West. To facilitate the discussion, the grid operator has issued a discussion paper, which includes draft problem statements and principles in addition to a recommended format for the working group process. The initial problem statements focus on overall system reliability information, requirements for resource adequacy capacity and program tools, and local regulatory authority responsibility and cost allocation.

Thursday,
October 5
MN PUC 250 MW Sherco Solar Project

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will discuss Xcel Energy’s proposal to build an up to 250-megawatt solar project in Sherburne County, partially replacing the energy production of the coal-powered Sherco Generating Plant Unit 2, which is scheduled to retire in 2023. The project, spanning about 1,780 acres, can reutilize the interconnection capacity that will be made available due to Unit 2 ceasing operations. GS-23-217

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