The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will host a meeting of the Environmental Justice Advisory Board to discuss amendments to incorporate the current California zero-emission vehicle requirements into Pennsylvania’s Clean Vehicles Program. The program was last revised in December 2006 to implement the California Air Resources Board’s Low Emission Vehicle program in Pennsylvania. The proposed amendments would require automakers to demonstrate compliance with the currently adopted fleet average emissions standard based on sales in Pennsylvania and not California as currently allowed. The initiative is expected to cut emissions from the state’s light-duty vehicle fleet and help the state remain competitive in the regional EV sales market. READ MORE

The Maine Public Utilities Commission will discuss the interrelationship of two dockets that involve mechanisms to support the state’s policy goal of electrifying the transportation sector. The first docket pertains to pilot programs for beneficial electrification of the transportation sector and the second one examines rate design for non-residential EV applications. The commission approved pilot programs for Central Maine Power Company and the Efficiency Maine Trust in February 2020, including a make-ready EV charging program, targeted T&D rate, rebate program, and public information projects to facilitate EV adoption and charging infrastructure. The purpose of the conference is to obtain a status report on the pilots and discuss how the programs relate to rate design issues. 2019-00217, 2020-00198

The Maryland Public Service Commission is due to receive comments on the applications submitted by MarWin II LLC, owned by US Wind Inc., and Skipjack Offshore Wind LLC, a subsidiary of Ørsted A/S, for offshore wind projects. The agency initiated a multi-part review to evaluate and compare the proposed applications filed under its Round 2 Year 1 offshore wind application period which concluded on June 21. The 2019 Clean Energy Jobs Act, which raised Maryland’s overall renewable portfolio standard to 50 percent by 2030, also increased the offshore wind carve-out to 10 percent of in-state electricity sales. The law directed Maryland to procure at least 1,200 megawatts of capacity through new rounds of offshore wind procurement.

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission staff is due to submit a report on its investigation into the interconnection of distributed energy resources in the state. The commission found that the inquiry is necessary in light of the significant amount of DER capacity likely to be proposed in ongoing and future proceedings, particularly in Xcel Energy Inc.’s 2021 electric resource plan and clean energy plan. Topics to be investigated include the ability of the interconnection process to address the large quantity of DERs expected, including the possible interconnection of 10-megawatt community solar gardens, as well as a comparison of the interconnection of utility-owned and non-utility owned projects. The commission is also exploring opportunities to use performance incentive mechanisms and performance-based regulation to improve the process. READ MORE

The California Air Resources Board and Québec’s Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change will hold their 29th joint carbon auction, which will offer allowances for current and future years. The current auction will offer years 2019, 2020 and 2021 vintage allowances totaling nearly 68.6 million, and the advance auction will offer 2024 future allowances totaling about 8.3 million. The auction results will be published on Nov. 24. The previous auction sold all of the nearly 71.3 million current allowances at a price of $23.30 per allowance and over 8.3 million future allowances at $23.69 each. California’s cap-and trade program, which places an economy-wide cap on major emitting sources, is a central part of the state’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. READ MORE

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will examine actions to be taken regarding the evaluation of site or system alternatives in the environmental assessment of Hayward Solar LLC’s proposal to build an up to 150-megawatt solar project in Freeborn County. The final design is expected to occupy about 1,272 acres within an overall project area of nearly 2,000 acres. A generator interconnection agreement with the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, expected in the first quarter of 2022, would provide a sufficient outlet to accommodate all of the solar energy generation. The company is working towards securing power purchase agreements, and intends to sell the project output to wholesale customers, including Minnesota utilities and cooperatives that have identified a need for additional renewable energy and capacity, and commercial and industrial customers that have set clean energy goals. CN-21-112