The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will hold a meeting of the Climate Change Advisory Committee. Topics of discussion include key takeaways for the 2024 Pennsylvania Climate Action Plan, 2024 Climate Impacts Assessment, as well as climate action for environmental justice communities. The agenda also includes a review of 2022 topics including utilization of funding from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, status of alternative fuel infrastructure, and the state’s hydrogen roadmap. The committee will also discuss advances in nuclear and future uses such as modular reactors.

The Maine Public Utilities Commission is due to receive comments regarding issues related to offering standard offer time of use, or TOU, rates. The commission is examining whether it may be in the public interest to offer standard offer TOU rates to all customer classes in the service territories of Central Maine Power and Versant Power. The commission issued a notice of inquiry seeking responses to a list of questions including whether and to what extent standard offer TOU rates might affect beneficial electrification, greenhouse gas emissions, and other related state policy goals. Maine deregulated electric supply service in the year 2000 and provided customers with the opportunity to choose the provider of their electric supply. By default, electric customers who do not choose a competitive electricity provider receive their electric supply from standard offer service providers. 2023-00019

The Maryland Public Service Commission will hold a rulemaking session to consider proposed regulations for the Montgomery County Community Choice Aggregation, or CCA, Pilot Program. The commission initiated the rulemaking docket to consider the addition of regulations pertaining to the CCA pilot program to Code of Maryland Regulations. The pilot’s work group filed a petition of rulemaking to establish regulations governing the program.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will discuss Xcel Energy Inc.’s Community Solar Garden program, with regard to calculating the Value of Solar, or VOS, rate. VOS is the methodology used to compensate customers who export solar electricity generation for the value provided to the utility, its customers, and society. The commission seeks input on whether to approve Xcel Energy’s calculated VOS rate for 2023. VOS, which has been used as the basis for the bill credit in the program since 2017, is revised annually to reflect updated input data. M-13-867

The California Air Resources Board and Québec’s Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change will release the results of their 34th joint quarterly carbon auction, which offered allowances for current and future years. The current auction offered 2023 vintage allowances totaling nearly 56.4 million, and the advance auction offered 2026 future allowances totaling about 7.6 million. The previous auction held in November sold more than 58.02 million current allowances at a price of $26.8 per allowance and 7.9 million future allowances at $26 per allowance. California’s cap-and trade program places an economy-wide cap on major emitting sources.

The California Energy Commission is due to receive comments on proposed workforce investments and activities under the Clean Transportation Program. The commission seeks public feedback on workforce training and development topics, potential funding concepts, and proposed program activities. The program’s annual investment plans identify funding for workforce training and development activities, with $9 million in currently approved funding and $5 million preliminarily identified as potential funding from a future investment plan. The commission has an annual budget of approximately $100 million for the program and provides financial and technical support for a number of projects. These include projects that reduce transportation sector emissions, support the deployment of electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refueling infrastructure, and address clean air, employment, and mobility needs of low-income or disadvantaged communities. 20-ALT-01