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week of Jun. 27, 2024

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, Montana regulators consider rulemaking to incorporate climate impacts into regulatory decisions; the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management discusses a proposal for the first offshore wind energy auction in the Gulf of Maine; the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission reviews a policy and interpretive statement on its jurisdiction and regulation of electric vehicle charging services offered by investor-owned electric companies.

Featured Entities


BOEM

California EC

DOE

FERC

Montana PSC

New York PSC

Ohio PUCO

Washington UTC

Federal Agencies

Monday,
July 1
BOEM Oregon Wind Lease Area Review

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is due to receive comments on a proposal for a wind energy auction in the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf offshore Oregon. The bureau has proposed a lease sale consisting of two lease areas totalling nearly 195,000 acres and capable of supplying over one million homes. Potential stipulations for the proposed Oregon sale include providing bidding credits to bidders that commit to supporting workforce training programs and developing a domestic supply chain for the floating offshore wind industry.

Monday,
July 1
BOEM Gulf of Maine Offshore Wind Lease Sale

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is due to receive comments on a proposal for the first wind energy auction in the Gulf of Maine. The auction would include eight lease areas offshore Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire totaling approximately one million acres. These areas have the potential to generate nearly 15 gigawatts of renewable energy and power over five million homes. The bureau has held a series of virtual meetings for various target audiences, ranging from the general public to specific ocean user and stakeholder groups.

Tuesday,
July 2
DOE Better Buildings Webinar

The U.S. Energy Department will hold a webinar to discuss the benefits of creating an emissions reduction plan from Better Climate Challenge partners that have already developed such plans to progress toward realizing organizational climate goals. The event is a part of the 2024 Better Buildings Summer Webinars aimed to take on the most pressing topics facing energy professionals, with conversations led by DOE and National Lab experts on proven best practices, cost-effective strategies, and new ways to approach decarbonization and energy performance. Through the Better Buildings initiative, DOE partners with leaders in the public and private sectors to enhance the efficiency of commercial, public, industrial, and residential buildings.

Friday,
July 5
FERC Public Utilities Business Practices Standards

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission seeks comments on a proposal to amend its regulations to incorporate the latest version of the Standards for Business Practices and Communication Protocols for Public Utilities adopted by the Wholesale Electric Quadrant of the North American Energy Standards Board. Among other things, this version includes business practice standards developed to support cybersecurity for the wholesale electric industry and modifications to complement the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s reliability standards.

Eastern Region

Monday,
July 1
NY PSC 117 MW Baron Winds II Project

New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment will hold a meeting to discuss petitions to amend and, in part, to transfer Baron Winds LLC’s certificate of environmental compatibility and public need related to the second phase of its proposed wind farm in Steuben County. The company initially received approval in 2019 to build a 242-megawatt facility and subsequently proposed to advance the project in two phases. Following approval in 2020, the first phase is now underway to build a 32-turbine facility capable of generating up to 122 megawatts of energy in the Towns of Cohocton, Dansville, and Wayland. The second phase would consist of up to 26 turbines capable of generating up to 117 megawatts and located in the Town of Fremont. 15-F-0122

Tuesday,
July 2
OH PUCO Eastern Cottontail 220 MW Solar Project

The Ohio Public Utilities Commission will hold an information meeting to discuss Eastern Cottontail Solar LLC’s application to build an up to 220-megawatt solar project. The EDF Renewables subsidiary proposes to install photovoltaic modules spanning an area of about 1,550 acres in Fairfield County. The project is expected to begin commercial operations as early as 2026. The power generated from the facility would be delivered to the bulk transmission system. 24-0495-EL-BGN

Western Region

Monday,
July 1
MT PSC Climate Change Impact Rulemaking

The Montana Public Service Commission seeks comments on a petition requesting a rulemaking to incorporate climate impacts in the commission’s decision making process. The proposed rule would require the commission to consider the impacts of its decisions on the environment and human health, and climate change in exercising its duties and powers with respect to electric and gas utilities, including oversight of integrated resource planning, approval of electricity supply and gas resources, and ratemaking decisions. The proposal recommends applying the higher of the social cost of greenhouse gasses established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Tuesday,
July 2
WA UTC Electric Vehicle Charging Policy

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission will hold a workshop to review and possibly update a 2017 policy and interpretive statement on its jurisdiction and regulation of electric vehicle charging services offered by investor-owned electric companies. The transportation industry has seen significant changes since the policy statement was issued. Moreover, the regulatory environment has also evolved at the state and federal levels including the adoption of climate related laws that require 100 percent emissions reductions by 2050. The workshop will provide interested parties with an opportunity to provide input and feedback with the goal of ensuring the policy reflects current industry trends and follows rules established in recent legislation.

Wednesday,
July 3
CA EC Power Source Disclosure Program

The California Energy Commission is due to receive comments on proposed changes to its Power Source Disclosure program regulations pursuant to Senate Bill 1158 which became law in 2022. The legislation requires retail suppliers to begin reporting hourly loss-adjusted load and greenhouse gas emissions data starting in 2028. As a result, the program is now responsible for the reporting of power sources and emissions at both the annual and hourly level. The commission recently held a workshop, which discussed the language of the proposed regulations, hourly accounting implementation, and proposed additions to the power content label. 21-OIR-01