The Maine Public Utilities Commission is due to receive comments on revisions to its rule governing the statewide low-income assistance program for customers of the state’s three investor-owned utilities. The rulemaking proposal is in response to a request from the American Association of Retired Persons to expand program participation by allowing all recipients of MaineCare – the state’s Medicaid program – with income certified as 150 percent or less of federal poverty guidelines to be deemed eligible. The commission is examining the financial implications on ratepayers in the short and long run, and the manner in which the recipients should apply for the program including communicating proof of eligibility to the utility. The agency is requesting comments on the proposed rule, including its authority to make a permanent change to the rule versus a one-time expansion.

The Maine Public Utilities Commission is due to receive final comments on revisions to its rule governing the licensing requirements, annual reporting, enforcement, and consumer protection provisions for competitive electricity supply to conform with recent legislative changes. Legislation that took effect last October enacted new provisions governing door-to-door marketing of retail energy supply, and the registration of third-party sales agents. The law provides consumers that choose to receive electricity from competitive suppliers with new consumer protections including new conditions of licensure for these suppliers. The revisions also provide additional penalty provisions. READ MORE

The California Public Utilities Commission will hold public briefings on the operations and performance of the state’s investor-owned utilities during the 2021 public safety power shutoff, or PSPS, events to improve future performance. The briefings are part of the commission’s ongoing efforts to reduce the impacts of PSPS events that are implemented to avoid the risk of power lines starting wildfires. The utilities will publicly address their execution and performance of PSPS events during the last wildfire season, including lessons learned and improvements planned in preparation for the 2022 wildfire season. Another briefing will be held on Feb. 25.

The California Air Resources Board and Québec’s Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change will release the results of their 30th joint quarterly carbon auction, which offered allowances for current and future years. The current auction offered 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022 vintage allowances totaling nearly 58.53 million, and the advance auction offered 2025 future allowances totaling about 7.94 million. The previous auction sold all of the nearly 68.6 million current allowances at a price of $28.26 per allowance and over 8.3 million future allowances at $34.01 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.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will discuss Northern Wind Energy Redevelopment LLC’s proposal to allow decommissioning of 65 turbines from the Chanarambie Wind Farm and Viking Wind Farm, both located in Murray County, and replace them with up to 45 new turbines, increasing the combined nameplate capacity from about 97 megawatts to 122 megawatts. In January, an administrative law judge issued a report recommending that the commission grant a site permit for the proposal. In 2015, ALLETE Clean Energy, the parent company of Northern Wind, purchased both the wind generation facilities, which came online in 2003. The combined, repowered project, known as the Northern Wind Project, would increase efficiency and reliability, and extend the life of the facility. WS-20-860