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week of Feb. 8, 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, New York explores a framework for the regulatory components of its cap-and-invest program that will establish a declining cap on emissions; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers rebates to replace existing school buses with clean and zero-emission models; and California and Québec are set to hold their 38th joint auction of carbon allowances.

Featured Entities

BOEM

California EC

CARB

DOE

EPA

IRS

Michigan PSC

New York PSC

NYSERDA

Federal Agencies

Monday,
February 12
BOEM Central Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy Areas

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is due to receive comments on its draft environmental review of wind energy areas offshore the U.S. Central Atlantic region. The assessment considers potential environmental consequences of site characterization activities and site assessment activities associated with issuing wind energy leases in the areas offshore Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The draft analyzes all three areas to inform additional potential lease sales, which could occur in the Central Atlantic region as soon as 2025. READ MORE

Tuesday,
February 13
IRS Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit

The Internal Revenue Service is due to receive comments on proposed regulations to implement the advanced manufacturing production credit established by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 to incentivize the production of eligible components within the U.S. Eligible components include certain solar and wind energy components, inverters, qualifying battery components, and applicable critical minerals. A public hearing is scheduled for Feb. 22. READ MORE

Tuesday,
February 13
BOEM New York Bight Wind Lease Area Review

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will hold a meeting to discuss a draft environmental review of six wind lease areas offshore New York and New Jersey, in the area called New York Bight. The agency estimates that full development of leases in this area, totaling more than 488,000 acres, has the potential to produce 5.6 to 7 gigawatts of offshore wind energy. This marks the first regional analysis of offshore renewable energy development in multiple lease areas. Further environmental analyses specific to each proposed project will build off this programmatic review after the agency receives individual project plans. An auction held in 2022 for rights to the six areas resulted in over $4.3 billion in lease sale revenue. Comments are due by Feb. 26. READ MORE

Starts
Tuesday,
February 13

Ends
Wednesday,
February 14
DOE Electricity Advisory Committee

The U.S. Energy Department will host a meeting of the Electricity Advisory Committee, which provides advice on modernizing the nation’s electricity delivery infrastructure, implementing the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and executing the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Topics of discussion include the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s winter reliability assessment, interrelationship between gas and electric, and updates on smart grid reports and transport electrification initiatives. The meeting will also discuss transmission infrastructure improvement options and energy justice and equity.

Wednesday,
February 14
EPA Clean School Bus Program

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is due to receive applications for the 2023 Clean School Bus Rebate program, which anticipates offering at least $500 million in rebates to replace existing school buses with clean and zero-emission models. The initiative is part of the $5 billion Clean School Bus Program, funded by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Under the program’s multiple grant and rebate funding opportunities to date, EPA has awarded almost $2 billion to fund approximately 5,000 school bus replacements at over 600 schools.

Eastern Region

Monday,
February 12
NYSERDA Cap-and-Invest Program

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority seeks proposals from an entity or team of entities to provide platforms and services required for the functioning of the state’s cap-and-invest program currently under development. This includes emissions reporting, a market registry platform, auction platform, as well as market monitoring and financial services. The program will establish a declining cap on greenhouse gas emissions, limit energy costs to consumers, invest proceeds in equitable programs that drive emission reductions, and help maintain the competitiveness of businesses and industries. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation and NYSERDA have released a pre-proposal outline that provides a framework for the regulatory components of the program and a climate affordability study that examines how best to deliver the proceeds.

Friday,
February 16
NY PSC National Fuel Rate Case

The New York Public Service Commission is due to receive comments on National Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation’s proposal to increase its gas delivery revenues effective Oct. 1, 2024. The company seeks an increase in natural gas delivery revenues of $88.8 million, a 30.8 percent increase in base delivery revenues or a 11.1 percent increase in total revenues. The request would result in a total monthly bill increase of approximately $11.31, or 13,7 percent, for the average residential customer. 23-G-0627

Western Region

Wednesday,
February 14
CARB Quarterly Carbon Auction

The California Air Resources Board and Québec’s Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change will hold their 38th joint quarterly carbon auction, which will offer allowances for current and future years. The current auction will offer 2024 vintage allowances totaling about 51.2 million, and the advance auction will offer 2027 future allowances totaling about 7.2 million. The previous auction held in November sold all of the more than 57.6 million current allowances at a price of $38.73 per allowance and nearly 7.6 million future allowances at $37.40 per allowance. California’s cap-and trade program places an economy-wide cap on major emitting sources.

Friday,
February 16
MI PSC Consumers Energy’s Distribution Plan

The Michigan Public Service Commission is due to receive comments on Consumers Energy Company’s electric distribution system investment and maintenance plan for the five-year period from 2023-2027. In an order issued in 2022, the commission directed the state’s three electric utilities to file the five-year plans by Sept. 29, 2023, finding that the current distribution planning approaches to address pressing matters of reliability of service to customers and current plans for improvements are insufficient. The plan identified severe weather and technological adoptions as the primary drivers of change on the distribution system, representing the most pressing challenges to the future grid, and outlined $7 billion of annual investments aimed to deliver the safety, reliability, and resiliency benefits that customers expect. Reply comments are due by April 26. READ MORE

Friday,
February 16
CA EC Long Duration Energy Storage

The California Energy Commission seeks information for a potential future grant funding opportunity that will focus on research and demonstration to advance non-lithium-ion long-duration energy storage technologies aimed at helping the state meet its clean energy and climate goals. The information will help define critical demonstration and system capacity needs in these technologies and identify high-impact use cases that the grant funding should target in order to maximize the benefits of government investments in energy storage. READ MORE

20+ million filings pulled from the comprehensive universe of federal, regional and state energy regulators and legislatures.

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