The Illinois Commerce Commission is due to release a report providing recommendations for legislative, regulatory, or executive actions to support energy storage deployment. The commission initiated a proceeding in March to consider the specific programs, mechanisms, and policies supporting energy storage pursuant to legislation that took effect in September 2021. Based on input from a series of webinars and workshops, commission staff produced a straw man draft report containing information about energy storage systems and setting forth recommendations for specific programs, mechanisms, and policies that the General Assembly could adopt to support their deployment. READ MORE

Member states of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the nation’s first market-based emissions regulation program, will hold their 56th quarterly auction of carbon allowances. The previous auction held in March sold all of the nearly 21.8 million allowances offered for sale. Permits were sold at a clearing price of $13.50, the highest to date, and generated about $294 million, bringing the total proceeds to nearly $5 billion. The auction clearing prices will be posted on June 3. READ MORE

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority will hold a public hearing on draft criteria for identifying disadvantaged communities to guide the equitable implementation of the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Under the law, New York must reduce economywide greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and 85 percent by 2050 from 1990 levels, and attain a carbon-free power system by 2040. The draft provides an interactive map and a list of communities as well as criteria to direct initiatives that cut emissions, open economic development opportunities, and support investments in clean energy and energy efficiency. The department has scheduled 11 hearings during May and June to receive public input on the draft criteria based on geographic, public health, environmental hazard, and socioeconomic factors.

The Texas Public Utilities Commission will hold a meeting of the Electricity Supply Chain Security and Mapping Committee, which recently adopted a critical infrastructure map to aid emergency preparedness. Legislation enacted in response to the February 2021 winter storm event established the committee to map the state’s electricity supply chain, in order to identify critical infrastructure sources and ensure best practices to maintain service during extreme weather events. The map includes more than 65,000 facilities including gas-fired power plants, electrical substations, gas processing plants, underground storage facilities, oil and gas well leases, and salt water disposal wells. Further, the map has more than 21,000 miles of gas transmission pipelines and 60,000 miles of electricity transmission lines. The committee is also required to recommend oversight and compliance standards for these facilities and designate priority service needs.

The California Energy Commission will host a workshop to launch an informational proceeding for decarbonizing the gas system. The proceeding will engage state agencies and stakeholders in planning for the transition away from gas and addressing the challenges the state faces in decarbonizing the gas system. Challenges include declining long-term gas demand from building electrification, interdependencies between gas and electricity systems, and the potential role of low-carbon fuels and technologies including renewable gas and hydrogen. The workshop will include an overview of the state’s gas system and demand, as well as currently planned activities under the proceeding in order to seek input on additional measures. 22-OII-02