Regulation & Policy
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FERC should bar transmission owners from planning local transmission over 100-kV: complaint
A coalition including Industrial Energy Consumers of America and ratepayer advocates from Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia called for the use of independent transmission planners.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 20, 2024 -
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OpinionEnsuring your EPC contracts incorporate the IRA’s prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements
The IRA has undeniably presented owners with new and significant opportunities connected to building new clean energy projects, but taking advantage of these opportunities has also presented considerable challenges.
By Laura Fraher and Mikayla Sciscente • Dec. 20, 2024 -
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TrendlineSustainability
Companies are pursuing increasingly ambitous sustainability goals around clean energy, but integrating rising amounts of renewables, minimizing environmental impacts, and achieving carbon reduction targets can be challenging.
By Utility Dive staff -
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FERC floats ‘ride-through’ reliability standards for wind, solar, batteries, plus 5 other open meeting takeaways
The standards are the first in what is expected to be a suite of NERC rules for inverter-based resources, which can trip offline during grid disturbances.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 20, 2024 -
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Biden raises GHG emissions goal, but climate experts say Trump ‘hellbent’ on reversing course
“Even though the Trump administration may not lift a finger to deliver on this plan, it sets a north star for what the U.S. should be aiming for,” said World Resources Institute's Debbie Weyl.
By Robert Walton • Dec. 19, 2024 -
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OpinionA path to equitable permitting reform: Fast-tracking clean energy while empowering communities
For a sustainable future, the U.S. must adopt a more just permitting reform model — one that accelerates clean energy projects while centering environmental justice, community engagement and resilience.
By Shriya Pai • Dec. 19, 2024 -
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Ameren Missouri will spend $61M to mitigate Clean Air Act violations from Missouri power plant
The agreement resolves litigation around the utility’s 1,178-MW, coal-fired Rush Island power plant, which Ameren Missouri shuttered in mid-October.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 19, 2024 -
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American Efficient faces $975M FERC hit for ‘manipulative scheme’ in MISO, PJM
The energy efficiency company has cleared 20,751 MW and $473.7 million in capacity payments since entering PJM’s capacity market in 2014, enforcement office staff said.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 18, 2024 -
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Trump vows to speed up permits for energy, other megaprojects
Big permitting changes on the horizon could impact the National Environmental Policy Act, which underpins much of the federal review process.
By Julie Strupp • Dec. 17, 2024 -
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California to ease enforcement action on climate rules for first year of reporting
The California Air Resources Board said it would “not take enforcement action” on entities subject to Senate Bill 253 for incomplete reporting during the first reporting cycle due in 2026.
By Zoya Mirza • Dec. 16, 2024 -
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Justices could scale back environmental law in NEPA case
The National Environmental Policy Act has become an important tool for obstruction by certain groups, one veteran appellate advocate told Legal Dive.
By David Weisenfeld • Dec. 16, 2024 -
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Sponsored by J. J. Keller® VideoProtects® Fleet Camera SystemThe value of using dash cams in utility company vehicles
Dual-facing dash cam video footage helps identify company drivers who use poor judgment behind the wheel and correct those behaviors quickly.
Dec. 16, 2024 -
MISO board approves $22B regional transmission plan with 765-kV backbone
“Our Tranche 2.1 portfolio … is a major leap forward for the [Midcontinent Independent System Operator] footprint, and in particular our Midwest region,” MISO’s Jeremiah Doner said.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 13, 2024 -
OpinionAccelerating grid modernization with open technology and standards
As the power and utility industry digitizes, it can look to the tech industry for inspiration on how to innovate.
By Alex Thornton • Dec. 12, 2024 -
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Biden orders up to 50% tariffs on some solar energy components from China
The duties will target critical solar energy inputs, including wafers, polysilicon and tungsten products, beginning Jan. 1.
By Philip Neuffer • Dec. 12, 2024 -
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Treasury finalizes ITC rules, providing clarity to solar, storage, other clean energy sectors
“The updates and expansion of ITC create important clarity and strong market signals to invest in a variety of energy projects in the U.S.,” said Lisa Jacobson, president of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy.
By Diana DiGangi • Dec. 11, 2024 -
Courtesy of Intersect Power
Google, Intersect Power to develop co-located energy parks with $20B of renewables, storage
Energy parks can provide grid services, but they face regulatory challenges, including uncertainty around the rules for co-located load, according to Energy Innovation.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 11, 2024 -
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Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance calls for mandated scope 3 emissions disclosures
The UN-convened alliance made the call to increase the comparability and quality of scope 3 data and allow asset owners to more accurately assess and decarbonize their portfolios.
By Lamar Johnson • Dec. 10, 2024 -
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OpinionStepping up to achieve local climate progress despite federal headwinds
State and local action will be one of the most effective means of continuing the momentum for clean energy deployment and cost reductions.
By Darren Springer • Dec. 10, 2024 -
Courtesy of Divert
Biogas investment tax credit finalized with favorable language for RNG
The final rule includes properties that convert biogas into renewable natural gas in a lucrative credit program designed to boost investment in clean energy. Developers are expected to rush to qualify before the end of the year.
By Jacob Wallace • Dec. 9, 2024 -
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OpinionElectrons vs. molecules: The critical role of hydrogen in hard-to-abate sectors
To meet the urgency of the climate crisis, we must embrace a dual approach: electrify where possible and deploy hydrogen where electricity falls short.
By Rinaldo Brutoco • Dec. 9, 2024 -
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FERC rejects plan to shift PJM’s transmission planning protocol in win for state regulators
“These provisions violate the Commission’s independence requirement by providing … PJM [transmission owners] with undue influence over transmission planning and expansion,” FERC said.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 9, 2024 -
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2024 ElectionsTrump’s SEC pick sparks concern from ESG, climate experts
The president-elect picked Paul Atkins for Securities and Exchange Commission chair. Experts expect him to prioritize maximizing corporate returns over ESG considerations.
By Zoya Mirza • Dec. 6, 2024 -
Permission granted by Midcontinent Independent System Operator
FERC orders Ketchup Caddy to pay $27M for MISO demand response fraud
FERC staff estimated that Ketchup Caddy’s bogus capacity offers caused $17.6 million in losses over three years through reduced capacity prices.
By Ethan Howland • Updated Dec. 6, 2024 -
Courtesy of Climeworks — The Mammoth plant
OpinionRegulatory red tape holds back the carbon capture opportunity in Texas
President-elect Trump’s nomination of Lee Zeldin to lead the U.S. EPA could restore sanity to an agency that is holding back billions of dollars in new investment — including in the fast-growing carbon capture industry.
By Matt Welch • Dec. 6, 2024 -
Courtesy of Public Service Electric and Gas
PSE&G to pay $6.6M for inaccurately reporting need for local PJM transmission project
The Public Service Enterprise Group utility didn’t give PJM accurate information about the need for a $546 million power line it built in New Jersey, per a FERC settlement.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 6, 2024
