Regulation & Policy: Page 25
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FERC approves ITC Midwest transmission incentive despite uncertainty over Iowa’s ROFR law
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s decision affects a $594 million transmission project between Iowa and Illinois approved by the Midcontinent grid operator.
By Ethan Howland • Aug. 9, 2023 -
Constellation Energy CEO ‘disappointed’ to see peers opposing EPA’s power plant carbon rule
Emerging ways to blend hydrogen with gas and capture carbon dioxide will allow power plants to meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule, Joseph Dominguez, Constellation CEO, said Monday.
By Ethan Howland • Aug. 8, 2023 -
Trendline
Sustainability
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 -
APS interconnection reforms should be rejected, RWE Clean Energy, trade groups tell FERC
Arizona Public Service’s proposal creates major burdens for renewable energy developers, including “impossible” commercial readiness requirements, the organizations told FERC.
By Ethan Howland • Aug. 7, 2023 -
Opinion
The imperative of free, green and secure wires reform
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission must advance transmission planning reforms and bolster interconnection rules to improve grid reliability, lower consumer costs and cut power plant emissions.
By Devin Hartman and Jennie Chen • Aug. 7, 2023 -
FERC rejects requests from Entergy, others for waivers of MISO’s seasonal capacity rules
Granting the waivers would have hurt generators across the grid operator’s footprint by reducing their capacity values, the agency said Friday.
By Ethan Howland • Aug. 7, 2023 -
Sponsored by Burns & McDonnell
Helical piles improve cost, schedule and durability of substantial industrial projects
Helical piles have secured their spot as one of the most resilient, cost-effective foundation choices.
Aug. 7, 2023 -
Opinion
Industry cries wolf yet again over EPA’s power plant carbon rules
In case after case, industry has complained that EPA rules would be more costly than predicted. But, in fact, the costs are typically much, much less than the agency anticipated.
By Sophia Ahmed • Aug. 4, 2023 -
FERC interconnection rule may not speed process in much of US: experts
Many transmission providers already use the just-issued rule’s central reform, dampening its effect in large parts of the U.S., lawyers and industry experts say.
By Ethan Howland • Aug. 4, 2023 -
NYISO warns FERC waiver for Hecate’s 650-MW storage project could set bad precedent
Hecate Grid said it will abandon the $300 million battery storage project on Staten Island if it doesn’t receive a one-year extension to meet some of the grid operator’s interconnection requirements.
By Ethan Howland • Aug. 1, 2023 -
White House proposes environmental review reforms, in part to speed clean energy projects
“These reforms to federal environmental reviews will deliver better decisions, faster permitting, and more community input and local buy-in,” said Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory.
By Ethan Howland • July 31, 2023 -
Sponsored by ScottMadden
Resource adequacy — time for a new approach
Anticipate more activity on resource adequacy in the coming months and years as the clean energy transition evolves.
July 31, 2023 -
FERC issues rule to speed grid connections for storage, renewables, other generators amid 2-TW backlog
With generators facing years to complete interconnection reviews, the rule is a “significant” step in getting new power supplies online, but more work is needed, according to experts.
By Ethan Howland • July 28, 2023 -
Barrasso ties possible transmission reforms to ‘premature’ power plant retirements
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., continues to seek bipartisan permitting reforms, but a possible sticking point emerged at a Senate hearing Wednesday.
By Ethan Howland • July 27, 2023 -
Sponsored by Transect
How the Fiscal Responsibility Act could impact permitting
The Fiscal Responsibility Act is set to majorly impact environmental permitting and land development processes.
July 24, 2023 -
Opinion
I claimed energy independence for my co-op last summer — Here’s what happened next
No community should be dictated what source of power generation they have to consume — and no group should be beholden to another group charging them ever-escalating and opaque pricing.
By Luis A. Reyes, Jr. • July 21, 2023 -
Opinion
America faces another high-wire moment: This one around its energy future
The debt ceiling bill included some much-needed reforms to improve the efficiency of the permitting process for energy infrastructure. But they were step one. The question is, what comes next?
By Amy Andryszak and Jason Grumet • July 18, 2023 -
Lawmakers urge NRC to address several issues in draft licensing framework for advanced reactors
Concerns include “inconsistent application of new programs and terminology,” the 20 senators and 44 House members said.
By Robert Walton • July 18, 2023 -
Federal appeals court strikes down FERC approval of Southeastern SEEM market
The market’s transmission rules may violate Federal Energy Regulatory Commission requirements that transmission owners provide open access to their systems, the court said.
By Ethan Howland • July 17, 2023 -
FERC reverses course, rejects SPP regional transmission cost allocation pathway for wind-heavy zones
After considering arguments from American Electric Power, OGE Energy and Xcel Energy utilities, FERC decided the Southwest Power Pool plan gave too much discretion to its board.
By Ethan Howland • July 14, 2023 -
Deep Dive
The meaning of an ‘optimal’ clean energy investment is changing as prices rise, analysts report
Inflation Reduction Act incentives and supply-demand imbalances have developers and off-takers recalculating the value of clean energy.
By Herman K. Trabish • July 13, 2023 -
Evergy capital plan rises 64% in 4 years, reflecting surge in US utility spending: Kansas regulatory staff
S&P Global expects record-setting capital spending by utilities starting this year, partly in response to federal clean energy and infrastructure policy.
By Ethan Howland • July 12, 2023 -
Opinion
Bigger meals require better receipts: A call for coordinated greenhouse gas emissions tracking
States need to work together to create a consistent, transparent and ironclad greenhouse gas accounting system, writes Abigail Anthony, a commissioner with the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission.
By Abigail Anthony • July 12, 2023 -
Opinion
How years of mismanagement and regulatory failures broke California’s utilities
There is a chronic misperception that Herculean efforts are required to overhaul utility infrastructure and set California back on the path of improvement. In fact, the solutions are much more basic than that.
By Jeffrey Conklin and Andrew Heath • July 11, 2023 -
Opinion
How hourly tracking can prevent a ‘clean’ hydrogen boondoggle
Hourly matching is feasible, in use today and absolutely necessary for deploying clean hydrogen and building a clean grid.
By Ben Gerber and Killian Daly • July 10, 2023 -
State clean energy goals are ‘key driver’ for generation growth, but impact differs between regions: report
In Texas and the Midwest, renewables growth has “far outpaced RPS needs, driven by attractive wind energy economics,” says a Berkeley Lab report.
By Diana DiGangi • July 10, 2023