Regulation & Policy
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As 100% renewables mandate nears, Puerto Rico sees new microgrid initiative, resilience focus
The U.S. territory's legislature expects to send a bill to the governor's desk on Monday, mandating the use of 100% renewable energy generation by 2050.
By Iulia Gheorghiu • March 22, 2019 -
FERC opens transmission, ROE inquiries as regulators spar again over climate
Pointed exchanges over climate change policy at FERC's monthly meeting may indicate that approvals for new natural gas infrastructure are again on hold at the commission.
By Gavin Bade • March 22, 2019 -
OpinionExperiment without penalty: Can regulatory 'sandboxes' foster utility innovation?
The sandbox concept allows innovators to experiment without the usual regulatory impediments and long delays associated with traditional oversight, writes Illinois Commerce Commission Chair Brien Sheahan.
By Brien J. Sheahan and Jimmie Zhang • March 21, 2019 -
FERC chief of staff Pugliese steps down
Anthony Pugliese stoked controversy last year for making political comments in the media and implying FERC was working with the Department of Energy on a support package for coal and nuclear plants.
By Gavin Bade • UPDATED: March 21, 2019 at 8:35 a.m. -
California ALJ proposes statewide renewable energy procurement for utilities
Integrated resource plans submitted by the state's utilities and CCAs would not reduce greenhouse gases enough to meet state goals, an Administrative Law Judge ruled Monday.
By Iulia Gheorghiu • March 20, 2019 -
Plant bailout back on tap as Perry, coal interests reportedly derail FERC nomination
After months of lying dormant, discussion about a plant bailout in Washington this week may indicate the White House is preparing another effort to save retiring generators.
By Gavin Bade • March 20, 2019 -
Nevada legislators introduce 100% carbon-free bill, with provision to include all energy providers
The legislation also mandates a 50% renewable portfolio standard, which voters in the state preliminarily approved as a ballot initiative in November.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 20, 2019 -
Deep DiveA utility regulatory process for the 21st century gets a test run in Hawaii
A set of regulatory workshops advanced a more collaborative process among stakeholders and a reduced utility role to more quickly facilitate the power sector's transformation.
By Herman K. Trabish • March 19, 2019 -
OpinionState of the states: 4 reasons that red plus blue makes green economics
While the Green New Deal proposal has sparked an important national conversation, the next wave of innovative energy legislation will likely come from red and blue state capitols.
By Malcolm D. Woolf • March 19, 2019 -
Kansas regulators reject mandating smart meter opt-out programs
The State Corporation Commission also determined the use of smart meters "cannot pose a threat to a customer's personally identifiable information," and would not create health risks or fire hazards.
By Iulia Gheorghiu • March 19, 2019 -
Podcast
EPS Ep. 9: DOE renewables chief vows support for office amid proposed budget cuts
Assistant Secretary Dan Simmons used to work for an organization that advocated the elimination of the office he currently heads. Now he says he supports DOE's renewable energy mission.
By Gavin Bade • March 19, 2019 -
Trio of federal energy storage bills avoid tax credits
The legislation comes amid rising interest in the technology, with an increasing number of state targets, a new House bipartisan storage caucus and increased funding in the President's latest budget request.
By Iulia Gheorghiu • March 19, 2019 -
SponsoredModernizing regulation for the fourth Industrial Revolution
Utility regulations need to meet customer needs while continuing to ensure clean, affordable, safe and reliable electric service. For that to happen, traditional regulatory structures and processes need to adapt.
By Nick Lanyi • March 19, 2019 -
Maine renews net metering as lawmakers prep new clean energy, utility reform bills
Policymakers are mulling aggressive actions to change the state's energy landscape, including purchasing Maine's two investor-owned utilities and converting them to a customer-owned model.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 18, 2019 -
Kentucky rolls back net metering, bucking recent pro-solar trend elsewhere
Legislation approved Thursday contrasts with two recent wins for solar deployment in Maine and Arkansas, where both business and ratepayer advocates favored eliminating market barriers.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 18, 2019 -
Deep DiveAs first US utility-scale offshore wind project nears approval, supply chain, permitting come into focus
Despite a lack of domestic components and a complex permitting process, Vineyard Wind is confident in its ability to move forward this summer with construction of its 800 MW project off the coast of Massachusetts.
By Iulia Gheorghiu • March 18, 2019 -
Dominion strikes deadline day utility deal to keep Millstone nuke operating
The company warned that New England's sole nuclear generator could retire if a contract for its output was not signed by March 15.
By Gavin Bade • March 15, 2019 -
How Arkansas eliminated third-party solar barriers in a red state
Third-party finance limitations and project size caps impeded solar growth in Arkansas, but lowering market barriers drew support from bipartisan lawmakers and business interests, pushing utilities to compromise.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 15, 2019 -
Chatterjee: Transmission could be resilience docket solution
The FERC chairman's remarks at CERAWeek represent a shift from past emphasis on generator fuel supplies in the resilience debate.
By Gavin Bade • March 14, 2019 -
Deep DiveAs US solar expands, states increasingly tackle compensation and community project complexities
Years of debate by "nerds in beige rooms" has led to today's booming solar market, but solar policy is becoming even more complicated.
By Herman K. Trabish • March 14, 2019 -
McNamee still mulling resilience docket recusal
In his first comments to the press since his confirmation, the Republican regulator said he is working with ethics officials to determine if the resilience docket too closely resembles a plant bailout plan he crafted in 2017.
By Gavin Bade • March 14, 2019 -
OpinionThe devil's in the details: Policy implications of 'clean' vs. 'renewable' energy
In the U.S., researchers who analyzed 40 different decarbonization pathways found that a system inclusive of clean energy will be much cheaper than a system based entirely on renewables.
By Lee Beck and Jennifer T. Gordon • March 14, 2019 -
Perry says federal coal and nuke bailout not dead, but encourages states to act
The Secretary of Energy supports "thoughtful" state subsidy programs, but said he was not aware of discussions in Pennsylvania, where a lawmaker says DOE staff told him a federal bailout was not forthcoming.
By Gavin Bade • March 14, 2019 -
NYSERDA targets retail and bulk storage incentives as state aims for 3 GW by 2030
The New York State Energy and Research Development Authority's plan allocates $130 million and $150 million to the retail and bulk storage markets, respectively.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 13, 2019 -
Three's company: New Mexico joins California, Hawaii in approving 100% clean energy mandate
The bill requires the state to phase out all natural gas and coal-fired plants by 2045, signifying a major shift in energy priorities since a new governor and a new crop of legislators took office in January.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 13, 2019
