Regulation & Policy: Page 242
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Cleco boosts customer perks again in Louisiana merger bid
Cleco Corp. and Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets have almost doubled customer bill credits in an effort to get approval for their plan to take the power company private.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 7, 2016 -
Oregon utilities endorse bill to end coal use by 2030, boost RPS to 50% by 2040
Two major Oregon utilities have agreed to support a bill that would phase out coal-fired generation by 2030 and increase the state’s renewable portfolio standard to 50% by 2040.
By Krysti Shallenberger • Jan. 6, 2016 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Joe Raedle via Getty ImagesTrendlineTop 5 Stories from Utility Dive
Power demand is rising amid dramatic shifts in federal energy policy, but technology and markets continue to push the grid toward cleaner, more distributed resources.
By Utility Dive staff -
Nevada regulators will consider delaying new net metering rates, monthly charges
The state’s consumer advocate argues the ruling could violate the U.S. constitution’s contracts clause.
By Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 6, 2016 -
Indiana regulators order NIPSCO to resubmit energy efficiency plan
The ruling is seen as support for Governor Mike Pence’s proposed efficiency bill, which
By Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 6, 2016 -
Florida Power & Light favors rate-based approach to Clean Power Plan compliance
Florida Power & Light’s generation is already cleaner than required by new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations, the utility said.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 6, 2016 -
FERC orders changes to MISO capacity auctions as manipulation probe persists
Federal regulators could issue refunds after a power auction last year resulted in an almost 900% increase in prices for Ameren customers in the Midcontinent ISO system.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 6, 2016 -
Exelon swoops in on FirstEnergy plant subsidy deal promising $2B in savings
Exelon has no power plants in Ohio but has offered to sell 3,000 MW into the state’s markets, potentially saving consumers $2 billion over a plan by FirstEnergy to guarantee income at a pair of aging baseload plants.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 6, 2016 -
Passage of omnibus spending bill means enhanced efficiency rebates, funding
The bill provided for energy efficiency rebates to homes and businesses, as well as allowing a tax deduction to encourage efficiency upgrades of commercial buildings.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 6, 2016 -
Deep Dive
Ontario turns to storage for renewables integration, grid services
Ontario has taken a big step toward integrating energy storage into its grid, but in other respects the province is still catching up with some organized wholesale markets in the United States.
By Peter Maloney • Jan. 5, 2016 -
FERC denies permit for 1,000 MW pumped storage project in Kentucky
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rejected a successive preliminary permit for a proposed pumped storage project located in Kentucky, citing lack of progress from Maysville Pumped Storage LLC from its intial permit.
By Krysti Shallenberger • Jan. 5, 2016 -
Illinois landowners push regulators to rethink $2B Grain Belt Express transmission line
The permit allows Grain Belt Express line connecting Kansas wind to the East to use eminent domain.
By Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 5, 2016 -
Deep Dive
DERs in 2016: What experts expect for a booming sector
With the market for distributed energy resources set to blossom thanks to the extensions of vital tax credits, solar especially is primed to grow, experts predict.
By Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 4, 2016 -
NC regulators classify 8 Duke coal ash ponds high risk, list 24 others as lower risk
North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality listed most of Duke Energy’s coal ash ponds as lower risk last week despite staff recommendations to classify most of them as high-risk.
By Krysti Shallenberger • Jan. 4, 2016 -
Hawaii court upholds PUC order ending retail rate net metering
A circuit court judge last week halted a suit from The Alliance for Solar Choice seeking to overturn the PUC order.
By Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 4, 2016 -
Colorado regulators affirm decision rejecting part of Boulder’s muni plan
The Colorado Public Utilities Commission is allowing the city and Xcel Energy to develop solutions to allow Boulder’s planned municipal power agency to move forward.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 4, 2016 -
FERC proposed decision would cut MISO transmission returns about 2%
A proposed decision would cut the rate of return for transmission-owning utilties in the Midwest from more than 12% to 10.3%, possibly resulting in refunds.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 4, 2016 -
Alaska Railbelt utilities progress on forming single transmission operator
A half dozen utilities serving the bulk of Alaska’s population are working to develop a single entity responsible for the railbelt region’s transmission system.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 4, 2016 -
Final report due on Duke’s NC coal ash ponds after draft labels most ‘high priority’
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality must release a final assessment fo all 32 of Duke Energy’s coal ash ponds by Dec. 31, and a draft report finds 27 would need to be closed by 2019.
By Robert Walton • Dec. 30, 2015 -
California US House Rep rolls out carbon pricing bill
Congressman Jerry McNerney (CA-D) has introduced the Consumers Rebate to ban Emissions and Boost AlTernative Energy (REBATE) Act which aims to put a price on carbon from coal and natural gas.
By Krysti Shallenberger • Dec. 29, 2015 -
California’s Salton Sea offers 1,800 MW of geothermal potential
A National Renewable Energy Laboratory study finds that the Salton Sea’s potential geothermal baseload generation can serve California, Arizona and Nevada’s renewables mandates.
By Herman K. Trabish • Dec. 29, 2015 -
Puerto Rico electric utility reaches debt restructuring deal with creditors
Puerto Rico’s public utility finalized a deal to restructure its debt, cutting obligations by more than $600 million.
By Gavin Bade • Dec. 28, 2015 -
Rocky Mountain Power seeks to shorten Utah PURPA contracts
Rocky Mountain Power, a subsidiary of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway-owned PacifiCorp, says Utah’s required 20-year contracts for PURPA qualified contracts is too long.
By Krysti Shallenberger • Dec. 28, 2015 -
New York regulators vote to upgrade ‘antiquated’ transmission system
The proposed upgrades will provide $1.20 in benefits for every $1 spent, regulators say.
By Robert Walton • Dec. 23, 2015 -
Deep Dive
Storage in 2016: Utility-scale, long-duration markets take the lead
Behind-the-meter storage grew by a factor of 16 in 2015, but next year expect to see front-of-the-meter applications continue to make up the lion’s share of new deployments.
By Peter Maloney • Dec. 22, 2015 -
Nevada regulators approve new net metering policy, creating separate rate class for solar users
The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada approved a new set of regulations for net metering, which eliminates a demand charge proposed by Warren Buffett’s NV Energy, but rolls back retail rate net metering remuneration among other changes.
By Krysti Shallenberger • Dec. 22, 2015