Regulation & Policy: Page 33


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    National Grid, Con Edison urge FERC to adopt gas pipeline reliability requirements

    To bolster the gas system during cold weather, the federal agency should set pipeline reporting requirements, adopt enforcement mechanisms and tighten the use of “force majeure,” the utilities said.

    By Jan. 6, 2025
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    Final 45V hydrogen tax credit guidance draws mixed response

    While hydrogen industry leaders generally welcomed the final rule’s increased flexibility, some said the complicated tax credit guidelines will stymie industry growth.

    By Emma Penrod • Jan. 6, 2025
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    Nathan Howard via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Data Centers and the US Grid

    A look at how data centers are affecting the U.S. grid today and how new technologies and rate structures could affect that trajectory in the years to come.

    By Utility Dive staff
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    The image by Christopher Peterson is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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    Pennsylvania asks FERC to lower PJM capacity price cap to prevent ‘runaway’ costs

    The complaint at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission adds to the turmoil surrounding PJM’s capacity market since its auction in July produced record high prices.

    By Jan. 2, 2025
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    Deep Dive

    A Michigan city’s ‘sustainable energy utility’ got the green light from voters. What now?

    By creating a supplemental utility that will focus on scaling up rooftop solar, battery storage and microgrids, Ann Arbor, Michigan, is taking its clean energy future into its own hands, stakeholders say.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Jan. 2, 2025
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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 Dec. 20, 2024
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    Opinion

    Ensuring 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
  • An aerial view of a solar farm with snow-covered solar panels.
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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 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 Dec. 19, 2024
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    Opinion

    A 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 Dec. 19, 2024
  • A person walks by a diplay for the Nest smart thermostat at a Home Depot store
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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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 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
  • California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference on February 01, 2023 in Sacramento, California.
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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
  • A utility truck on the road.
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    Permission granted by J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.
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    Sponsored by J. J. Keller® VideoProtects® Fleet Camera System

    The 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
  • High-voltage electric power lines run across a snowy field.
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    The image by Patrick Finnegan is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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    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 Dec. 13, 2024
  • Opinion

    Accelerating 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
  • President Joe Biden speaks at the White House on Dec. 8, 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 Phil 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 Dec. 11, 2024
  • An aerial view of solar panels in a field with transmission lines and a crane installing large containers of battery storage in a dirt lot.
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    Courtesy of Intersect Power
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    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 Dec. 11, 2024
  • A view of an industrial chimney releasing fumes, steam and polluting gases
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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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    Opinion

    Stepping 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
  • Several large pipes criss-cross between industrial buildings, including a large tank-like structure.
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    Courtesy of Divert
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    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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    Opinion

    Electrons 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 Dec. 9, 2024