Regulation & Policy: Page 70


  • President Joe Biden participates in a conference phone call with governors affected by a snowstorm in the Midwest and southwest Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, in the Oval Office of the White House.
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    Retrieved from The White House.
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    White House cybersecurity order lands with a plea for private sector help

    Federal action alone is not enough, the White House said, though higher government standards could improve private sector security. 

    By Samantha Schwartz • May 14, 2021
  • With solar sale, PSEG doubles down on offshore wind and nuclear

    The sale of the fossil fuel plants, along with its solar facilities, is part of PSEG's larger plan to exit the business of operating merchant plants.

    By Scott Van Voorhis • May 14, 2021
  • High voltage power lines seen from below Explore the Trendline
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Top 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
  • Transmission tax credit could unlock 30 GW of renewables, spur over $15B in private capital, report finds

    The report also found the tax credit would create 650,000 "good paying jobs," in the near term, receiving support from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

    By Catherine Morehouse • May 14, 2021
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    Stefani Reynolds / Stringer via Getty Images
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    As Colonial pipeline returns to service, Congress looks to bolster utility-government security efforts

    Several bills aim to boost public-private partnerships in securing the nations grid, which experts say are critical to keeping attackers at bay.

    By May 14, 2021
  • energy storage system
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    Petmal via Getty Images
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    FERC denies MISO request to extend Order 841 compliance deadline to 2025

    FERC said MISO had "not shown good cause" for granting its request, which cited potential conflicts with its members' decarbonization goals under the current deadline.

    By Jason Plautz • Updated May 18, 2021
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    Kendall Davis, Dive Design
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    Vineyard Wind Project Permitting

    Vineyard 800 MW offshore wind farm first US utility-scale facility to get federal construction approval

    A federal agency cleared Vineyard Wind to install up to 84 wind turbines 15 miles off the coast of Martha's Vineyard in a move the Interior Department says will open the door to 80,000 clean energy jobs in the country.

    By Emma Penrod • May 12, 2021
  • FERC deems Duke, Southern SEEM proposal 'deficient', sends utilities back to the drawing board

    Federal regulators asked utilities to clarify how exactly the proposal will improve existing energy transactions in the Southeast, and for greater transparency in how the market changes will work.

    By Catherine Morehouse • May 12, 2021
  • CISA, cybersecurity, agency
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    Photo illustration by Danielle Ternes/Utility Dive; photograph by yucelyilmaz via Getty Images
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    Federal cybersecurity agency left in the dark during Colonial Pipeline's initial response

    With an agency mandate to share threat information with critical infrastructure, notification delays can stall industry response.

    By Samantha Schwartz • May 12, 2021
  • Chicago skyline
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    Szekely, Pedro. (2017). "Chicago Skyline" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
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    Chicago explores alternatives to ComEd for electricity in support of equitable climate goals

    The city is assessing options for its electric utility agreement for the first time in 30 years, aiming to support its new clean electricity and carbon reduction goals, Chicago's chief sustainability officer said.

    By Katie Pyzyk • May 11, 2021
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    John Moore via Getty Images
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    Duke 'optimistic' on seeing broad North Carolina energy bill in 2021 amid Democratic, NGO exclusions

    The utility's optimism is based on months of closed-door stakeholder negotiations with Republican leadership, industry groups and others, but ratepayer advocates and environmentalists have been excluded.

    By Catherine Morehouse • May 11, 2021
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    Fotolia
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    Xcel Energy issues broad performance metrics report, setting markers for future progress

    The Minnesota-based utility graded itself on everything from customer relations to load shifting, after years of discussions with state regulators and stakeholder groups.

    By Scott Van Voorhis • May 10, 2021
  • Pike Electric service trucks line up after a snow storm on February 16, 2021 in Fort Worth, Texas.
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    Ron Jenkins via Getty Images
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    NRG discloses nearly $1B hit from Texas grid collapse

    The power producer is working to recover some of is losses from the devastating winter storm that wreaked havoc with the Lone Star State's electric grid and gas pipelines.

    By Scott Van Voorhis • May 7, 2021
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    Fotolia
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    Arizona regulators toss 3-year effort for 100% clean energy mandate

    A proposal to create an energy storage target, a 100% clean energy by 2050 mandate and a slew of other decarbonization priorities was rejected 3-2 by the Arizona Corporation Commission, despite support from utilities and others.

    By Iulia Gheorghiu • May 7, 2021
  • Analysts at the Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) Wildfire Safety Operations Center monitor a wildfire on August 05, 2019 in San Francisco, California.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    PG&E gets greenlight for $7.5B wildfire securitization, but consumer advocates raise challenges

    Utility securitizations generally involve costs that ratepayers would be paying for anyway, but "that is not the situation here," said April Rose Maurath Sommer, executive and legal director of the Wild Tree Foundation.   

    By Kavya Balaraman • May 7, 2021
  • Exelon CEO: Replacing nuclear with renewables, storage to meet carbon goals could cost Illinois $80B

    The company plans to shut down its Byron and Dresden nuclear plants in Illinois later this year and sees a state solution to avert the closures as more likely in the near term than a federal solution.

    By Larry Pearl • May 6, 2021
  • Wind turbines in Encino, New Mexico from AVANGRID's El Cabo Wind Farm
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    Permission granted by Avangrid
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    States want federal cash, not rules, to propel clean energy, Colorado, other officials say

    Four Western state officials say the Biden administration's infrastructure plan can offer much-needed funds for the energy transition. 

    By Jason Plautz • May 5, 2021
  • Opinion

    A grand bargain for decarbonizing the US electricity sector

    The fundamental political challenge for a zero carbon power sector likely boils down to the need for compromise between states that have long-term greenhouse gas emission reductions goals and those that do not.

    By Fredrich Kahrl and Jim Williams • May 4, 2021
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    Natacha Kiler
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    Deep Dive

    As utilities match CCAs on price, aggregators increase climate action, grow economies of scale to compete

    With stranded costs and other charges keeping CCA bills and utility bills comparable, municipal and community aggregations are challenging utilities on renewables and climate targets to grow their customer base.

    By May 4, 2021
  • U.S. Capitol Building
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    Brian Tucker/Utility Dive
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    Dems weigh legislative approaches to advance Biden infrastructure plan, see room for bipartisan action

    Two House Democrats last week said they expect most of the president's $2.3 trillion plan to advance in Congress through reconciliation, but see opportunities for smaller, bipartisan measures, too.

    By Jason Plautz • May 3, 2021
  • Equity, security and load: FERC conference considers the challenges and potential of electrification

    U.S. electricity load could double by 2050. The industry is focused on how to meet that need equitably and securely, panelists at a recent technical conference said.

    By May 3, 2021
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    Danielle Ternes
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    Opinion

    Power markets are not ready to maximize infrastructure investments

    The returns on capital generated from the investments made by the Biden administration's jobs plan will depend on how well they are leveraged within power markets, the author writes.

    By Ben Hertz-Shargel • April 30, 2021
  • CAISO launches stakeholder process to optimize market for storage

    The ISO is continuing its push to overhaul a market designed for fossil fuels.

    By Jason Plautz • April 30, 2021
  • Washington State Convention Center, Clark Construction
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    Permission granted by Clark Construction/Tim Rice Photography
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    Washington passes 'cap-and-invest' legislation, giving utilities incentive to further decarbonize

    The Climate Commitment Act, once signed into law, would give Washington the nation's second economywide carbon cap system.

    By Kavya Balaraman • April 29, 2021
  • PJM control room.
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    Permission granted by PJM Interconnection
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    PJM proposes to end FERC MOPR policy that raised prices for state-subsidized resources

    Under the grid operator's plan, the minimum offer price rule would no longer apply to state-subsidized resources in capacity auctions. But some competitive suppliers are calling for a replacement market design.

    By Catherine Morehouse • April 29, 2021
  • Decades-long decline in rural infrastructure could pose barrier to coal transition, NGO panel finds

    A new report by Resources for the Future and Environmental Defense Fund suggests policymakers must adopt a multipronged approach to ensure an equitable energy transition. Experts say the U.S. has limited time to act.

    By Emma Penrod • April 28, 2021