Regulation & Policy: Page 73


  • Image attribution tooltip
    fizkes via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Deep Dive

    NRG push for sweeping retail market changes in Northeast meets Texas-sized obstacles

    The reliability crisis in Texas, the state with one of the most competitive retail electricity markets, has created hurdles for a campaign to reinvent retail competition in Northeastern restructured states.

    By Matthew Bandyk • May 26, 2021
  • Image attribution tooltip
    David McNew via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    California mulls 11.5 GW procurement package to bolster grid after Diablo Canyon, natural gas plants retire

    Regulators are considering two proposed decisions, one with up to 1,500 MW of fossil fuel capacity and the other with only 500 MW.

    By Kavya Balaraman • May 25, 2021
  • High voltage power lines seen from below Explore the Trendline
    Image attribution tooltip
    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    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
  • Duke-supported group launches campaign against North Carolina bill to examine wholesale market reform

    The campaign claims to reveal "the ugly truth" about regional transmission organizations, which it calls "a Really Terrible Option," and is the product of a group that received $500,000 from Duke during the state's primary elections.

    By Catherine Morehouse • May 24, 2021
  • Treasury Secreatry Janet Yellen peers behind her glasses on Capitol Hill.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Biden orders Yellen to outline climate risks to financial stability

    The assessment, due in 180 days, will incorporate financial regulators' plans to boost climate-risk disclosures. The order also asks officials to disclose, within 120 days, government programs' and assets' exposure to climate risks.

    By Dan Ennis • May 24, 2021
  • National Grid, RWE join scramble to develop wind projects off New York, New Jersey coasts

    National Grid Ventures, the non-regulated part of the utility, and the German energy giant are the latest bidders to build offshore wind projects in the new area opened for development by the Biden administration.

    By Scott Van Voorhis • May 21, 2021
  • Image attribution tooltip
    David McNew via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    South Carolina to implement net metering settlement with time-of-use pricing

    The new time-variable tariff, developed in collaboration with Duke Energy, solar industry representatives and environmental NGOs, is expected to more closely align utility costs with customer incentives.

    By Emma Penrod • May 21, 2021
  • Rare FERC move sparks heated debate over commission's role assessing pipeline climate impacts

    FERC voted 3-2 to approve two pipeline projects after Commissioner James Danly proposed a last-minute amendment to avoid setting a precedent on examining climate impacts — and to secure his own vote.

    By Catherine Morehouse • May 21, 2021
  • Anne Neuberger, deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology, speaks at the White House.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Drew Angerer via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    White House to take proactive role in ransomware fight following Colonial, other cyberattacks

    The administration can no longer passively wait for the next cyber crisis to take hold before it decides to engage, said Anne Neuberger, a Biden administration cybersecurity official.

    By David Jones • May 20, 2021
  • A picture of the street sign stating "Wall Street." American flags drape over a nearby building
    Image attribution tooltip
    Kena Betancur via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Deep Dive

    Elliott's proposed Duke split untimely, analysts say, as advocates warn of 'dangerous can of worms'

    Analysts question why the proposal to split Duke Energy into three companies comes now, when the utility is on an upswing, while ratepayer advocates warn against Elliott Management's outsized role in the power sector.

    By Catherine Morehouse • May 20, 2021
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Drew Angerer/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Biden decarbonization focus shifts to buildings, with goal to triple efficiency, see up to $200B in savings

    The White House announced workforce development funding, new performance standards and expanded partnerships in the private sector in an effort to address carbon emissions from the nation's building stock.

    By May 19, 2021
  • flooding urban city climate change
    Image attribution tooltip
    SC National Guard. (2018). "180925-Z-XH297-1108" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Funding is a key barrier to cities' climate plan progress: report

    About 43% of cities worldwide lack a climate adaptation plan, with 25% noting budget constraints as an obstacle, nonprofit CDP reports. But neglecting to address climate change comes with a financial cost, too, experts warn.

    By Katie Pyzyk • May 18, 2021
  • Maine State House from Capitol Park in Augusta
    Image attribution tooltip
    The image by Dora646566 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
    Image attribution tooltip

    Bipartisan Maine lawmakers push to create first statewide, publicly owned utility in US

    Proponents say a key goal of creating such a publicly owned utility would be to make Maine the first state to reach its goal of 100% renewable energy.

    By Scott Van Voorhis • Updated June 18, 2021
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Fotolia
    Image attribution tooltip
    Deep Dive

    'A terrible idea': Texas legislators fight over renewables' role in power crisis, aiming to avert a repeat

    Texans may face future freezes if lawmakers blame renewables and fail to set winterization standards and create market-based reliability protections, analysts say.

    By May 17, 2021
  • 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.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Retrieved from The White House.
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • 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
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Stefani Reynolds / Stringer via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
    Image attribution tooltip
    Petmal via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Kendall Davis/Utility Dive
    Image attribution tooltip
    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
    Image attribution tooltip
    Photo illustration by Danielle Ternes/Utility Dive; photograph by yucelyilmaz via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
    Image attribution tooltip
    Szekely, Pedro. (2017). "Chicago Skyline" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • Image attribution tooltip
    John Moore via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Fotolia
    Image attribution tooltip

    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.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Ron Jenkins via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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