Regulation & Policy: Page 8


  • A ship is seen on a sparkling ocean with offshore wind turbines in the background.
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    Permission granted by Bob Brewer/Unsplash
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    California to invest $226M in offshore wind ports amid federal cuts

    State and industry leaders argued that the funds are needed to establish California as a hub for floating offshore wind.

    By Emma Penrod • Oct. 14, 2025
  • U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright speaks during a television interview outside of the White House
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    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    Grid planners and experts on why markets keep choosing renewables

    “If natural gas was the cheapest option to meet the peak, the markets would select it,” said Sean Kelly, co-founder and CEO of forecast provider Amperon and a former energy analyst.

    By Oct. 9, 2025
  • Electric power lines run next to a highway.
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    The image by versageek is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
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    Opinion

    To keep energy affordable, Virginia must embrace power line innovation

    Regulators should ensure electric utilities pursue transmission innovations rather than simply reinvesting in older technologies, writes Jeff Dennis, executive director of the Electricity Customers Alliance.

    By Jeff Dennis • Oct. 9, 2025
  • President Donald Trump, joined by Republican lawmakers, holds a gavel after signing the One, Big Beautiful Bill Act into law
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    Eric Lee via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Navigating the One Big Beautiful Bill era in US power markets

    In today’s volatile climate, success will hinge less on predicting the future and more on preparing for it, say the authors from energy consulting firm E3 in this detailed original analysis of federal policy. 

    By Kushal Patel, Gregory Gangelhoff, Tali Perelman and Amber Mahone • Oct. 8, 2025
  • Senate confirms FERC nominees, giving agency Republican majority

    Laura Swett and David LaCerte join a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission working to maintain grid reliability amid rising electric demand driven by data center development.

    By Oct. 8, 2025
  • A power plant in Pennsylvania.
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    Getty Images
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    Investor-owned utilities call for ending ‘overreliance’ on PJM capacity market

    “Narrowly focusing on design changes to PJM markets has left customers exposed to reliability risks and cost uncertainty,” the Edison Electric Institute’s Drew Maloney said.

    By Oct. 8, 2025
  • A power plant sites next to a river.
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    Permission granted by Consumers Energy
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    Groups challenge MISO cost allocation plan for coal power plant

    Industrial, business and environmental groups say they should not have to pay to continue running a 1,560-MW, coal-fired power plant that doesn’t benefit them after the DOE ordered it to stay open. 

    By Oct. 7, 2025
  • An outdoor petroleum facility.
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    Courtesy of ExxonMobil
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    ‘Not a good sign’: Weak manufacturing demand continues amid tariff uncertainty

    Of the six biggest manufacturing industries, petroleum and coal products were the only sectors that saw growth in September, according to the Institute for Supply Management’s latest Purchasing Managers’ Index.

    By Sara Samora • Oct. 7, 2025
  • A 'Whirlpool' refrigerator on display at a Lowe's Home Improvement store
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Energy efficiency is reducing Northeast peak demand, electricity bills: Acadia

    “It is more important than ever for policymakers, advocates, program administrators, and consumers to understand the value ... of energy efficiency resource acquisition,” said Acadia’s Jamie Dickerson.

    By Oct. 7, 2025
  • A utility worker makes repairs to electrical lines
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Bridging the skills gap and preparing tomorrow’s utility workforce

    When veteran field techs understand how their data feeds analytics platforms or how remote inspections can save time, they don’t just adapt — they help optimize those systems, writes Dan Helman, CEO of Think Power Solutions.

    By Dan Helman • Oct. 7, 2025
  • Crane sitting ready to start building a new wind turbine.
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    Getty Images
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    Minnesota PUC approves $6.2B Allete sale to private equity

    The deal with Blackrock’s Global Infrastructure Partners and a Canadian pension fund will bring about $200 million in ratepayer benefits, according to Allete.

    By Oct. 6, 2025
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    Permission granted by Kraken
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    Sponsored by Kraken

    Modernizing with confidence: the secret to seamless tech migrations

    Cut costs, boost CX and migrate without disruption.

    Oct. 6, 2025
  • Senate Leader John Thune seen from behind as he speaks to reporters
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    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
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    Government shutdown could delay clean energy guidance, permitting: report

    Shutdown plans could become hard to implement as agency staffing levels “are significantly lower than at the beginning of the year," said sustainable finance company Crux.

    By Lamar Johnson • Oct. 3, 2025
  • U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference
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    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
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    The week in 5 numbers: DOE slashes clean energy funding following coal ‘investment’

    Plus PJM’s data center woes, record storage deployment and new generation additions.

    By Oct. 3, 2025
  • Texas PUC approves Entergy’s 500-kV SETEX transmission project

    The Public Utility Commission also selected six projects to receive $381 million from the Texas Energy Fund's Outside ERCOT Grant Program.

    By Oct. 3, 2025
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    Getty Images
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    Shutdown furloughing federal workers imperils business-critical data

    Just hours before most U.S. federal agencies closed, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said it would not release highly anticipated jobs data on Friday.

    By Jim Tyson • Oct. 2, 2025
  • Three men in blue shirts stand at desks with a bank of computer screens.
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    Permission granted by PJM Interconnection
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    Opinion

    State frameworks are critical to addressing PJM affordability

    Affordability concerns have risen in the PJM sphere due to “tightening supply and demand,” writes Senior Vice President Asim Haque. Supply has left the system due primarily to state policy and federal rules, he says.

    By Asim Haque • Oct. 2, 2025
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    Nathan Howard via Getty Images
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    Data centers ‘primary reason’ for high PJM capacity prices: market monitor

    Load from data centers drove up revenue in the PJM Interconnection’s last capacity auction by $7.3 billion, said Monitoring Analytics. It said it is “misleading” to say market results simply reflect tightening supply and demand.

    By Oct. 2, 2025
  • Trump signs proclomation on H-1B visa.
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    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
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    DOE cancels $7.6B in clean energy awards in states that voted against Trump

    “Our democracy is badly broken when a president can illegally suspend projects for Blue states in order to punish his political enemies,” said Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.

    By Oct. 2, 2025
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    Sean Rayford via Getty Images
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    Utility conferences to watch in 2026

    See our annual list of notable power-sector conferences where industry leaders will share knowledge in a rapidly-changing landscape. 

    By Updated Jan. 30, 2026
  • A view of the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 29, 2025, in the District of Columbia.
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    Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Fallout from shutdown could impact energy sector construction

    Halting federal projects will likely have downstream effects on private-sector confidence and costs of materials and labor. “The construction supply chain is tightly interconnected,” one contractor said. 

    By Sebastian Obando • Oct. 1, 2025
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    Nathan Howard via Getty Images
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    Customers in 7 PJM states paid $4.4B for data center transmission in 2024: report

    Transmission lines built for data centers fall into a "regulatory gap,” with utility customers on the hook for the costs, the Union of Concerned Scientists said.

    By Oct. 1, 2025
  • Two cooling towers at Constellation Energy's 2,300-MW Limerick nuclear power plant in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.
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    Getty Images
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    Opinion

    DOE’s reactor pilot: A turning point for US nuclear energy?

    The Department of Energy’s nuclear program could be transformational for the energy sector if even one reactor demonstrates commercial operation safely, writes Foley & Lardner partner Jocelyn Lavallo.

    By Jocelyn Lavallo • Oct. 1, 2025
  • EPA mulls postponing coal plant wastewater compliance, changes to Regional Haze Rule

    Extending compliance timelines for EPA’s effluent limitations rules would save between $30 million and $200 million annually, the agency said. Coal waste contains contaminants including mercury, cadmium and arsenic. 

    By Sept. 30, 2025
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    John Lamparski via Getty Images
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    Democratic House bill would reverse Trump energy policies, bolster RTO oversight

    The Trump administration is driving up the cost of electricity by creating barriers to clean energy investment to support higher-cost fossil fuel sectors, Rep. Sean Casten said.

    By Sept. 30, 2025