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Inflation Reduction Act
Here We Go Again: Another Attempt at Recovery for Ratepayers Resulting from KeySpan-Morgan Stanley Swap
Another class action lawsuit has been filed against KeySpan Corporation (KeySpan) and Morgan Stanley Capital Group Inc. (Morgan Stanley), claiming damages for antitrust violations resulting from an allegedly illegal swap agreement that allowed KeySpan to manipulate energy prices in the...
Top 12 Energy Issues for '12
With the 2012 election year upon us, it promises to be an interesting year in energy politics and policy. Here are 12 (really 13 because of some creative headline writing) issues that will keep the sector hopping this year. 1...
Court Finds FERC Overstepped Jurisdictional Boundaries with Order 720
A panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has vacated the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) Order Nos. 720 and 720-A , which imposed new requirements on non-interstate pipelines not normally subject to FERC's jurisdiction...
Big Brother Is Watching: FERC Proposes to Increase Market Surveillance
Citing the ever-increasing volume and complexity of physical and financial trading in the regional transmission organizations (RTO) and independent system operators (ISO), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) on October 20, 2011. If...
Offshore Winds Blowing in New Directions
In the aftermath of the offshore wind industry's recently completed annual get-together in Baltimore last week, there are many signs of success on the ocean blue's horizon. While those possibilities shine brightly in a number of key areas, the industry...
New York DEC Issues Draft Hydraulic Fracturing Regulations
Last week, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation released its draft regulations for hydraulic fracturing. These are based on the agency's revised draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement issued last month. The proposed regulations include a prohibition on drilling...
Despite Delay, EPA Still Set to Release GHG Draft Rule
As has been well reported, EPA will miss its September 30 deadline for releasing its draft rule on utility-focused greenhouse gas emissions. While a new deadline has not yet been announced for the rule, which focuses on reducing emissions from...
Luminant to Close Coal Plants Due to EPA Rule
Despite facing clear reliability problems because of record temperatures in Texas, Luminant said today they will close facilities to comply with EPA's Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, which will cause the loss of approximately 500 jobs. The rule, which EPA released...
Interior Department Proposes Guidelines for Protecting Wildlife from Wind Energy Development
Fossil fuels are under fire from opponents of hydraulic fracturing in the gas drilling process or, in coal's case, everything from mountaintop mining to mercury emissions. And now with the crisis in Japan, nuclear power is facing new challenges. Of...
More Power to the Water
Power from water is again in the news as the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee moves forward on measures to increase hydropower and improve the impact of energy development on water resources. As well, the national trade group representing...
SEC Proposes Rule Requiring Oil, Gas and Mining Companies to Disclose Payments to Governments
By Jonathan Halpern and Thomas Kokalas Under a rule proposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission, oil, gas and mining companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges would be required to disclose payments they made to foreign governments or the United...
New Congress Expected to Meet Pent Up Demand for Energy Oversight
Pent up demand for oversight on both sides of the political aisle will drive a trend for renewed Congressional oversight in the upcoming term in 2011, notably in the energy and environmental sectors. In a recent video interview, Scott Segal...
FERC Tightens Credit Practices in Organized Markets
A final rule that tightens and standardizes credits practices for organized wholesale electricity markets "” independent system operators (ISO) and regional transmission organizations (RTO) "” was issued by FERC October 21. To comply with the credit practices prescribed in the...
A Divided CFTC Flexes Muscles With $12 Million ConAgra Civil Penalty
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued an order August 16 approving a settlement resolving allegations that ConAgra Trade Group, Inc. caused a non-bona fide price to be reported for a NYMEX spot month crude oil futures contract in violation of...
DC Circuit Affirms FERC On Maintaining Price Caps On Gas Pipeline Capacity Sales
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has upheld FERC's decision to remove price ceilings on short term (one year or less) capacity releases by shippers on natural gas pipelines, while maintaining price ceilings on capacity sales by...