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Inflation Reduction Act
Demand "Very Strong" in Nation's First Carbon Allowance Auction
Despite the market turmoil and liquidity concerns on Wall Street in recent weeks, the nation's first government-run auction of carbon dioxide emissions allowances met with "very strong demand," according to the coalition of ten states, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiate...
PJM's RPM Dodges Buyers' Bullets However Well Aimed
FERC stopped a rebellion of PJM Interconnection power buyers in a September 19 order that rejected their complaint against PJM's reliability pricing model (RPM) capacity obligation and auction. A motley crew of buyers and their representatives "” coops, state commissions...
FERC Seeks Industry Input on Uniform Definition of "Affiliate"
Seeking to clear up an apparent inconsistency in the definition of an "affiliate" in its regulations, on August 29 FERC issued an order asking for the industry's input on a uniform definition of "affiliate" for purposes of the agency'smarket-based rate...
FERC Revisits Who in PJM Is Going to Pay for Transmission Upgrades
FERC conditionally approved a contested settlement on the allocation of transmission owner costs for projects approved through the regional transmission expansion plan (RTEP) of PJM Interconnection, LLC. The settlement directs how PJM will allocate the transmission owners' costs of RTEP...
FERC Authorizes NYISO to Halt Circuitous Scheduling Around Lake Erie
On August 21, FERC issued an order accepting the New York ISO's (NYISO) emergency revisions to its tariff to prohibit certain scheduling practices around Lake Erie. In its order, FERC approved the NYISO's use of temporary action to reduce unscheduled...
PG&E Announces Plans to Buy 800 MW of Solar Power
One of the largest utilities in California, Pacific Gas and Electric Company ("PG&E"), has signed two contracts to purchase up to 800 MW of power from two new solar plants that will be constructed by photovoltaic (PV) systems manufacturers, OptiSolar...
Texas Commission Selects Plan to Deliver Wind Power from Competitive Renewable Energy Zones
The Texas Public Utility Commission (PUCT) recently selected one of the four transmission scenarios that the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) proposed for bringing a total of 18,456 MW of wind power from West Texas and the Texas Panhandle...
CAIR Court Throws Eastern Utility Markets into Financial Tail-Spin
A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit in a July 11 order threw eastern power markets into financial chaos by vacating the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR). ( North Carolina v...
NYISO Asks FERC for Authority to Control Congestion and Loop Flow Around Lake Erie
Assailed by sharp increases in transmission congestion and loop flow in its Lake Erie region, New York's Independent System Operator (NYISO) in a July 21st emergency filing asked FERC to approve tariff revisions to prohibit scheduling on commonly used "”...
"Back to the Future" Debate Continues at FERC on State of Competition in Wholesale Power Markets
On the heels of moves in several states to "re-regulate" electric markets, and complaints from consumer advocates that electric competition has not brought about promised savings, FERC has embarked on a series of public conferences regarding the status of competition...
New Mexico Promotes Transmission Solutions for Renewable Energy Development, Ups RPS
Developing renewable energy far from load centers demands construction of transmission. But which comes first "“ the generation or the transmission? Several Western states, including California and Texas , are addressing this issue, and New Mexico has recently adopted its...
Making Waves "• FERC Turns Attention to Ocean Power
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has put the spotlight on a lesser known but potentially valuable source of renewable energy by announcing an interim policy and inviting public comment on how to process preliminary permit applications for ocean energy: wave...
Energy Advisor to Coordinate State Energy Policy in Rhode Island
Rhode Island Governor Donald L. Carcieri (R) issued an executive order in mid-January creating the Office of Chief Energy Advisor to the Governor, and named Andrew Dzykewicz, Senior Project Manger at the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC) , to...
Reductions of Power Plant Emissions on the Minds of State Regulators
Reducing power plant emissions seems to be the priority du jour , as several state regulatory agencies consider plans to comply with the EPA's new clean air interstate rule ("CAIR"). Passed in March of this year, CAIR permanently caps sulfur...
U.S. Supreme Court Will Not Review Decision Prohibiting Courts from Ruling on Wholesale Power Prices
Fallout from the 2000-2001 western energy crisis persisted in April. In a case involving one of the relatively smaller claims to arise out of the crisis, on April 18, 2005, the US Supreme Court denied the petition of the State...