DOE moves forward with plans to fund research in 'coal plants of the future'
U.S. Department of Energy officials are moving forward with plans to encourage the development of "coal plants of the future" with three competitively funded research and development efforts that could result in the design, construction and operation of a coal-based pilot-scale power plant. DOE will fund the research projects in fiscal year 2019 through an effort it is calling Coal FIRST.
FERC chair warns of retroactive ratemaking in ISO-NE capacity market order
While two of his colleagues signed off on an ISO New England proposal to revise the delist provisions of its capacity market rules, the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission warned about the broader consequences of the order.
"This case raises very serious questions about when and how the rule against retroactive ratemaking applies in the context of an auction driven by inputs that are established according to deadlines in a filed tariff," FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee said in a dissent.
Delaware challenges US EPA's decision to deny claims against upwind power plants
The state of Delaware on Nov. 5 challenged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's denial of its claims that emissions from upwind power plants are preventing it from meeting national ozone standards. The EPA denied separate petitions from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control filed against four power plants in West Virginia and Pennsylvania over their release of nitrogen oxides.
US EPA allows states to consider emissions from Asia in ozone pollution plans
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a final rule that aims to give states more leeway in meeting a 2015 standard for ozone pollution, in part by accounting for emissions from sources as far away as Asia.
That long-awaited rule follows an April memorandum from President Donald Trump directing the agency to reduce "unnecessary impediments to new manufacturing and business expansion" as it implements the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
Democrats' wins in state attorney general races may bolster energy policy fights
Democrats won most U.S. state attorney general races in the November midterm elections, which could give blue states more leverage in fights against the Trump administration's energy and environmental policies. In the past 15 years, attorneys general have played a more active role in environmental issues affecting the energy sector, including regulations from the federal government that could have big impacts in their jurisdiction.
US EPA revives Bush-era interpretation of Clean Air Act permitting program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency restored a Bush-era interpretation of a Clean Air Act program for fossil fuel-fired power plants and other major emissions sources that has been stayed for nearly a decade. According to the EPA, the Nov. 7 action will clarify the "project aggregation" facet of the New Source Review program, which refers to an assessment by owners and permitting authorities that multiple related physical or operational changes to a facility should be considered a single "project."
States urge US EPA to finish mercury review before Clean Power Plan replacement
One of the main arguments leveled against the Obama-era Clean Power Plan could also be used to unravel the Trump administration's proposed replacement rule, according to 20 attorneys general representing midwestern and southern states.
The argument — the so-called 111(d)/112 exclusion theory — was raised in the protracted legal battle over the Clean Power Plan, which was issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2015. Two years later, the same argument has resurfaced as the Trump EPA proceeds with its scaled-back replacement: the Affordable Clean Energy rule.
Democrats' takeover of US House to shift approach on energy policy
Now that the Democrats have taken control of the U.S. House of Representatives, the body will shift its focus from easing regulations for energy producers to supporting clean energy and probing the Trump administration's efforts to revoke air and water quality rules, according to key lawmakers. Democrats also hope to take more action to address climate change, a problem they accuse the White House and GOP of ignoring over the past two years.
