Top News

Mass. gas bans unlikely to survive legal challenge, solicitors warn

Lawmakers in Cambridge and Newton, Mass., are pushing through with legislation prohibiting natural gas in new buildings despite city solicitors warning that courts are likely to determine that the gas bans are preempted by state law.

Data Dispatch: Technology companies push for more renewables in Virginia

Technology companies are buying more than half the solar-generated electricity produced in Virginia, and a state official expects the industry to drive increasing demand for clean energy resources.

MIT study challenges need for methane capture, instead pushes renewables

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology argue that instead of attempting to pin down and capture methane emissions, policy-makers can ignore methane reduction efforts and instead invest in renewables to meet climate change goals more efficiently.

S&P podcast: A special Energy Evolution holiday episode

The fourth episode of the Energy Evolution podcast breaks down power usage during the holiday season.

Other energy headlines

* Devon Energy Corp. agreed to divest its assets in the Barnett Shale to an affiliate of Kalnin Ventures LLC's investment vehicle, BKV Oil & Gas Capital Partners LP, for $770 million. The deal would not only round out Devon's goal to become a U.S. oil growth business but would also make BKV the largest natural gas producer in the Barnett Shale.

* Xcel Energy Inc., Black Hills Colorado Electric, Colorado Springs Utilities and Platte River Power Authority announced that they will join the California ISO's Western Energy Imbalance Market. The group will coordinate with CAISO over the next several months to finalize the agreement and potential dates to join the market.

* The Energy Trading Institute in a filing urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to convene a technical conference and rulemaking process to update decade-old regulations on credit and risk management practices.

ChartWatch

From Jan. 2 to Dec. 16, PG&E Corp.'s stock price varied wildly compared to the S&P 500 and S&P 500 utilities sector as the embattled company dealt with its bankruptcy proceedings and settlements with wildfire victims.

Research and data

* RRA Financial Focus: Financial Focus Retrospective: Trends that shaped the utility sector in 2019

* RRA Regulatory Focus: Split emerges between Duke and Ky. attorney general on EVs, battery storage

* RRA Regulatory Focus: Md. PSC signs off on BG&E rate settlement, OKs changes to default service prices

* RRA Regulatory Focus: Renewables come out on top as over 120 energy-related bills were enacted in 2019

Top pick of the day

'How not to do M&A': A look back at Exxon's deal for XTO 10 years later

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