EPA signoff marks advance for Mountain Valley Pipeline amid permit challenges
Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC moved one step closer to having federal water crossing permits for its 2-Bcf/d natural gas pipeline project restored late last week when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Aug. 16 found that changes supported by West Virginia are consistent with the Clean Water Act.
Planned carbon cuts spark CapX2050 transmission study by Upper Midwest utilities
Nearly a dozen Upper Midwest utilities will study what upgrades the regional transmission grid may need to meet carbon reduction goals established by utilities or policymakers.
TVA sustainability report shows uptick in gas use, shift away from coal
The Tennessee Valley Authority has more than doubled its owned natural gas capacity and more than halved its coal resources since 2005, the federal power authority touted in a recent environmental, social and governance report.
Wis. governor pushes 100%-by-2050 carbon-free goal
Joining other states that plan to move to a cleaner energy mix, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has set a goal of having all electricity consumed within the state be 100% carbon-free by 2050.
Calls to nix US Senate filibuster offer mixed opportunities for climate bills
A growing number of policymakers are pushing to eliminate the U.S. Senate filibuster, a change that could make enacting aggressive climate change legislation easier but imperil the long-term viability of those policies by enabling future Congresses and administrations to undo them more readily.
After oil spill, Husky Energy to restart operation on remaining 2 drill centers
Husky Energy Inc. plans to resume operations on its North Amethyst and South White Rose Extension drill centers after a November 2018 offshore oil spill, the company said Aug. 16.
States, generators urge ISO-NE to rethink market design amid push for renewables
Concerned about the competitiveness of the ISO New England's wholesale electricity markets as states procure ever-larger amounts of renewable energy, New England state regulators and merchant generators have asked the regional power grid operator to rethink how its market frameworks can accommodate states' clean energy and climate policies.
Utilities should mull businesswide climate risks, physical dangers, report says
When analyzing climate change-related risks and opportunities, U.S. electric utilities should look across all of their business units and take a much deeper dive into the ramifications of potential future physical challenges such as extreme temperatures, water availability, sea-level rise, wildfires and hurricanes, according to a report by M.J. Bradley & Associates for environmental group Ceres.
Policy, not markets, will compel utilities to address climate change: report
Strong policies are likely necessary to compel utilities to address risks from climate change since various market indicators do not indicate significant investor climate concern in the sector, according to a new report, even despite Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s bankruptcy.
Stalled gas pipeline projects unlikely to get relief under EPA rule, experts say
Even as industry welcomes the EPA's latest proposal aimed at preventing states from blocking infrastructure projects, experts say that the policy is unlikely to give gas pipelines the boost they want.
Green groups launch legal challenge to US EPA's CO2 rule for coal plants
As expected, a broad coalition of environmental groups joined the legal fray Aug. 14 over the Trump administration's Affordable Clean Energy, or ACE, rule.
Report: Trump administration to end federal methane leak regulation
The Trump administration is planning to end direct federal regulation of methane leaks from oil and gas facilities despite some energy companies saying they do not want the relief, Bloomberg reported Aug. 14.
Xcel, business groups ask Denver council to delay vote on proposed carbon tax
A committee of the Denver City Council has advanced a proposal to impose an excise tax on the electricity and natural gas usage of industrial and commercial customers.
Wild ride at Waha: Supply glut, price gyrations have gas industry buzzing
It is a place where gas prices fluctuate from marginal to "can't give it away" and pipeline relief may be coming, or maybe not.
Democrats would destroy energy jobs, Trump tells audience at Pa. ethane cracker
President Donald Trump used an Aug. 13 visit to Shell Chemical Appalachia LLC's nearly completed ethane cracker in Beaver County, Pa., as a whistle-stop on his 2020 campaign, telling an audience of mainly union workers that the $6 billion project would "never have happened without me, or us" and announcing that more energy construction projects were coming to the Ohio River Valley.
British bank joins others in restricting money for oil projects in Arctic
Royal Bank of Scotland became the latest prominent financial institution to put in place internal limits on financing oil exploration in the Arctic and Antarctic.
New York leads coalition of 22 states in legal challenge to US EPA's ACE rule
New York led a coalition of 22 states and seven municipalities Aug. 13 in launching a legal challenge to the EPA's replacement for the Obama-era Clean Power Plan.
Trade groups cheer new endangered species rules; states vow to sue
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, as well as some environmental groups, have vowed to challenge the Trump administration's sweeping changes to Endangered Species Act protections.
