FERC moves to ease PURPA power purchase mandate
A draft proposed rule the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission voted to approve would ease requirements for U.S. electric utilities to buy power from small renewable and cogeneration power plants.
US Senate committee advances more energy bills, waits on FERC nominees
The U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources approved another wave of energy bills, including legislation to bolster the development of grid-scale power storage systems.
FERC reorganization will not 'defang' enforcement office, members say
FERC members tamped down concerns that a new internal reorganization will compromise the agency's market oversight and compliance work.
FERC staff stands by market manipulation allegations against Vitol, trader
Casting arguments aimed at disproving market manipulation charges as "irrelevant," "fiction" and "groundless," staff with FERC's Office of Enforcement stood by its recommendation that penalties be assessed against Vitol Inc. and one of its energy traders.
Contested ISO-NE auction results take effect due to lack of FERC quorum
The results of the ISO New England's most recent forward capacity auction have taken effect by operation of law due to the lack of a voting quorum at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Mont., Wyo. regulators urge FERC to expedite grid resilience proceeding
Utility commissioners in Montana and Wyoming are urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to act on a grid resilience proceeding the agency initiated 20 months ago when it unanimously rejected a proposal designed to prop up at-risk coal-fired and nuclear units.
US EPA floats sanctions for California as fight over clean car rules escalates
The Trump administration is threatening California with sanctions that include losing highway funding days after the state sued to block a federal rule revoking its authority to set its own greenhouse gas standards for vehicles.
MISO sees changes in generation mix requiring new 'guiding principles'
The Markets Committee of the Midcontinent ISO reported that it expects coal-fired generation to decline to 29% of its fuel mix by 2030 from the current 48% and anticipates a rise in solar and wind power generation to 30% by 2030 from the 2018 level of 7%.
FERC's Glick worries order will hamper state clean water certificate rights
FERC approved a new 40-year license for an inactive hydroelectric facility in North Carolina. But in a partial dissent, Commissioner Richard Glick objected to the order's suggestion that the refiling of license applications with major changes is "irrelevant" when deciding whether states have waived their authority to weigh in under the Clean Water Act.
FERC finds NH biomass subsidy program violates federal law
FERC found that a New Hampshire law intended to provide subsidies to uneconomic wood-burning and trash-burning biomass power plants impermissibly establishes a wholesale electricity rate and therefore intrudes on the agency's exclusive jurisdiction.
FERC orders grid operators to be more transparent on how they coordinate
FERC ordered the Midcontinent ISO, the Southwest Power Pool and the PJM Interconnection to provide more details on how and when an interconnecting project's impact on neighboring grid operators' systems is determined.
Wheeler: US EPA to revise science transparency rule proposal in early 2020
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency intends to issue a revised version of its proposed "Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science" rule in early 2020 instead of finalizing the original proposal by the end of the year as originally planned, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler told a congressional oversight hearing.
California sues Trump administration over clean car rules waiver withdrawal
California asked a federal appeals court to vacate a Trump administration rule issued a day earlier that revoked the state's long-held authority to set its own greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles.
