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New Jersey Announces It Will Rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

 February 9, 2018

Less than two weeks into his first term, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed Executive Order 7, instructing the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and Board of Public Utilities to begin the process of reentering the state into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The order also directed the NJDEP to create a framework for allocating proceeds from RGGI auctions in the state and overturned a decision by the previous administration that resulted in the 2012 departure of the state from RGGI.


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Atlanta Passes Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Policy

 January 25, 2018

In November 2017, the Atlanta City Council unanimously passed ordinance 17-0-1654 in an effort to increase electric vehicle (EV) readiness and adoption. The ordinance implements construction policies that make new commercial and residential properties more supportive of EV adoption.


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IREC Releases Policymaker’s Guide to Help Address Regulatory Hurdles of Storage

 January 18, 2018

In April 2017, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) published a guide that provides state regulators and other decision makers with a framework for addressing advanced energy storage in their markets. The report, Charging Ahead: An Energy Storage Guide for State Policymakers, attempts to provide a systematic approach to explore actions and pathways for wider spread storage deployment.


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Creation of the Alliance for Transportation Electrification

 January 17, 2018

In November of 2017, the Alliance for Transportation Electrification (ATE) was formed. The alliance is made up of utilities, international affiliates, automotive firms, electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure firms, and engineering/consulting firms. This coalition advocates for the rapid adoption of electric transportation through educating and promoting its benefits. The Alliance hopes for effective stakeholder collaboration and mutually beneficial industry growth.


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Key Lesson Underlying North Carolina’s 18-Month Wind Moratorium

 January 11, 2018

In July 2017, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed House Bill 589 with provisions to develop more than 3,200 MW of solar energy in the state. The bill also included an 18-month moratorium on wind farm permits to assess the impact of interference wind turbines could have on military operations.


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A Unanimous Vote for Vogtle

 January 10, 2018

On December 21, 2017, the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) voted unanimously to approve Georgia Power’s request to proceed with the construction of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 in Waynesboro, GA. The decision, originally schedule for February 2018, was moved to December so Georgia Power could take advantage of current tax provisions if the commission decided to not approve the company’s plans to proceed.


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General Electric and Southern California Edison Complete Battery-Gas Turbine Hybrid

 January 4, 2018

In April 2017, General Electric completed the world’s first hybrid battery-gas turbine system for Southern California Edison. The demand for grid flexibility requires quicker response times by traditional gas generation entities. Natural gas-storage hybrid systems are slowly starting to appear in the market to fill this void.


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PSEG Threatens to Close Salem Hope Creek without Subsidies

 December 21, 2017

PSEG CEO, Ralph Izzo, has told members of the New Jersey legislature that the Salem and Hope Creek nuclear plants will be shut down unless they receive financial support. Speaking to the state Senate Environment and Energy Committee and the Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee, citing data from a study PSEG commissioned from the Brattle Group, Izzo said that as current hedging contracts expire, current market pricing will erode plant profits and force the closure of the plants. The announcement sparked immediate outcry from the PJM Independent Market Monitor (IMM), the New Jersey chapter of the American Petroleum Institute, and opponents of nuclear subsidies.


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Rhode Island’s Grid Modernization Plan Aims to Increase Choice and Flexibility, while Also Controlling Costs

 December 1, 2017

On November 8, 2017, Rhode Island energy agencies submitted to Governor Raimondo a report which outlined recommendations for transforming the state’s electrical grid and utility business models. The report, “Rhode Island Power Sector Transformation,” is the latest development in a proceeding initiated by Governor Raimondo in April in which she challenged the state’s energy agencies to consider three broad questions related to the future of the state’s electric grid:


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2017 Hurricane Season Recap and 2018 Implications for Utilities

 December 1, 2017

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season officially began July 1. By then, three named systems had already become storms, foreshadowing what became one of the most active and destructive storm seasons ever. Subsequently, five named storms and one tropical depression formed by July 31, but the associated damage by then was minimal, attracting little notice. However, by season’s end:


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What Are the Implications for Utilities of Four New Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Members?

 November 20, 2017

Formed in 1977 in response to the 1973 oil crisis, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) oversees the transmission and wholesale sale of electricity and natural gas and regulates the transportation of oil by pipeline in interstate commerce. FERC also reviews proposals to build interstate natural gas pipelines, natural gas storage projects, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, in addition to licensing non-federal hydropower projects. As of November 15, 2017, FERC is at full capacity with five commissioners. The U.S. Senate has approved the final two commissioners which will help with the backlog of permit decisions and in reviewing the plan offered by Rick Perry, the Secretary of the Department of Energy (DOE), for evaluating aging coal and nuclear plants.


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A Boost for Baseload Generation

 November 13, 2017

On September 28, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) proposing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) direct competitive power markets (RTOs and ISOs) to update their rules to “accurately price” what the proposal describes as “fuel-secure” generation.


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