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New England grid sees 82% emissions-free power
Apr 9, 2024

CLEAN ENERGY: The vast majority of power on New England’s grid on March 30 — 82% — came from emissions-free energy resources, primarily wind and solar power, a feat considered unheard of just a decade ago. (Concord Monitor)

OFFSHORE WIND: Federal tax credits encourage wind project owners to repower their turbines and boost energy output, as is the case at the Twin Ridges Wind Farm near Pittsburgh. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

NUCLEAR: PSEG tells federal energy regulators it will file for license renewals in 2027 for two nuclear plants — a four-year extension for Salem’s units and a 20-year extension at Hope Creek. (World Nuclear News)

GRID:

  • Federal energy regulators let PJM Interconnection provide planning expertise to help New Jersey’s public utilities board with its second offshore wind transmission solicitation. (RTO Insider, subscription)
  • New England climate activists say federal energy regulators should cancel the results of the regional grid operator’s most recent forward capacity auction for being overly fossil fuel-friendly. (RTO Insider, subscription)
  • A committee of New England Power Pool participants votes in favor of a two-year delay to the regional grid operator’s next forward capacity auction so it has time to implement new capacity accreditation rules. (RTO Insider, subscription)
  • Con Edison Transmission and National Grid Ventures propose a transmission build-out to carry 6 GW of offshore wind from New Jersey’s Sea Girt National Guard Training Center to Howell Township. (news release)
  • A New York-supported, manufacturing-focused climate tech program selects a Rochester startup creating on-site energy storage solutions for its next technical assistance cohort. (news release)

SOLAR: A farm resort near Scranton, Pennsylvania, receives federal rural energy funds to install enough solar on a building’s roof to power 15 homes. (WVIA)

COAL: The Army Corps of Engineers says it should be able to open a limited-access channel by the end of the month to access Baltimore’s port, through which a notable chunk of the country’s coal exports pass. (BisNow)

UTILITIES:

  • Lawmakers in New York’s Monroe County, which includes the city of Rochester, will vote today on studying the feasibility of forming a nonprofit public utility and whether it would lower rates and spur climate action. (Rochester Beacon)
  • In Maryland, lawmakers advance a utility transparency bill that would make power utilities publicly detail their votes in PJM Interconnection committees, although an earlier provision to have utilities explain their positions was removed. (Maryland Matters)

BUILDINGS: As some municipalities fight Massachusetts’ transit-oriented development rezoning plan, officials debate how far to take the policy and where to draw the line. (CommonWealth Beacon)

EQUITY: New York City releases a new environmental equity report finding that almost half of city residents deal with “disproportionate” pollution burdens and symptoms of climate change. (The Guardian)

TRANSIT: Although New York City is implementing congestion pricing, it’s unlikely to happen soon in Washington, D.C., where the city’s mayor still refuses to release a 2019 city study on the matter. (Axios DC)

COMMENTARY:

  • A young Maryland member of a conservative environmentalists’ group writes that his peers can “bridge the partisan divide on climate issues” by supporting nuclear power like Larry Hogan, the state’s former governor turned U.S. Senate candidate. (Maryland Matters)
  • The Sierra Club’s executive director writes that ‘tireless activism” and “incremental wins” are behind the planned closures of New England’s last coal-fired generation units. (Sierra Magazine)

Solar tops coal on Texas grid for the first time
Apr 9, 2024

SOLAR: Texas’ grid operator announces solar supplied more power to the grid in March than coal for the first time, marking an important milestone in the clean energy transition. (Houston Chronicle)

ALSO:

OIL & GAS:

PIPELINES: A Louisiana State University professor develops a method of fiber-optic leak detection that could supplement or replace pressure gauges as a way of rapidly detecting leaks in oil and gas pipelines. (Reveille)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

  • Republican Kentucky lawmakers drop a budget proposal to prohibit state agencies from purchasing electric vehicles. (E&E News, subscription)
  • A few dozen electric vehicles waited in line to recharge at a station with only six charging ports after traveling to Arkansas to view the solar eclipse. (KFSM)

TRANSITION:

GRID:

EMISSIONS: Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin makes line-item changes to the state budget passed by Democrats that would mandate state participation in a regional carbon market. (Virginia Business)

UTILITIES:

  • Florida Power & Light asks the Florida Supreme Court to step in to expedite a challenge to state regulators’ approval of a 2021 settlement to increase its base rates, which could affect its plans next year. (CBS News)
  • Duke Energy claims its listing of riders on bills aids transparency, but one resident claims they obfuscate the cost of its shift to natural gas. (Asheville Watchdog)

COMMENTARY:

  • South Carolina lawmakers have ignored consumer advocates in their rush to pass a utility-friendly bill to speed construction of a natural gas-fired power plant, writes the president of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce. (South Carolina Daily Gazette)
  • Struggling small farmers can find a new stream of income by leasing parts of their land for solar energy, but Virginia utilities are blocking them from doing more, writes a retired U.S. Foreign Service officer. (Culpeper Star-Exponent)
  • Energy generated from coal is declining every month on the Texas grid, while solar is skyrocketing and natural gas seems likely to increase as well, writes an energy columnist. (Houston Chronicle)

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s latest move to shut down Dakota Access
Apr 9, 2024

PIPELINES: The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe prepares a legal argument to shut down the Dakota Access pipeline that claims the operator’s environmental record should prevent it from obtaining a crucial easement. (E&E News)

ALSO: A carbon pipeline developer strikes a deal with a Nebraska environmental group that includes training first responders and donating to local nonprofits. (Nebraska Examiner)

COAL: Ohio clean energy and consumer advocates call on state regulators to force owners of two unprofitable coal plants to return more than $100 million to ratepayers. (WOSU)

GRID:

  • Utilities, regulators, lawmakers and grid operators increasingly explore the potential of virtual power plants that could harness power from distributed batteries to reduce grid demand. (States Newsroom)
  • Two utilities file a federal appeal seeking to overturn a court ruling that’s preventing construction of the last mile of a $650 million transmission line between Iowa and Wisconsin. (E&E News, subscription)
  • Rising electricity demand may create a short-term need for more gas plants, jeopardizing emission-reduction targets, according to a new report sponsored by energy companies. (E&E News, subscription)

OIL & GAS: Ohio environmental advocates say the state’s draft study on the effects of opening about 40,000 acres of a national forest to oil and gas development doesn’t fully account for habitat and outdoor recreation losses. (Mahoning Matters)

POWER PLANTS:

  • We Energies details plans to replace a coal-fired power plant along Lake Michigan with several natural gas-powered turbines by 2028. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
  • Local officials in northern Wisconsin opposing plans for a 625 MW gas plant near Lake Superior say the proposed site is most valuable by being undeveloped because of the local ecology. (Wisconsin Examiner)

SOLAR: Illinois is an early participant in a federal program that uses new software to extend community solar to more low-income subscribers. (PV Magazine)

UTILITIES: Ohio’s consumer advocate says AEP’s recently approved electric security plan lacks transparency and is short on details about how it would benefit ratepayers. (Ohio Capital Journal)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Former President Trump uses increasingly violent rhetoric to oppose President Biden’s policies in support of electric vehicles, particularly in battle ground states like Michigan. (NBC News)

EFFICIENCY: A Nebraska agency seeks proposals to launch a weatherization program that helps low-income families invest in energy efficiency. (NTV)

EPA may strengthen power plant emissions rules
Apr 9, 2024

OIL & GAS: The U.S. EPA is reportedly considering tougher emissions rules for new gas power plants ahead of their expected final release this month — a contrast with other Biden administration environmental rules that have generally been weakened after their initial proposal. (Washington Post)

ALSO:

CLEAN ENERGY: Renewable energy generation breaks records across the U.S., including in Texas, where wind energy and solar are toppling coal generation, and New England, which set an emissions-free power generation record in March. (E&E News, subscription; Houston Chronicle, Concord Monitor)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The nation’s first fully battery-powered tugboat is set to begin operating from California’s Port of San Diego later this spring. (Canary Media)

PIPELINES:

  • The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe prepares a legal argument to shut down the Dakota Access pipeline that claims the operator’s environmental record should prevent it from obtaining a crucial easement. (E&E News)
  • A Louisiana State University professor develops a method of fiber-optic leak detection that could supplement or replace pressure gauges as a way of rapidly detecting leaks in oil and gas pipelines. (Reveille)

OFFSHORE WIND: The demise of several Northeast offshore wind projects last year sent Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer into a lobbying frenzy that resulted in a modified tax credit to benefit developers and the approval of new projects. (E&E News)

GRID:

  • Two new studies recommend advanced reconductoring as a faster, cheaper way to add more capacity to existing power lines. (New York Times)
  • Utilities, regulators, lawmakers and grid operators increasingly explore the potential of virtual power plants that could harness power from distributed batteries to reduce grid demand. (States Newsroom)
  • Xcel Energy says its first ever planned outage to reduce wildfire risk likely prevented its lines in Colorado from sparking a blaze during last weekend’s unusually severe winds, but some customers say they weren’t adequately warned. (CPR)

COAL: The Army Corps of Engineers says it should be able to open a limited-access channel by the end of the month to access Baltimore’s port, through which a notable chunk of the country’s coal exports pass. (Daily Record)

SOLAR: Indigenous advocates protest a proposed solar development in central Washington state, saying it threatens cultural resources. (High Country News)

COMMENTARY:

Solar ramps up in South Dakota
Apr 8, 2024

SOLAR: Two large solar projects that have come online in South Dakota over the past year signal a new interest in solar for a state where wind energy has dominated renewable energy sources. (South Dakota News Watch)

ALSO: The Ohio Power Siting Board will hold a second public hearing on a large solar project after roughly 800 people packed a theater and public comments ran on for hours. (Knox Pages)

CARBON CAPTURE: The CEO of a multi-state carbon pipeline project maintains that it would be crucial for ethanol producers who could market low-carbon products. (NWestIowa.com)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

  • Auto analysts say the Biden administration’s formula for a new “petroleum equivalency factor” will significantly worsen the miles-per-gallon rating for electric vehicles and could be as impactful as new tailpipe emissions. (Detroit News, subscription)
  • U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa claims nearly 60,000 ethanol sector jobs would be at stake under the Biden administration’s recently finalized tailpipe emission rules. (KMALand)
  • Congress member Debbie Dingell of Michigan says the federal government’s role in the EV transition should be to support jobs and ensure vehicle affordability. (Great Lakes Echo)

GRID:

  • Michigan’s attorney general criticizes DTE Energy’s five-year, $9 billion grid distribution plan for failing to identify specific problem areas needed for upgrades. (Planet Detroit)
  • Duke Energy officials say a $500 million rate increase request in Indiana is meant to harden the grid and prepare for tens of thousands of new customers anticipated in the coming years. (Indiana Public Broadcasting)

WIND: Three former Minnesota high school students have used their technical training in renewable energy to support the development of an offshore wind project in Massachusetts. (Echo Journal)

RENEWABLES: Wisconsin utilities tout voluntary, subscription-based green pricing programs as a way for customers to support renewable energy investments without onsite installations. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

UTILITIES: Consumer advocates and Indiana utility NIPSCO agree on a rate increase request that’s about 75% of what the utility sought to pay for gas infrastructure investments. (Chicago Tribune)

COMMENTARY: Some Minnesota environmental groups’ newfound opposition to a statewide low-carbon fuel standard raises questions about the future of the state’s ethanol industry, a columnist writes. (Star Tribune)

North Carolina’s climate challenge: Driving less
Apr 8, 2024

TRANSPORTATION: While North Carolina has required its power sector to zero out emissions, it has been reluctant to take on reducing dependence on cars, which experts say will be necessary to reach climate goals. (Energy News Network)

ALSO:

  • Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says there is “enormous potential” for high-speed rail connecting Dallas and Houston. (NBC DFW)
  • Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says “it’s not going to be Florida taxpayers constructing a train” in explaining his rejection of funds to expand the Brightline high-speed rail line to Tampa. (WUSF)

SOLAR:

HYDROGEN:

  • A proposed hydrogen production facility in West Virginia is facing opposition from neighboring landowners. (Mountain State Spotlight)
  • A study led by university researchers says Texas has the existing clean energy, infrastructure and workforce to make it a leader in clean hydrogen production. (news release)

WIND: A 21-year-old Texas wind farm has been rebuilt, enabling it to generate more power with 38 turbines instead of the previous 160. (Electrek)

UTILITIES:

NUCLEAR: A Department of Energy official says despite Plant Vogtle’s delays and cost overruns, the lessons learned from the project could help propel nuclear energy forward. (Grist)

OIL & GAS: Developers of a pipeline to carry natural gas from the Permian Basin to the Gulf Coast are hoping to have it operational by 2028. (S&P Global)

COMMENTARY: A Virginia advocate says lawmakers have ignored “the energy crisis that is hurtling towards us” by failing to regulate data center growth. (Power for the People VA)

On clean energy, New York tries to balance speed with land protection
Apr 8, 2024

CLEAN ENERGY: New York’s governor proposes a new policy that would speed up clean energy project siting by requiring approval within a year of proposal — but some legislators say there needs to be more guardrails to protect labor and farmlands. (NY Focus)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

OFFSHORE WIND:

  • Developers of SouthCoast Wind say the 2.4 GW project could end up with two substations at the site of the former coal-fired Brayton Point Power Station. (Herald News)
  • Maine environmentalists say plans to develop Sears Island into an offshore wind hub ignore wetlands and natural resource protections. (E&E News, subscription)

GRID: A new joint venture intends to develop and manage 200 MWs of microgrid projects in New York. (news release)

BUILDINGS: Maryland environmental groups “feel betrayed” over a new budget amendment they say will hurt implementation of clean building provisions of a 2022 climate solutions act. (Maryland Matters)

SOLAR:

  • Officials in Pennsylvania’s Kiski Township kick off early discussions as to how to update their zoning ordinance to address solar developments. (Trib Live)
  • Turner, Maine, votes to establish requirements around where commercial solar farms can be sited, as well as setback and visual screening regulations. (Sun Journal)

FLOODS: Heavy rain in southwest Pennsylvania this week rose river levels in Pittsburgh to the highest point in almost 20 years, flooding parks. (Trib Live)

WORKFORCE: A Massachusetts public high school will receive millions of dollars from the state to fund a clean energy education pilot project for students. (Daily Hampshire Gazette)

Arizona retirement community opposes natural gas peaker plant
Apr 8, 2024

OIL & GAS: Arizona residents push back on a proposed 98 MW natural gas peaker plant in the western part of the state, saying it would harm air quality and property values. (Arizona Republic)

ALSO: California regulators reject advocates’ proposal to tighten gas flaring regulations at petroleum refineries and to livestream the burnoffs. (E&E News, subscription)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

UTILITIES: A Hawaii lawyer alleges a termite-damaged utility pole sparked last year’s deadly Maui wildfires after it was toppled by high winds. (Honolulu Civil Beat)

CARBON CAPTURE:

BIOFUELS: Oregon advocates push back on a proposal to store biofuels instead of crude oil at a Portland facility, saying the conversion won’t reduce air pollution or safety risks. (Oregonian)

SOLAR: California grid operators predict today’s solar eclipse will diminish solar power output in the state for a short period, but say utility customers will not be affected. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

HYDROPOWER: Hawaii advocates drop a lawsuit seeking to block a proposed hydropower project over potential environmental impacts after developers scale back plans. (Honolulu Civil Beat)

CLEAN ENERGY: New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says policy decisions have put her state at the “epicenter” of the clean energy transition. (NM Political Report)

WIND:

  • Wyoming researchers paint turbine blades black in an experimental effort aimed at reducing bird collisions with wind power facilities. (Wyoming Public Radio)
  • Eastern Washington counties fashion clean energy-development regulations in anticipation of a predicted slew of wind power proposals. (Spokesman-Review)

GRID: An unusually severe wind storm raises wildfire hazard and batters utility equipment in Colorado, leaving more than 150,000 customers without power. (Boulder Reporting Lab)

COMMENTARY: A Utah editorial board says the state’s misguided fossil fuel-friendly policies paved the way for a utility to keep burning coal at the expense of ratepayers and air quality. (Salt Lake Tribune)

Heat-trapping gases in atmosphere hit record levels
Apr 8, 2024

CLIMATE: NOAA released a report Friday showing levels of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere reached historic highs last year, with one scientist saying the methane spike in particular “should terrify us.” (Associated Press)

CLEAN ENERGY:

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

TRANSPORTATION:

  • While North Carolina has required its power sector to zero out emissions, it has been reluctant to take on reducing dependence on cars, which experts say will be necessary to reach climate goals. (Energy News Network)
  • Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says “it’s not going to be Florida taxpayers constructing a train” in explaining his rejection of state funds to expand a high-speed rail line. (WUSF)

SOLAR: Solar generated more electricity than coal in Texas for the first time last month, providing more than 10% of the state’s electricity. (IEEFA)

WIND: Wyoming researchers paint turbine blades black in an experimental effort aimed at reducing bird collisions with wind power facilities. (Wyoming Public Radio)

NUCLEAR: A Department of Energy official says despite Plant Vogtle’s delays and cost overruns, the lessons learned from the project could help propel nuclear energy forward. (Grist)

CARBON CAPTURE: The CEO of a multi-state carbon pipeline project maintains that it would be crucial for ethanol producers who could market low-carbon products. (NWestIowa.com)

MINING: Efforts to develop a lithium mining site in Nevada face a major obstacle: Finding enough water. (Inside Climate News)

COMMENTARY: A climate journalist finds that traveling by train — at least, on America’s outdated diesel-powered ones — can in some cases be worse for the climate than flying. (New York Times)

Connecticut considers 20-part climate omnibus package
Apr 5, 2024

POLICY: Connecticut lawmakers consider a 20-part climate omnibus bill in the last month of their session that would declare a climate crisis so it can access federal funds, update emission targets and incentivize sustainable or energy-efficient practices. (Connecticut Public Radio)

ALSO: Two top Northeast energy executives express optimism but nonetheless question if Massachusetts can reach its 2030 cleaner power goals. (GBH)

GRID:

UTILITIES:

  • National Fuel is still undertaking anti-gas ban lobbying activities despite being reprimanded by New York regulators for doing so with funds from customer bills. (New York Focus)
  • Massachusetts’ attorney general says the state’s electric suppliers missed “the perfect opportunity” to lower consumer costs during the volatile energy market swings between July 2022 and June 2023. (WBUR)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

TRANSIT: The judge hearing New Jersey’s legal challenge to a federal environmental assessment of the Manhattan congestion pricing plan — which could be resolved by June — questions where the National Environmental Policy Act supports New Jersey’s argument. (Streetsblog, Gothamist)

MINES: The owner of Pennsylvania’s Cumberland Mine idled operations last week due to heightened underground methane gas levels, not because it plans to close the mine, despite union claims that language in a company statement indicates that direction. (Herald-Standard)

BUILDINGS:

FINANCE: The Efficiency Maine Green Bank is set to receive $15 million in federal funds for loans supporting clean energy and renewable tech improvements. (news release)

SOLAR: A Maine town will decide this weekend whether to approve a new solar ordinance with a new definition of where solar farms can be located, as well as visual and physical buffering restrictions. (Sun Journal)

COMMENTARY:

  • A Cayuga County, New York, economic analyst says the area’s limited electrical capacity is threatening numerous development projects and the county’s overall economic development. (The Citizen)
  • Climate and offshore wind advocates in Delaware write it’s “not an option” for the state not to pass legislation to solicit offshore wind power given the state’s known climate impacts. (Delaware Online)

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