[USA] “Survey Reveals Maryland Residents Overwhelmingly Support Expansion of Electric Vehicle Infrastructure in State”

[EEI, 14 May 2018]

EEI’s recent survey has found that an “overwhelming majority” of Maryland residents are in favor of expanding electric vehicle infrastructure in the state. More specifically, 76% of Maryland residents support an expanded EV charging system; 61% believe that such an expanded system would positively impact the state’s economy and 81% believe that such an expansion would positively benefit the environment. Additionally, 3 out of 10 residents wish to purchase an EV within the next 12 months.  Brian Wolff, EEI Executive Vice President of Public Policy and External Affairs, commented, “Based on this survey, it’s apparent that investing in electric vehicle infrastructure is what residents want to improve their economy, environment, and will help their state move forward with meeting targeted emission reduction goals. Local electric companies will play a critical role in accelerating and incentivizing the adoption of EVs, in addition to making the necessary investments to deploy, own, and operate charging infrastructure for the benefit of customers.”

[USA] “President Donald J. Trump Prioritizes Efficiency in the Federal Government”

[The White House, 17 May 2018]

Trump signed an Executive Order on May 17, 2018 directing Federal agencies to better manage federal “buildings, vehicles, and overall operations to optimize energy and environmental performance, reduce waste, and cut costs.” This order also calls on the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to streamline requirements and directives regarding clean energy, procurement processes for federal facilities and assets, and energy and water consumption. The order also provides more flexibility to federal agencies in decision making processes and allows them to determine how best to meet operational and efficiency goals.  Finally, the order directs agencies to record and report their efforts to comply with the Executive Order; this data will then be used to evaluate an agency and their operations via the annual scorecard issued by the OMB. Trump said of his order, “We’re going to run government smoothly, efficiently, and on behalf of the very hardworking taxpayers.”

[USA] “Ford Confirms It Can Meet Strong Vehicle Standards – Company Must Oppose Trump Administration’s Severe Rollbacks”

[Union of Concerned Scientists, 10 May 2018]

On a May 10 conference call with shareholders, Ford Motor Company CEO, Jim Hackett, confirmed that Ford will remain committed to efficiency improvements and would be able to meet the Obama Administration’s vehicle emission standards- even if the Trump Administrations wants to roll-back these standards. Following Hackett’s comments, Michelle Robinson -Director of the Clean Vehicles Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists- encouraged Ford to publicly oppose the Trump Administration’s proposal to ease emissions standards: “Jim Hackett and his company have an opportunity to show real leadership—not just by keeping their word and delivering cleaner cars, but by telling the Trump administration not to throw out the successful standards that have made those cleaner cars possible. If Ford executives know they can meet these standards, they have a responsibility to defend them.”

[USA] “SEIA Raises Concerns About Connecticut Plan to Kill Net Metering”

[SEIA, 8 May 2018]

Legislators in Connecticut have passed sweeping legislation, titled “An Act Concerning Connecticut’s Energy Future. The bill, which is awaiting approval from the Governor, addresses several different aspects of the state’s energy industry. For instance, the bill would increase the Renewable Portfolio Standard to 40% by 2030, but it would also – to the concern of many renewable industry experts- damage the state’s residential rooftop solar industry. In fact, Sean Gallagher, the Vice President of State Affairs for the Solar Energy Industries Association, put out a statement voicing his concerns with the bill and the impact it would have on the solar industry. He stated that, “While we are in favor of legislation that genuinely advances solar energy, we have concerns about this bill. We support stronger renewable portfolio standards, yet it is not clear to what extent the bill would open significant large-scale or community solar markets. And importantly, any approach that doesn't also protect customer choice and provide for reasonable compensation for the value of customer-generated electricity is not acceptable.” As stated in the legislation text, the bill would sunset (or end) “the state's current net metering program for residential customers when the state's residential solar investment program expires, and for all other customers, when PURA [Public Utilities Regulatory Authority] approves the procurement plan for the new zero-emission, low-emission, and shared clean energy programs.”[1] 

[1] https://www.cga.ct.gov/2018/BA/2018SB-00009-R01-BA.htm

[USA] “Secretary Perry Announces Up to $78 Million for Bioenergy Research Funding Opportunities”

[DOE, 3 May 2018]

Secretary Rick Perry has announced $78 million in funding to encourage initial R&D in bioenergy. Rick Perry commented that, ““Through the funding opportunities announced today, U.S. bioenergy resources, including algae, energy crops, and various waste streams, will be more efficiently and effectively converted into affordable biofuels, biopower, and bioproducts.” The Funding Opportunity Announcements include projects based on thermochemical processing, conversion of CO2 into fuel, algae productivity, renewable jet fuel and diesel fuel.

[USA] “Smart Neighborhood™ by Alabama Power Nearing Completion in Suburban Birmingham”

[Southern Company, 30 April 2018]

Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, has nearly finalized their newest project, Smart Neighborhood at Reynolds Landing- located in Hoover, Alabama- which will introduce “for the first time in the Southeast high-performance homes, energy efficient systems and appliances, connected devices and a microgrid on a community-wide scale.” More specifically, the project will be composed of solar panels, battery storage, and for backup power: a natural gas generating unit. Though all of the 62 homes in the neighborhood have already been sold, only half are currently being occupied. Alabama Power will also allow their Smart Neighborhood to act as a resource for other homebuilders as well as trade and industry groups for two years (as part of the research and data collection of the project). John Hudson, senior VP of Marketing Business Development for Alabama Power, said of the project, ““With Alabama Power’s Smart Neighborhood, the future of residential energy has arrived. Smart Neighborhood brings together technologies and data in new ways that help families take control of their energy use and live better today.”

[USA] “EPA Announces Availability of Funding to Reduce Emissions from Diesel Engines Nationwide”

[EPA, 24 April 2018]

The EPA has approved grant funding to reduce diesel emissions by retrofitting or replacing existing vehicles with cleaner and more efficient diesel engines. The Diesel Emission Reduction Program (DERA) provides about $40 million to eligible applicants; this program will end when funds are no longer available. Scott Pruitt, the EPA Administration, stated, “These grants will incentivize improvements to aging diesel fleets and improve air quality throughout the country.” Additionally, these funds will be prioritized for those in areas with “significant air quality issues” and fleets that are focused on transporting goods. Priority is also placed on those projects that support and benefit local communities and those projects/applicants that can show their intention and ability to continue emissions reductions even after the end of the project. 

[USA] “EPA Enforcement Rollback Could Increase Toxic Air Pollution, Science Group Says”

[Union of Concerned Scientists, 24 April 2018]

The EPA recently ended the “once in, always in” policy regarding polluters and their emissions- a change that “creates a loophole that would enable facilities to comply with weaker standards and reduce federal oversight,” according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). Polluters who emit these toxins (e.g. benzene, styrene, and formaldehyde) will have more leeway in their level of polluting emissions. Thousands of facilities would be able to petition for reclassification- which, UCS suggests, could add an extra 35,000 tons of pollution annually.  Though the exact impact of this change is still uncertain, UCS has stated that the new policy would have the greatest impact in 21 of the 50 states- specifically, areas that depend only on federal enforcement.

[USA] “Duke Energy’s $62 Million Solar Rebate Program Approved for North Carolina Residential, Business and Nonprofit Customers”

[Duke Energy, 16 April 2018]

North Carolina’s Utilities Commission has approved “Duke Energy’s $62 million solar rebate program- which will help North Carolina customers with the upfront cost of installing solar panels on their property.” North Carolina residential customers will be able to receive a rebate of 60 cents/ watt for solar energy systems that are less than 10 kW; nonresidential customers will be able to receive 50 cents/watt, while nonprofits can receive 75 cents/watt on 100 kW systems or less. For systems greater than 100 kW, nonresidential customers can receive a maximum rebate of $50,000, while nonprofit customers may receive up to $75,000. The program also includes a solar leasing option for customers.  The program is also expected to fuel the economy of the state as it will double North Carolina’s private solar market over the next 5 years. It is also just one part of North Carolina’s House Bill 589 (2017)- also known as the Competitive Energy Solutions for North Carolina. The state’s push into renewables likely accounts for its status as second in the country for total solar capacity. 

[USA] “Large Corporations are Leading America’s Surge in Solar Deployment”

[SEIA, 19 April 2018]

As detailed in the Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA) Solar Means Business 2017 report, the solar industry is being driven largely by America’s top businesses. 4,000 US companies have installed over 2.5 GW of solar capacity spanning around 7,400 projects. Abigail Ross Hopper, the President and CEO of SEIA, spoke of solar as a common-sense answer to energy: “Large corporations have found that going solar not only benefits the environment, but also their bottom-line, satisfying both shareholders and customers alike.” Some companies pursuing an aggressive solar agenda include: Target (who ranked number 1 in 2017 solar installations), Walmart, Apple, Macy’s, and Amazon.

[USA] “PJM Files Capacity Market Proposals on Generator Subsidies- Seeks to Protect Benefits of Competition While Accommodating States’ Policies”

[PJM, 9 April2018]

PJM has requested FERC to identify how the wholesale electricity capacity market should respond to state subsidies of energy generators. In their filing, PJM has included two proposed solutions: 1) PJM’s recommended solution, Capacity Repricing, would “create a two-stage capacity auction process to accommodate state subsidies without distorting market prices;” and the other proposal 2) MOPR-Ex, which (as the name implies) extends the Minimum Offer Price Rule (MOPR) to “require a subsidize generation resource to remove the effect of the subsidy” from its capacity market bid. PJM has requested FERC make a decision on its subsidized proposals by June 29. A decision by this date would see tariff changes implemented by January 2019 and thereby allow the chosen proposal to take effect by the May 2019 annual capacity auction.

[USA] “U.S. Department of Energy and National Association of Manufacturers Announce Sustainability in Manufacturing Partnership”

[DOE, 10 April 2018]

The Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), have announced their new partnership, “Sustainability in Manufacturing Partnership,” to encourage U.S. manufacturers to implement energy productivity, efficiency improvements and new technologies. Regarding the partnership, Rick Perry stated, “Working alongside our private sector partners, we are driving cost savings and a stronger, more secure U.S. industrial base.” NAM CEO and President Jay Timmons added that this partnership will be another example of the Trump Administration’s ability to prioritize both industry and the environment- without sacrificing one for the other: “Manufacturers accept the responsibility to better the future of our communities, our environment and our children, which is why over the past decade, we have reduced emissions by 10 percent even as our value to the economy has increased 19 percent.”

[USA] “Trump Administration Proposes Sale for Wind Energy Off Massachusetts Coast”

[DOI, 6 April 2018]

The Department of Interior Secretary, Ryan Zinke, has revealed the proposed lease sale of two offshore wind projects in Massachusetts. Together, the projects will extend over 390,000 acres and has been identified because of its minimal impacts on fishing habitats and marine animals.” These two projects are seen to be part of Trump’s “America-First Offshore Energy Strategy” and the Administration’s commitment to build a diversified energy portfolio. Zinke also stated, “The Trump Administration supports an all-of-the-above energy policy and using every tool available to achieve American energy dominance.” The Proposed Sale Notice will be open for a 60-day public comment period commencing on April 11, 2018.

[USA] “EPA Administrator Pruitt: GHG Emissions Standards for Cars and Light Trucks Should Be Revised”

[EPA, 2 April 2018]

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt announced at the conclusion of the “Midterm Evaluation (MTE) process for the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for cars and light trucks for model years 2022-2025” that current emission standards (set by the Obama Administration) are higher than necessary. Accordingly, the EPA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will work together to begin a notice and comment rulemaking process to set standards that are in line with the Trump Administration’s views on this regard. Pruitt intends the new standard to apply at a national scale and is meant to encourage the affordability of new cars “while still expanding environmental and safety benefits of newer cars.”

[USA] “Department of Energy Partners with NASA to Call for Transformative Energy Ideas”

[Department of Energy, 29 March 2018]

DOE’s ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy) team have announced that they, along with NASA, will launch an iTech challenge. This challenge would feature the country’s top entrepreneurs’ and researchers’ “transformative energy concepts.” This challenge seeks innovative technologies that would “improve energy generation, storage and distribution to the benefit of both space exploration and life on Earth.” Some of the technology groups that will be showcased in this competition include [regenerative] fuel cells, solar power systems, smart grids, wireless distribution systems, small fission power systems, etc. The challenge will continue until April 29, 2018 and the top 10 finalists will present their findings to experts in the field as well as potential investors.

[USA] “President Donald J. Trump Sparks Renewed Focus on American Infrastructure”

[White House, 27 March 2018]

Trump has identified this past week (week of March 26) as infrastructure week in the US. Accordingly, key members of the administration have released their own statements regarding the state of the US’s infrastructure system and the Trump plan.  Some of the key themes from these statements surround topics such as a bipartisan push for infrastructure development and easing regulatory burdens and permitting processes. Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Greg Walden (R-OR), commented on the importance of investing in energy infrastructure in order to ensure reliability and resiliency. The Chairman also mentioned in his statement that 24 energy infrastructure bills have passed the House of Representatives; these bills focus on “pipeline and electric transmission lines infrastructure, hydropower licensing, Brownfields, air quality standards, and energy efficiency.” As seen by the various calls for action put out by the Administration, the push for infrastructure spending remains strong.