[USA] “Dominion Energy/SCANA Merger Receives FERC Approval”

(Dominion, 13 July 2018)

FERC has approved the proposed merger between Dominion Energy and SCANA Corporation and declared that the merger “is consistent with the public interest.” Though FERC’s approval is a big step in this merger process, Dominion and SCANA still have to receive the consent of SCANA’s shareholders, the South Carolina and North Carolina public service commissions, and an authorization from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. However, should the merger go through, the new company (Dominion/SCANA) would deliver their energy services to around 6.5 million regulated customer accounts and would “have an electric generating portfolio of about 31,400 megawatts and 93,600 miles of electric transmission and distribution lines.” The new company would also have an expanded natural gas pipeline network – amounting to 106,400 miles- and would oversee one of the country’s largest natural gas storage systems at 1 trillion cubic feet of capacity.

[USA] “Interior Announces Region-Wide Oil and Gas Lease Sale for Gulf of Mexico”

(Department of the Interior, 12 July 2018)

Deputy Secretary of the Interior (DOI), David Bernhardt, recently announced that the Department of the Interior (DOI)’s will open up 78 million offshore acres spanning Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida –titled Lease Sale 251- for the exploration and development of oil and gas resources. This regional-lease will include “all available unleased areas in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico.” This strategy is in line with Trump’s “America-First Offshore Energy Strategy.” It is speculated that the Gulf of Mexico holds around 48 billion barrels of “undiscovered technically recoverable oil and 141 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered technically recoverable gas.” Vincent DeVito, Counselor to the Secretary for Energy Policy, stated that US energy production can be both competitive and environmentally safe – and this lease will allow the US to have a secure energy future.

[USA] “Department of Energy Announces $95 Million in Small Business Research and Development Grants”

(Department of Energy, 16 July 2018)

The Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that it will provide 95 grants amounting to $95 million to 80 small businesses spanning 26 states; each award averages about $1,000,000. These grants are given for research and development efforts and are part of Phase II in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR). As mentioned by the DOE, “The SBIR and STTR programs were created by Congress to leverage small businesses to advance innovation at federal agencies.” The funders (within the DOE offices) of these awards are the Offices of: Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Fossil Energy, Fusion Energy Sciences, High Energy Physics, and Nuclear Energy. These awarding offices within the DOE hint at the priorities of the DOE and their industry preferences.

[USA] “Duke Energy Carolinas Customers Lead South Carolina in Private Solar Adoption”

(Duke Energy, 12 July 2018)

Over 5,000 of Duke Energy’s customers in South Carolina have installed rooftop solar on their residential homes and businesses. Duke Energy also provides over $50 million in rebates as an “extra incentive” to encourage customers to adopt solar. Duke Energy Carolinas (a subsidiary of Duke Energy that operates in North and South Carolina) has pledged to purchase all the surplus solar produced by a rooftop solar system- similar to how utilities purchase renewable energy from large scale projects. With so many rooftop solar installations in the company’s territory, Duke Energy is ahead of schedule in its legislative (i.e. policy) goal of 40 MW of private rooftop solar by 2020 as mandated by “Act 236.” This piece of legislation – which was designed to grow the residential solar industry at a time when solar costs were higher- better enables customers to install rooftop solar by providing net metering incentives and rebates. As a side note, “the net metering incentive was a component of a larger 2014 settlement agreement with the solar industry, environmental groups and South Carolina’s utilities. 

[USA] “CIEL Statement on Judge’s Dismissal of San Francisco and Oakland Climate Lawsuits”

(Center for International Environmental Law, 25 June 2018)  

A federal judge has dismissed the lawsuits introduced by San Francisco and Oakland (California) against five oil companies (BP Plc, Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp., ConocoPhillips, and Royal Dutch Shell PLC. The cities introduced the suit against these companies for knowing about climate change for decades but suppressing any action to mitigate the issue. The presiding U.S. District Judge, William Alsup, contended that while climate change is a real and serious problem, this issue should be dealt with at a higher, more global level by the political and legislative branches of the government. Alsup also stated that everyone bears blame for climate change as everyone used and benefitted from fossil fuels. However, Lisa Anne Hamilton, the Director of Climate and Energy at the Center for International Environmental Law, disagreed and said, “The dismissal of this case rests on an unfortunate belief: the false narrative that we are all equally responsible for climate change. For decades, major fossil fuel companies have known about climate change and their own contributions to it — with some, including Shell, even quantifying those contributions with surprising accuracy as early as the 1980s. Yet instead of warning the public of the dangers of fossil fuel use, these companies funded climate denial campaigns, thwarted adaptation of renewable technologies, and fought regulations while continuing to profit from the impending global crisis.

[USA] “Governor Hickenlooper Signs Executive Order Calling for State to Adopt Low Emissions Vehicle Standards”

[Colorado State, 19 June 2018]

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper recently signed an executive order that ensures the state’s vehicles will comply with low emission vehicle (LEV) standards. By doing so, Colorado will join 13 other states who have implemented such standards including California as well as Washington DC; and stands in opposition to Trump’s efforts to ease vehicle emission standards. The executive order calls on the state’s Department of Public Health and Environment to develop a ruling to implement the LEV program and asks the Department to propose that rule to the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission for “possible adoption into the Colorado Code of Regulations by December 30, 2018.” This executive order will help Colorado meet its greenhouse gas reduction target of 26% by 2025. Governor Hickenlooper said of the order, “Colorado has a choice. This executive order calls for the state to adopt air quality standards that will protect our quality of life in Colorado. “Low emissions vehicles are increasingly popular with consumers and are better for our air. Every move we make to safeguard our environment is a move in the right direction.”

[USA] “Governor Cuomo Announces New York Energy Storage Roadmap to Achieve Nation-Leading Target of 1,500 Megawatts by 2025 to Combat Climate Change”

[New York State, 21 June 2018]

On June 21, 2018 New York Governor Andrew Cuomo introduced a new comprehensive Energy Storage Roadmap that will set an energy storage target of 1,500 MW by 2025 for the state of New York. This Roadmap also encourages the energy system in New York to become cleaner, more resilient, and more affordable so “all New Yorkers…[can] combat climate change.” The Roadmap also provides short-term suggestions on how energy storage can best add value for the state’s electricity consumers. In addition, it is believed that meeting this target will add $2 billion of “gross lifetime benefits to New Yorkers” and will add another 30,000 new jobs to the industry. Governor Cuomo stated that “clean energy is the future of our planet, and New York will continue to lead the nation in this technology to fight climate change and conserve resources for generations to come.”

[USA] “Mayor Walsh Calls on Cities to Join Large-Scale Renewable Energy Initiative”

[City of Boston, 7 June 2018]

Boston, Massachusetts Mayor Martin Walsh has announced his intention to issue a “Request for Information (RFI) for competitive pricing of large-scale renewable energy projects.” The RFI aims to collect and compile data on energy demand from participating cities from across the country; it will also “ask renewable energy developers for price estimates for projects that would meet their collective energy demand.” Currently, these cities include Chicago, Evanston (also in Illinois), Houston, Los Angeles, Orlando, and Portland; these cities are also part of the Climate Mayors network (a network comprised of over 400 cities) which aims to uphold the goals of the Paris Accord. Mayor Walsh commented, “Our effort on renewable energy will not only help cities cut carbon emissions and get us closer to the goals of Paris Climate Agreement, it will help power our cities and create more, clean energy jobs. We can do more than just address the problem of climate change, we can build a healthy, thriving future by working together."

[USA] “Broad Energy Coalition Condemns Action to Subsidize Failing Coal, Nuclear Plants”

[SEIA, 1 June 2018]

Numerous energy industry and trade groups, including those focused in energy efficiency and storage, oil, solar and wind, and natural gas, have come together to condemn the Trump Administration’s recently revealed plan to “bail out coal and nuclear plants.” These groups include Solar Energies Industries Association (SEIA), American Petroleum Institute (API), Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE), Electricity Consumers Resources Council (ELCON), Electric Power Supply Association (ESPA), Energy Storage Association (ESA), and Natural Gas Supply Association (NGSA). The comments by these groups-against the bail out plan- are very similar; they say that it is not economically profitable or reasonable to support failing plants and that this will have negative repercussions on the electricity grid. For instance, Kelly Speakes-Backman, the ESA CEO, states, “Any action that undermines market stability to support new entrants like energy storage – resources that enhance grid resilience and reduce costs to consumers – will erode opportunities to create a more reliable and resilient, efficient, sustainable and affordable grid.” Todd Foley likewise comments, ““The Administration’s draft plan for potential emergency action would be unwarranted, and would actually undermine competitive markets, raising electricity costs to consumers and businesses across the country. Arbitrary market interventions deprive businesses of the certainty they need to invest in power plants of all types, harming not helping electric reliability.”

[USA] “Executive Order 13800 on Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure: Assessment of Electricity Disruption Incident Response Capabilities”

[DOE, 30 May 2018]

As cybersecurity becomes an increasingly challenging issue, the Trump Administration is seeking methods to strengthen the U.S.’s national security protections as regards cyber security. In this line, last year Trump signed Executive Order 13800 on “Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure.” The order initiated an assessment of the potential “scope and duration of a prolonged power outage.” While it was determined that so far there has been no permanent damage resulting from the cyberattacks targeting electric utilities, cyberattacks are becoming increasingly frequent. Thus, it is important to continuously improve the country’s cybersecurity efforts. Rick Perry, DOE Secretary, released a comment acknowledging the “growing security risk of cyber threats” and that the Department “has taken an important step forward through the recent creation of the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), which will further strengthen DOE’s ability to play a vital role protecting energy infrastructure from cyber threats, physical attacks, and natural disasters.”

[USA] “Department of Energy Launches Two New Clean Energy Initiatives at Ninth Clean Energy Ministerial”

[DOE, 24 May 2018]

Dan Brouillette, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy, launched two new clean energy initiatives which he announced at the ninth Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM9) in Copenhagen, Denmark. The initiatives will go into effect immediately and are titled: 1) Nuclear Innovation: Clean Energy Future (NICE Future) Initiative; and 2) Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) Initiative. Both these initiatives were proposed by DOE Secretary Rick Perry during the last CEM meeting in Beijing. The NICE Future Initiative aims to boost the perception of nuclear energy as a clean and reliable fuel source; it will also “address improved power system integration through innovative, advanced energy systems and applications, such as nuclear-renewable systems.” This initiative will be a joint venture led by the U.S., Canada, and Japan. The CCUS Initiative focuses more on building a collaborative framework to encourage partnerships regarding CCUS between the public and private sectors; it also supports existing efforts to encourage CCUS in the energy industry such as those by the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum, the International Energy Agency, and the Global CCS Institute. This initiative will be led by the United States, Norway, and Saudi Arabia.    

[USA] “Governor Phil Murphy Signs Historic Measure to Revive Renewable Energy in New Jersey”

[SEIA, 23 May 2018]

New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy, has signed “a historic bill to significantly advance New Jersey’s clean energy economy.” This bill aims to both sustain and expand New Jersey’s renewable energy industry while allowing more residents, communities, and businesses to realize the cost benefits of solar. The bill raises the RPS target to 50% by 2030 and creates a community solar program – which, if implemented well- will allow all residents access to solar energy. It also, among other things, reduces the total cost of the current solar RPS by reducing the Solar Alternative Compliance Payment, ends the “current solar renewable energy credit trading program in an orderly way,” and sets the foundation for new solar programs. Sean Gallagher, SEIA’s Vice President of State Affairs,” applauded the Governor for the passage of this bill and added that with this new legislation, “many more New Jersey residents, businesses and communities will have access to solar energy. This is a huge win for customers, will support the thousands of solar jobs in the Garden State, and puts the state on track to meeting its ambitious clean energy goals.”

[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.