The DOI will offer approximately 742,000 acres offshore Massachusetts for commercial wind energy development in a competitive lease sale scheduled for January 29, 2015. On November 26, 2014, the Department of Interior’s (DOI) Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published a notice to offer approximately 742,000 acres of the Massachusetts Wind Energy Area (WEA) for… Keep reading →
Many of China’s coal-fired power plants are equipped with air pollution scrubbers, but in some parts of the country they are seldom used. Scrubbers take energy to run which reduces total output and makes operating the equipment more expensive. The government often sends plant operators mixed messages that prioritize economic growth (which requires maximum power… Keep reading →
Joseph Hezir Confirmed as Chief Financial Officer WASHINGTON – Joseph Hezir was confirmed by the Senate on December 4, 2014 as the Department of Energy’s Chief Financial Officer. “Joe’s experience in the energy, environmental and budgetary realms and his strategic approach to challenges make him a great fit as Chief Financial Officer for the agency,”… Keep reading →
Saudi Arabia Can’t Stop U.S. Fracking Boom National Journal: World oil producers have put oil prices into a free fall, refusing to pare back global supplies in the hopes that low prices will derail the fracking-backed production boom in the U.S. and preserve OPEC’s power over world energy markets. But global analysts are skeptical that the… Keep reading →
The following article was originally published in the San Francisco Daily Journal on December 3, 2014. Copyright 2014 Daily Journal Corporation, reprinted with permission.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is poised to readopt the Low-Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) regulation in early 2015. With its readoption, CARB hopes to put to rest challenges that required a redo of the environmental analysis supporting the LCFS regulation. If all goes as planned, transportation fuel suppliers operating in California will face a regulatory environment in 2015 that is at once both more certain — with legal challenges to the LCFS largely resolved — and more daunting, as transportation fuels come under the “cap” on greenhouse gas emissions imposed by California’s cap-and-trade program.
Kinder Morgan is submitting a revised route for a proposed natural gas pipeline designed to bring additional supplies of natural gas into Massachusetts where gas and power prices spiked last winter due to a combination of physical supply issues and market factors. The company changed the route in response to public opposition. This is another… Keep reading →
Making the power grid smarter and more efficient is becoming a necessity as aging infrastructure requires upgrading, distributed generation sources proliferate and utilities adjust business models to address climate change and other new realities. But when incorporating smart meters and other new technology into the power grid, it’s imperative these devices can “talk” to one… Keep reading →
On Tuesday, November 18, 2014, the Guarini Center at NYU Law convened a roundtable discussion on utility regulation in the United Kingdom, focusing on its new “RIIO” model. The event brought together American regulators, NGOs, utilities, and academics to exchange thoughts and ideas with presenters from the analogous spheres in Britain. A roundtable report will follow in… Keep reading →
Natural gas use is growing throughout the world as new drilling techniques open up vast shale and other tight resources. The result is low-cost gas flooding the market. The environmental advantages of natural gas over other fossil fuels have put it in a favored position as emissions regulations continue to tighten around the world. But conventional… Keep reading →
How much does the design of America’s energy market affect the environment? More than one might expect. Last week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the agency responsible for regulating the wholesale natural gas and electricity markets, issued a proposed policy statement designed to encourage pipeline operators to replace their leakiest equipment: compressor stations. Reciprocating compressors are… Keep reading →
