Anyone who thought economics was the dismal science should try civil engineering.
Despite more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in investment from 2001 to 2010 the US is still facing an enormous shortfall in electricity infrastructure. That decade was marked by higher spending on reliability in the years that followed the high-profile California blackouts and were interrupted by an equally notable New York City blackout. Keep reading →
March 2012 shattered US temperature records. What about the summer?
Electricity market operators are not generally fond of hot summers, when consumers turn up their air conditioners to stay cool, while straining the network, sometimes to the brink of disaster. This summer is no exception, especially in a few places where supplies are likely to be tight. Keep reading →
The chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said Thursday that lawmakers should not rush to enact laws to weaken federal pollution regulations because of fears about electricity shortages.
FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff contended that “relief valve” bills being contemplated by Republicans may not be necessary because of flexibility already available under the Environmental Protection Agency regulations and FERC processes. Keep reading →
A federal appeals court may have handed the Obama administration a New Year’s election gift, ensuring the President won’t be forced to choose between electricity price spikes and his environmental constituency this summer.
The US Court of Appeals in Washington stayed the Environmental Protection Agency rule tightening caps on sulfur and nitrogen oxides, the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), late on Dec. 30. The court told EPA to keep using the Clean Air Interstate Rule temporarily.
CAIR was written in 2005 by the Bush administration, invalidated by the court in 2008, and left it in effect until a new rule could be written. So 2012 will be the fourth year governed by CAIR standards. Keep reading →
Jared Anderson
Conway Irwin
Peter Gardett