The natural gas production boom has restructured the North American pipeline network, spurring billions in infrastructure investments–gathering, processing, and transmission facilities–needed to bring surging supplies from shale formations to the pipeline grid. With persistent low natural gas prices, demand for natural gas abroad and locally by domestic and industrial consumers has been rising at a… Keep reading →
On October 1, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its final rule to update the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone by strengthening primary and secondary ozone standards, changing monitoring requirements, and updating the Air Quality Index (AQI) to inform the public of unhealthy air. The controversial rule updates the… Keep reading →
On October 1, 2015, the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) proposed changes to strengthen its hazardous liquid pipeline safety regulations. The proposal aims to address mandates from the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011 (Pipeline Safety Act), which requires improvements in operation, maintenance, and inspection… Keep reading →
On September 28, 2015, Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) announced its decision to cancel its Arctic drilling operations after unsuccessful exploratory drilling in the Chukchi Sea off the northwest coast of Alaska. Shell decided to exit the Arctic after an investment of approximately $7 billion in oil exploration, citing disappointing exploratory results at the Burger J… Keep reading →
On September 11, 2015, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved a winter reliability program (WRP) for the New England Independent System Operator (ISO-NE) region for winters 2015-2016, 2016-2017, and 2017-2018, until new market-based performance incentives take effect. From the two competing proposals submitted by ISO-NE and New England Power Pool (NEPOOL), the FERC selected… Keep reading →
On September 11, 2015, the California State Legislature approved the Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015 (SB 350) which aims to increase the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) to 50 percent by 2030 from the present goal of 33 percent by 2020, in addition to increasing energy efficiency in existing buildings by 50… Keep reading →
On August 24, 2015, President Obama announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) will provide up to $1 billion in additional loan guarantee authority to support innovative distributed energy projects such as rooftop solar with battery storage and smart grid technologies. The loan guarantee is expected to spur innovation in clean energy technologies that are… Keep reading →
On July 28, 2015, the New York Department of Public Service (DPS) issued a whitepaper on ratemaking and utility business models under the Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) Track Two proceeding, providing guidance and recommendations on ratemaking and utility model reforms. REV seeks to transform the utility regulatory structure by integrating greater levels of DER… Keep reading →
On August 14, 2015, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced the approval of licenses for limited exchanges of crude oil between the U.S. and Mexico; namely, swapping Mexico’s heavy grade crude with lighter grade U.S. crude. The decision addresses the mismatch between the light sweet crude oil produced… Keep reading →
On August 3, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the final Clean Power Plan (CPP), establishing the first emission guidelines for existing fossil fuel-fired electric generating units (EGUs). The final rule sets a 2030 emissions reduction target of 32 percent relative to 2005 levels, up from the 30 percent target in the June 2014… Keep reading →
