In December, the six major Independent Systems Operators (ISO’s) across the country filed their plans for creating new market rules and opportunities for energy storage. While the rules will take at least a year to go into effect and the plans are just an initial step, a recent study suggests that this effort may add up to… Keep reading →
New York’s environmental and utility regulators are moving closer to a unified approach to building a cleaner, more robust, and affordable energy system. The Public Service Commission (PSC), New York’s utility regulator, has been working to rethink how New York makes, moves, and uses electricity through its innovative Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) initiative. Specifically, it… Keep reading →
On December 4, 2015, the nine member states of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) released the results of their 30th quarterly carbon auction (Auction 30) held on December 2. All allowances were sold at a clearing price of $7.50 each, generating approximately $115.3 million. The clearing price reached a new high, in line with… Keep reading →
Insight for Industry – FERC’s Push to Incorporate Reliability Safety Mechanism in the Clean Power Plan Increases Certainty for State Compliance Efforts On May 15, 2015, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) provided the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with a letter signed by all five Commissioners that details its role in implementing a Reliability Safety… Keep reading →
The energy industry – oil & gas sector in particular – is bracing itself for a massive wave of retirements over the short to medium term, which has been dubbed “The Great Shift Change.” As the industry prepares for this turnover, companies are looking to the next generation of candidates with skills ranging from finance,… Keep reading →
The first RGGI carbon credit auction under the new 2014 cap sold allowances at $4 each, the highest since RGGI began its cap-and-trade program in 2008. On March 7, 2014, Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) member states announced results of their 23rd carbon credit auction held on March 5. The auction was the first to… Keep reading →
Massachusetts has finalized RGGI regulation amendments to implement a new emissions cap of 91 million tons per year, starting in 2014. On December 9, 2013, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued final amendments to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) regulations of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Pursuant to the RGGI Updated Model Rule… Keep reading →
Even the Tea Party is pushing back on the conservative political group’s claims. A curious thing happened in Georgia this month. As the state’s public service commission was considering a proposal for 525 megawatts of solar PV — a program fiercely opposed by Georgia Power — an unlikely alliance formed to support more solar. The… Keep reading →
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, in his State of the State address, proposed a tougher carbon cap for states covered under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) cap-and-trade program. The proposal underscores RGGI’s opportunity for achieving even greater emissions reductions in future years, as its current carbon cap remains significantly higher than actual emissions produced in the nine member states.
Laying out an energy- and climate-intensive policy agenda for New York, in his address on January 9, 2013, Governor Cuomo proposed a tougher RGGI carbon cap as part of efforts to address climate change and clean energy development in the state. RGGI, the nation’s first carbon cap-and-trade program, has helped reduce CO2 emissions levels by 30% across member states since inception in 2008. However, RGGI’s current carbon cap of 165 million tons of CO2 per year is now much higher than actual emissions produced in member states – only 91 million tons (expected total) in 2012. With a cap this high, RGGI states may have emitted 45% more carbon last year and still met program compliance. Keep reading →
A major European bank closed its US carbon trading business this week in a sign that 2012 is a “make-or-break” year for cap-and-trade programs designed to fight climate change.
London-based Barclays determined the US carbon market, currently comprised of a handful of states, is too small to justify the expense of a dedicated trading desk in New York, according to sources familiar with the decision. Barclays was a major player in US greenhouse-gas trading programs on the East and West coasts and remains active in Europe’s carbon market, the largest in the world. Seth Martin, a Barclays spokesman, declined to comment. Keep reading →
