Margaret Ryan

 

Posts by Margaret Ryan

Have Politics Battered Climate Change Talk?

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Climate change solutions were battered by the recession and political shifts have pushed the issue to the sidelines of the US energy debate, while international climate talks remain mired in the same arguments that have derailed consensus for years.

That was the message from speakers at the US Association of Energy Economists conference October 11 in Washington, DC. In the US, they say the only climate-related action in the next few years will probably come from the Environmental Protection Agency, while internationally, there’s no sign of any progress for December’s UN Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting in Durban, South Africa. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 11, 2011 at 3:45 PM

Reporter’s Notebook: After Fukushima, Japan Faces Costly Options

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Increasing numbers of nuclear reactors are being kept off-line in Japan as local governments respond to public fears about safety in the wake of the Fukushima meltdowns.


Poten and Partners told a conference session of the US Association of Energy Economists October 10 that all but 10 of Japan’s 54 nuclear reactors are now off-line. Only 16 of those were affected by the March earthquake and tsunami, he said. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 11, 2011 at 9:30 AM

Bipartisan Energy Options ‘Hostage’ in Congress

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Room for bipartisan agreement on energy issues has narrowed drastically since the new Congress took office in January, but there are still a few areas where progress might be made, according to Robert Simon, majority staff director of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee.

Bipartisan energy bills have been held “hostage,” he said – in 2009-10 by cap and trade advocates and now by budget hawks. And it’s not just energy – Simon noted the current Congress has passed just 69 bills since January, a fifth of the output of what President Harry Truman in 1947 dubbed “the do-nothing Congress.” Keep reading →

 /  Published October 10, 2011 at 6:00 PM

USAEE Notebook: DOE Weighing LNG Export Price Effect

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US producers want to export natural gas to take advantage of higher prices abroad, but the US Department of Energy is considering whether additional exports will mean higher prices in the US.

Christopher Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oil & Natural Gas in DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy, told the opening session of the US Association of Energy Economists, meeting October 10-12 in Washington DC, that DOE is weighing the cumulative price effect of exports, as more export applications are being filed. Read more about the conference: Making The Numbers Sing In DC. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 10, 2011 at 12:45 PM

Chaos Predicted If Renewables Tax Breaks Die

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With half a dozen renewable tax breaks slated to expire in three months, witnesses told a key House committee that simply letting them all die will cause “chaos” for the energy industry.

Virtually all today’s witnesses, speaking before a joint hearing of the House Ways & Means’ subcommittees on Select Revenue Measures and Oversight, favored phasing out current technology-specific tax credits, either as part of a full tax code overhaul or replacing them with technology-neutral incentive mechanisms. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 23, 2011 at 6:00 AM

Top Five Energy Legislators

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In the current contentious Congress, with the budget ax looming over everyone’s sacred cows, the lawmakers considered most influential in energy are not from the most populous states, or even those most endowed with energy resources. The list doesn’t include anyone from Texas or Louisiana, for instance, home to the Gulf energy powerhouse. All but one are from states ranging from 35th to 47th in population.

The most influential lawmakers who emerged from conversations with Washington insiders are mostly from states with long histories of economic dependence on the federal government, including energy programs. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 22, 2011 at 12:30 PM

GridWeek Analysis: Smart Grid Losing to EPA

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Though its touted for its clean, green efficiency potential, smart grid may be getting sidelined in Washington.

That’s just one of the ways regulation and smart grid development are coming into conflict, according to regulators and utility officials at the GridWeek conference in Washington DC September 12-15. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 19, 2011 at 6:00 AM

Inside GridWeek: Smart Grid Needs To Find Its Cool

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Smart grid growth is all about customer acceptance, and the industry could sure use an iMeter.

Those were central themes at this year’s GridWeek conference, which brought 1,000 vendors, regulators, utility officials and lawmakers to Washington, DC from around the US and from overseas Sept. 12-15. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 16, 2011 at 6:00 AM

Top Five Energy Regulators

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It’s a tough time to be an energy regulator in Washington.

The value of all federal regulation is being challenged on the political front as “job-killing,” but the legal requirements remain in place. Regulators must enforce laws while debate rages. Conversations with Washington observers evoked not only vociferous criticism and fervent praise for those on the spot to keep energy regulation functioning, but also a general respect for the barriers regulators face. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 15, 2011 at 12:20 PM

Tax Break Tactics Divide Renewable Industry

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As Congress returns to Washington to battle over the fiscal 2012 budget, the wind and solar lobbies are scrambling to preserve the tax breaks their industries depend on–just not the same breaks.

Solar advocates say a special provision to allow conversion of investment tax credits (ITC) into cash grants, enacted in the 2009 stimulus, must be extended or solar investment will be halved. While the ITC continues through 2016, the conversion option expires at the end of 2011. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 31, 2011 at 6:00 AM
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