Last week, NRG Energy announced plans to reduce CO2 emissions 50% by 2030 and 90% by 2050. And this reduction is not from a 1990 or 2005 baseline; it is from 2014 emissions. NRG’s statement indicated that it had already reduced emissions by 40% since 2005. By my math, that means that the 2030 and 2050 reductions would be 70% and 94%, respectively, below 2005 emissions.
While the purpose of multilateral negotiations with Iran is to reduce proliferation concerns, successful talks may in fact accelerate nuclear plans in the Gulf states and Jordan. In April 2009, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia famously told U.S. special envoy Dennis Ross that “if [the Iranians] get nuclear weapons, we will get nuclear weapons.” Such… Keep reading →
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While Energy.gov was celebrating #GridWeek, I traveled to Japan for the 6th International Conference on the Integration of Renewable and Distributed Energy Resources. I got to see firsthand some of the innovative work being done with solar technology, batteries and smart cities. Industry, government and academia created the conference to develop and deploy technologies for grid… Keep reading →
This is the third in a series of six Q&As with Baker Botts partners addressing the most significant developments in their practice areas this year, as well as their outlook for 2015. The Q&As will be posted throughout the remainder of the year.
Bill Bumpers is Head of the Global Climate Change practice group at Baker Botts. His practice focuses on the Clean Air Act and climate change issues.
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, geology,… Keep reading →
Last week, after legislators returned from an election where some campaigned heavily on energy-related issues like the Keystone XL Pipeline, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives again voted to send legislation approving that project to the President’s desk. Then, the outgoing Democratic Majority in the Senate also took action, though it failed to reach the 60-vote… Keep reading →
The Organization of Petroleum-Exporting Countries (OPEC) is facing a “shale-tinged” reality and needs a “wake-up call,” energy analysts have warned. Analysts in Citi’s commodities research team warn that the shale gas and oil revolution in the U.S. has been ignored for too long by OPEC, the powerful group of 12 global oil producers, and it… Keep reading →
Energy Department Authorizes Freeport LNG to Export Liquefied Natural Gas WASHINGTON – The Energy Department announced today that it has issued two final authorizations for Freeport LNG Expansion, L.P. and FLNG Liquefaction, LLC (Freeport) to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries that do not have a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the… Keep reading →
FERC proposes to establish a framework that allows pipelines to use surcharge or tracker cost-recovery mechanisms to accelerate system improvements associated with new safety and environmental compliance regulations.
On November 20, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a proposed policy statement setting forth guidance that, if adopted, would permit natural gas pipelines to use cost trackers or surcharges to recover certain costs that pipelines incur in connection with facility and infrastructure upgrades undertaken in response to regulatory requirements.[1] Comments will be due within 30 days of the date the notice is published in the Federal Register.
For months we’ve been pointing out the brokenness of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the federal law requiring ever-increasing use of ethanol in the nation’s fuel supply. We’ve written about the impending “blend wall,” the point where the RFS would require blending more ethanol into gasoline than could be safely used as E10, potentially putting motorists at risk… Keep reading →
