In the wake of the Ukraine crisis and amid heightened pressure on the Obama Administration to speed up the approval process for new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plants, the geopolitical argument over LNG exports has gained traction in Congress as reflected in various already held committee hearings on the LNG export issue and drafted… Keep reading →
The GRID Act, introduced in the House and Senate, would authorize FERC to effectively address electricity grid security issues. On March 26, 2014, Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA) introduced the Grid Reliability and Infrastructure Defense (GRID) Act (H.R. 4298) aimed to amend the Federal Power Act to protect the bulk-power system and defense-critical electric infrastructure… Keep reading →
The recent memoranda of understanding (“MOUs”) entered between the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (”CFTC”) made significant progress towards alleviating the long-time tension between the two agencies. On January 2, 2014, the FERC and the CFTC signed two MOUs on jurisdiction (“Jurisdiction MOU”) and information sharing (“Information Sharing MOU”)… Keep reading →
No doubt the Energy and Utilities industry has witnessed increasing complexity and significant challenges in recent years, centering around compliance issues, competitive pricing pressures, and business continuity. These issues, amongst others, will remain the focus for Board and Management’s corporate strategy and 2014 planning meetings around the world. Looking back on year 2013, and ahead… Keep reading →
We guess that means Mrs. Claus would also be Canadian if the North Pole is included in the country’s Arctic claim. “Canada will still meet a Dec. 6 deadline for filing an application to the United Nations to extend its northern sea boundary, according to the daily Globe and Mail. But it now also plans… Keep reading →
Recent enforcement actions by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on alleged manipulation of US power markets are “alarming” and set a dangerous precedent that departs from previous cases, a Harvard professor and former International Association for Energy Economics president told energy traders gathered in New York City this week. FERC is endangering the functioning of… Keep reading →
Portland, Oregon-based law firm Stoel Rives announced Monday that Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Jon Wellinghoff will join the practice upon his departure from the regulator. Wellinghoff submitted his resignation on May 28, but no date has been announced for his departure. Stoel Rives is known for its energy law practice and claims to have… Keep reading →
Canadian security agencies have been briefing representatives of energy companies who have obtained high-level security clearances, according to freedom of information documents obtained by the Guardian. “Meetings were officially billed to discuss ‘threats’ to energy infrastructure but also covered ‘challenges to energy projects from environmental groups’, ‘cyber security initiatives’ and ‘economic and corporate espionage’.” [Guardian]… Keep reading →
There will be enough workers to “keep the lights on” at key agencies if the shutdown persists. At 12:03 a.m. this morning, after lawmakers in Congress failed to reach agreement on funding the government, thousands of federal employees lumbered out into the streets of Washington, D.C. looking for taxpayer money to spend. They knocked over… Keep reading →
The White House may be looking for a new nominee for Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chairman to replace Ron Binz, who has been the object of fierce criticism, mostly from Republicans, but also from West Virginia (coal state) Democratic Senator Joe Manchin. [The Hill] The Guardian has helpfully laid out Ed Milliband’s proposal for UK… Keep reading →
