Have you ever heard of a synchrophasor? It may sound like a word out of science fiction, but these mailbox-sized devices are already changing the electrical grid as we know it. The grid was born over a century ago, at a time when our needs were simpler and our demand much lower. More complex needs are… Keep reading →
Last week Barclays downgraded the high-grade bond market for the entire electric utility sector because “we believe that a confluence of declining cost trends in distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation and residential-scale power storage is likely to disrupt the status quo.” While this is not the first statement about vulnerability of electric utilities to competition from new technology… Keep reading →
On June 16th, I’m joining Con Edison Chairman and CEO John McAvoy, NY Public Service Commission Chair Audrey Zibelman, President and CEO of NYSERDA, John Rhodes, NY Green Bank President Alfred Griffin and Ken Daly, President of National Grid to discuss New York’s energy policies and challenges and opportunities facing electric utilities at New York… Keep reading →
For the tens of millions of Americans who own dividend-paying stocks – either directly, or indirectly through mutual funds, pension funds, life insurance policies, and 401(k) plans – it’s time to take notice of an important tax law that’s set to expire at the end of this year. Unless Congress acts, the maximum tax rate on dividend income is set to skyrocket from 15 percent to as high as 43.4 percent – a nearly 190 – percent increase. The top tax rate on capital gains, meanwhile, will rise from 15 percent to a maximum of 23.8 percent.
Keeping tax rates on dividend income low and on par with the tax rates on capital gains is important for all Americans. With time quickly running out on today’s tax rates, we encourage you to join a national grassroots advocacy campaign dedicated to stopping a dividend tax hike-Defend My Dividend (www.DefendMyDividend.org). The campaign is sponsored by Edison Electric Institute and a wide variety of associations, organizations, and companies who have a stake in this issue, along with the support of their members, employees, retirees, and shareholders. Keep reading →
