Federal Court Rejects Rehearing on EPA Cross-State Air Pollution Rule
Posted on Jan 28, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Litigation, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Federal Court Rejects Rehearing on EPA Cross-State Air Pollution Rule
Last Thursday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a two-sentence order in which it declined to reopen a decision that struck down the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) sweeping Cross-State Air Pollution Rule. The decision striking down the rule was issued last August by a three-judge panel of the circuit court after the National Rural Electric...
EPA Passes New Rule Related to Generator Use
Posted on Jan 23, 2013 in Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on EPA Passes New Rule Related to Generator Use
On January 15, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a new rule that will allow electric cooperatives to use small emergency generators for various purposes in order to ensure a stable flow of electricity at the local and regional level. Kirk Johnson, senior vice president of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), stated that the combined...
Kroll Bond Rating Agency Issues Updated Report on Fracking
Posted on Jan 15, 2013 in Environmental, Innovation/Efficiency, Land Use, Project Development, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Kroll Bond Rating Agency Issues Updated Report on Fracking
Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) has issued an update to its report on the state and local credit risks of high-volume hydraulic fracking of the Marcellus and Utica Shale Basins, located below New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The report, available here, discusses the estimated economic impact from the recovery of these fossil fuel resources. These resources are so large...
Michigan Agency Extends Permit for Installation of Coal Plant
Posted on Jan 14, 2013 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Land Use, Permitting, Project Development | Comments Off on Michigan Agency Extends Permit for Installation of Coal Plant
A coalition of Michigan electric utilities, which includes Cherryland Electric Cooperative, recently received an extended permit from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality for the construction of a contested coal plant project However, utility officials, including those representing Cadillac-based Wolverine Power Cooperative, have not announced if they intend to follow...
FERC Notes Coop Smart Grid Growth
Posted on Jan 8, 2013 in Energy Savings Programs, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Rates, Technology | Comments Off on FERC Notes Coop Smart Grid Growth
The use of smart grid technologies by coops is being recognized on a national level. A report issued in December 2012 by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) stated that coops are still national leaders in implementing advanced metering. According to the FERC report, advanced metering use among coops increased from 16.4 percent in 2008 to 24.7 percent in 2010 to 30.9...
NRECA Speaks Out Against EPA Turbine Plan
Posted on Jan 8, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on NRECA Speaks Out Against EPA Turbine Plan
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) is urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to back off on its proposed revisions to New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for stationary gas turbines and stationary combustion turbines. According to the NRECA, the revisions are flawed because the revised standards would be made retroactive to February 2005 and...
Vermont’s Second Largest Utility Seeks Moratorium on Renewable Energy Projects
Posted on Jan 2, 2013 in Corporate Governance, Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Vermont’s Second Largest Utility Seeks Moratorium on Renewable Energy Projects
The board of directors of Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) has approved a resolution calling for a two-year moratorium on renewable energy projects following a large controversial wind project. VEC has several large wind projects in its portfolio, including the Lowell wind project, which has been the source of some complaints because of the noise created by the wind turbines. ...
New Power Plant Begins Commercial Operation in Arkansas
Posted on Dec 26, 2012 in Environmental, Project Development, Technology | Comments Off on New Power Plant Begins Commercial Operation in Arkansas
The 600-MW John W. Turk Jr. Power Plant, the nation’s first ultra-supercritical, coal-fired facility, began commercial operation this month after four years of construction and numerous legal challenges. The co-owners, including Southwestern Electric Power Company, Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation and East Texas Electric Cooperative, herald the plant as a shining example of...
Judge Denies Sierra Club’s Challenge to $3 Billion Mississippi Coal Plant
Posted on Dec 19, 2012 in Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Litigation, Permitting, Project Development, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Judge Denies Sierra Club’s Challenge to $3 Billion Mississippi Coal Plant
A Mississippi judge has ruled against the Sierra Club’s attempt to invalidate the licensing for a $3 billion coat plant granted to Mississippi Power Co. Inc. and South Mississippi Electric Power Association by the Mississippi Public Service Commission. The court held that policy decisions on long-term solutions for fuel diversity and price stability of fuels used in electric...
New EPA Rule May Delay Plant Expansions
Posted on Dec 19, 2012 in Environmental, Permitting, Project Development | Comments Off on New EPA Rule May Delay Plant Expansions
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently adopted a rule that reduces the limits on fine particle emissions by 20 percent. Experts say that this limit reduction could delay power plant expansions and similar projects in certain regions of the country. While most of the country’s counties will not need to adjust regulatory requirements to meet the new standard, the new...
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