Recent Storms Impact Coop Territories in Multiple States
Posted on Mar 5, 2012 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure | Comments Off on Recent Storms Impact Coop Territories in Multiple States
On March 2, multiple tornadoes and violent storms moved through communities served by electric cooperatives in several states, claiming at least 36 lives, injuring hundreds and leaving thousands more without power. The communications coordinator for Indiana-based Clark County Rural Electric Membership Corporation described some areas as being “literally wiped off the map.” Click here...
Montana Coops Negotiating New Payment Plans with Oil Companies
Posted on Mar 5, 2012 in Economic Downturn, Financing, Grid & Infrastructure | Comments Off on Montana Coops Negotiating New Payment Plans with Oil Companies
Some Montana coops are changing the way they structure payment plans with oil companies that need their oil well sites to be electrified. Lower Yellowstone Rural Electric Association (LYREA) is requiring payment up front from the oil companies rather than allowing payment through the monthly electricity rate. The cost of making payments all at once can add up; costs can reach about...
EPA and North Dakota Closer to Agreement on Haze Reduction Plan
Posted on Mar 5, 2012 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on EPA and North Dakota Closer to Agreement on Haze Reduction Plan
Officials for the state of North Dakota announced last Friday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency agreed to approve the majority of the state’s regional haze air quality plan. The EPA had previously called North Dakota’s plan inadequate and had threatened to assume regulatory authority in the state, which relied heavily on coal power. The announcement comes as good news for...
Facility Owners Should Heed New Cybersecurity Legislation
Posted on Feb 29, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Facility Owners Should Heed New Cybersecurity Legislation
The push for new legislation to combat cybersecurity threats appears to be gaining steam in Congress. While election year politics, competing legislative priorities and other roadblocks may ultimately derail these legislative efforts, owners of critical infrastructure should take heed: Facility owners would be subject to “performance requirements,” certification...
New Hampshire Coop Customers Bring Suit Over “Smart Meters”
Posted on Feb 27, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Litigation, Technology | Comments Off on New Hampshire Coop Customers Bring Suit Over “Smart Meters”
A group of eight customers of Plymouth-based New Hampshire Electric Cooperative have brought suit in Grafton County Superior Court, arguing that they should have the option to refuse to have so-called “smart meters” installed at their homes. The plaintiffs are concerned about possible negative health consequences from exposure to electromagnetic radiation emanating from the meters. ...
Cross-State Air Pollution Rule Lawsuit Gains Steam
Posted on Feb 27, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Litigation, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Cross-State Air Pollution Rule Lawsuit Gains Steam
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and several G&Ts have joined in a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule. The new rule sets emissions caps and procedures for nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide that contribute to ozone formation in 27 eastern states and uses a system of tradable emissions allowances. The...
Partnership Continues to Promote Kansas Transmission Projects
Posted on Feb 23, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development | Comments Off on Partnership Continues to Promote Kansas Transmission Projects
ITC Great Plains, LLC, Sunflower Electric Power Corporation and Mid-Kansas Electric Company, LLC will continue their partnership efforts to build transmission projects in Kansas. The parties expanded their existing partnership agreement to give ITC Great Plains the exclusive option to build projects that Sunflower and Mid-Kansas choose not to construct. Click here for the full...
Kansas Officials Working on Disaster Fund That Would Benefit Coops
Posted on Feb 13, 2012 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Kansas Officials Working on Disaster Fund That Would Benefit Coops
Kansas lawmakers are working with the state’s governor to establish a fund to cover the state’s share of expenses from federally declared disasters, after millions owed to electric coops from storms in 2011 went unpaid. Kansas governor Sam Brownback wants to use $12 million from tax collections each year to establish a rainy day fund to avoid the situation the state faced in 2011 when...
NERC Proposes Modified Definition of Bulk Electric System
Posted on Jan 31, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on NERC Proposes Modified Definition of Bulk Electric System
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has proposed that all transmission facilities operated at 100 kV or higher and all real and reactive power resources connected to the grid at 100 kV or higher be subject to its Reliability Standards. In NERC’s January 25, 2012 petition to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to approve its revised definition of...
Texas Power Plant Set to Reopen in 2013
Posted on Jan 30, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Reliability | Comments Off on Texas Power Plant Set to Reopen in 2013
Sandy Creek Power Plant, which has been shut down for the past three months, is now set to go back online in 2013. Damage to the plant’s boiler led to the shut down and officials report that materials have already been ordered to fix the problem, but the delay in reopening the facility could affect the state’s electricity supply. Click here for more.
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