ODEC Receives Approval for 1,000-MW Natural Gas-Fired Plant
Posted on Mar 27, 2014 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Permitting, Project Development, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on ODEC Receives Approval for 1,000-MW Natural Gas-Fired Plant
Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC), a Virginia-based G&T, obtained approval from the Maryland Public Service Commission for its planned 1,000-MW natural gas-fired plant to be built in Cecil County, Maryland. The project, known as the Wildcat Point plant, is expected to come online by June 2017 and will be built next to the existing Rock Springs generating facility in Rising...
Coop Pension Bill Passed in House
Posted on Mar 25, 2014 in Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on Coop Pension Bill Passed in House
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Cooperative and Small Employer Charity Pension Flexibility Act (H.R. 4275). This Act makes permanent a temporary exemption for rural cooperative “multiple-employer” defined benefit plans and similar plans for other not-for-profit organizations from the Pension Protection Act. The Act will next go to the President for enactment. For...
Bond Rating Agencies Discount Talk of TVA Divestiture
Posted on Mar 19, 2014 in Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Bond Rating Agencies Discount Talk of TVA Divestiture
The annual budget plan released by the Obama Administration earlier this month noted that the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) had achieved its original mission and should be sold or transferred to state governments or local power cooperatives in the Tennessee Valley. Nonetheless, bond rating agencies Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s have discounted these proposals, and TVA has...
‘Social Cost of Carbon’ Raises NRECA Concerns
Posted on Mar 11, 2014 in Climate Change, Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on ‘Social Cost of Carbon’ Raises NRECA Concerns
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) recently reported to the Obama administration about the potential costs of federal regulations based partly on the social cost of carbon. Speaking out strongly against this idea, the NRECA pointed out that “the federal government would best serve the energy-consuming public by excluding an arbitrary ‘social cost of carbon,’...
House Passes Bill for High Efficiency Grid-Enabled Water Heaters
Posted on Mar 11, 2014 in Energy Savings Programs, Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on House Passes Bill for High Efficiency Grid-Enabled Water Heaters
Bipartisan legislation that would establish a new category of efficiency standard for water heaters used in demand response programs has cleared the House of Representatives and will next be put before the Senate. The passage of this bill would allow the continued use of water heaters in money- and energy-saving demand response programs by coops. Read more here.
Illinois Coop Launches New Solar Facility
Posted on Mar 11, 2014 in Legislative & Politics, Project Development, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Illinois Coop Launches New Solar Facility
Illinois Rural Electric Cooperative recently opened a new 500-kW solar facility. Consisting of 2,223 panels across four acres, the solar farm is the first utility-scale photovoltaic facility run by a cooperative in the state. Of the project’s $1.8 million total cost, over $900,000 came from federal and state grants, given through the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for...
Coops Urge EPA to Expand Uses of Coal Ash Considered Safe
Posted on Feb 25, 2014 in Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Rates, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Coops Urge EPA to Expand Uses of Coal Ash Considered Safe
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has already recognized the benefits of certain uses of coal ash, and electric coops are now asking the EPA to conclude that it is safe for other uses. John Novak, Executive Director for Environmental Issues for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, has stated that the EPA “can do more to promote other beneficial uses of...
North Dakota Joins EPA Haze Authority Case
Posted on Feb 18, 2014 in Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Litigation | Comments Off on North Dakota Joins EPA Haze Authority Case
North Dakota has filed a petition for certiorari at the U.S. Supreme Court hoping to prevent the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from denouncing the state’s emissions control plan in favor of a federal plan. Specifically, the petition argues that the EPA does not have the authority to review and replace state implementation plans for the Clean Air Act’s Regional Haze...
Oregon Coop Continues Fight Against State’s Renewable Mandates
Posted on Feb 18, 2014 in Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Oregon Coop Continues Fight Against State’s Renewable Mandates
Oregon law currently requires that large utilities get 25 percent of their energy from new renewable sources by 2025, and increased demand for electricity from data centers in the eastern part of the state is pushing smaller utilities toward large-utility status for the purposes of the mandate. A lobbyist for Umatilla Electric Cooperative (Umatilla) has been collecting signatures for...
New White Paper Calls for Focus on Grid Stability
Posted on Feb 13, 2014 in Energy Savings Programs, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on New White Paper Calls for Focus on Grid Stability
Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska recently issued a white paper warning that grid stability is complicated by coal plant retirements, environmental regulations and requirements for integrating renewable energy resources. Senator Murkowski’s paper, which has been praised by some in the industry, calls for policymakers to place grid reliability and affordability at the front of their...
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