Dust Settles after Utility Fight with BNSF
Posted on Dec 17, 2013 in Environmental, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Dust Settles after Utility Fight with BNSF
The verdict is in: Coal shippers led by Arkansas Electric Cooperative will have to comply with BNSF Railway’s (BNSF) loading instructions aimed at suppressing coal dust emissions from Powder River Basin coal trains after the Surface Transportation Board (Board) ruled the requirements were permissible. Since 2009, utilities have fought the requirement to apply surfactants to their coal...
USDA to Provide More than $1.8 Billion in Funding
Posted on Dec 16, 2013 in Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Project Development, Regulation & Policy, Reliability, Renewable Energy, Technology | Comments Off on USDA to Provide More than $1.8 Billion in Funding
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced on Friday that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide over $1.8 billion to fund electric utility infrastructure improvements in 25 states and one territory. The USDA-funded improvements include smart grid and renewable energy projects and the building or improvement of more than 6,500 miles of transmission lines. ...
Vermont Coop Ordered to Stop Net Metering Program
Posted on Dec 13, 2013 in Energy Savings Programs, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Vermont Coop Ordered to Stop Net Metering Program
The Vermont Public Service Department has directed Washington Electric Co-op (WEC) to suspend its net metering program after the coop attempted to change the program to limit projects to 5 kW due to an existing state cap. The regulator determined that WEC had not been authorized to make this change and therefore must stop accepting applications. The state legislature plans to address...
Columbia River Treaty Needs an Update
Posted on Dec 12, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Columbia River Treaty Needs an Update
Based in Eugene, Oregon, Lane Electric Cooperative is among the Northwest utilities pushing for an update to the 1964 Columbia River Treaty, which governs operations along the Columbia River between the U.S. and Canada. Due to changes in how the river operates, the pact that once provided an even split between the two countries now provides more of a 90-10 split in favor of our...
USDA Unveils Energy Efficiency Program for Rural Coops
Posted on Dec 5, 2013 in Climate Change, Energy Savings Programs, Financing, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Technology | Comments Off on USDA Unveils Energy Efficiency Program for Rural Coops
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide funding to rural coops and utilities to help boost energy efficiency improvements by commercial and residential customers. The Energy Efficiency and Loan Conservation Program plans to provide up to $250 million to rural coops which will, in turn, lend the money to customers to fund energy efficiency projects. To learn more, click...
New Jersey City Joins Coop
Posted on Dec 4, 2013 in Corporate Governance, Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on New Jersey City Joins Coop
Councilmembers of the city of Franklin, New Jersey, voted 3-2 to join the Passaic County Electric Cooperative, despite some reservations about not allowing the city’s citizens to make the decision themselves. Jersey Central Power & Light will continue to be responsible for the distribution and maintenance of its infrastructure, and the energy will be provided by a third-party...
Texas Coop Seeks to Supply Electricity to New Jail
Posted on Nov 27, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Texas Coop Seeks to Supply Electricity to New Jail
Central Texas Electric Co-operative (CTEC) has presented a proposal to the Gillespie County Commissioners outlining the cooperative’s plan for providing power to the new two-story jail under construction in Gillespie County. The cooperative’s chief executive officer cited the 200-foot rule, which allows an entity to choose between the utility designated in that area or another service...
Big Rivers Seeks PSC Approval for New Smelter Deal
Posted on Nov 25, 2013 in Economic Downturn, Legislative & Politics, Rates, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Big Rivers Seeks PSC Approval for New Smelter Deal
Kentucky-based Big Rivers Electric Corporation (Big Rivers) is seeking approval from the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) of a deal that would allow a Big Rivers customer, Century Aluminum (Century), to purchase power for one of its Western Kentucky smelters on the wholesale market. Century maintains that such an arrangement is necessary to keep the smelter open. The PSC...
Water Heater Efficiency Act to Help Coops?
Posted on Nov 21, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Water Heater Efficiency Act to Help Coops?
Republican Senator John Hoeven and a bipartisan group of senators today introduced the Water Heater Efficiency Act, a bill that would enable rural electric power coops and their members to continue using large, energy-efficient water heaters in “demand response” conservation programs. New Department of Energy rules threaten to phase out such water heaters by 2015. The bill is seen as...
Iowa Coop Closes 1960s Coal-Fueled Plant
Posted on Nov 21, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on Iowa Coop Closes 1960s Coal-Fueled Plant
In early November, Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO) closed CIPCO Fair Station, a 66-MW coal-fueled power plant located in eastern Iowa. CIPCO’s decision to close the plant stemmed from new federal environmental regulations, current energy prices and the overall efficiency concerns in running a plant built in the 1960s. Read more here.
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