Colorado Renewable Energy Bill Passes House Committee
Posted on Apr 25, 2013 in Legislative & Politics, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Colorado Renewable Energy Bill Passes House Committee
A Colorado bill that would significantly raise renewable energy requirements for Colorado coops was referred out of the state House Committee on Transportation & Energy for consideration by the entire House of Representatives. Senate Bill 13-252 was passed by the Colorado Senate in mid-April. Click here for the current status of the bill.
Information Sharing Cyber Security Bill to Go to Senate
Posted on Apr 23, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability, Technology | Comments Off on Information Sharing Cyber Security Bill to Go to Senate
The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, a bill that could help electric coops defend against threats, has cleared the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill would encourage the sharing of cyber threat information between the federal government and the private sector, including coops. The next step is for the bill to clear the Senate. For more information, click...
Colorado Senate Passes Bill to Raise Renewable Energy Requirements
Posted on Apr 17, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Project Development, Rates, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Colorado Senate Passes Bill to Raise Renewable Energy Requirements
Colorado Senators passed a bill 18-17 this week that would dramatically raise renewable energy requirements for the state’s electric coops. The bill would require the electricity coops to get 25 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020, which is a 10 percent increase from present requirements. The bill also would limit consumer rate increases for these upgrades to 2...
President’s 2014 Budget Includes Restrictions on Amounts and Use of RUS Loans
Posted on Apr 12, 2013 in Financing, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on President’s 2014 Budget Includes Restrictions on Amounts and Use of RUS Loans
Under the proposed 2014 federal budget, the lending authority of the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) would be decreased from $6.5 billion to $4 billion, which RUS projects will be sufficient to meet the demand from borrowers. Of this new amount, $3 billion will be earmarked for generation with carbon sequestration and renewable energy, including peaking plants to complement intermittent...
USDA Announces Funding for Rural Electric Cooperatives
Posted on Apr 10, 2013 in Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Reliability | Comments Off on USDA Announces Funding for Rural Electric Cooperatives
Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced plans to provide nearly $280 million in funding for projects designed to improve rural electric service. The funds, which will address service in rural areas across 13 states, will contribute to the construction of more than 1,900 miles of new or improved transmission and distribution lines. For a complete list of rural...
Rural Areas May Be Redefined
Posted on Mar 19, 2013 in Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Rural Areas May Be Redefined
If the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has its way, the definition of “rural” would be amended to include areas with as many as 50,000 people. The goal of this recommendation, according to the USDA, is to make rural development programs more consistent. Others are concerned that such a change could be detrimental to less-populated, needy areas. The recommendation, if it...
Bipartisan Group of Senators Express Concern Over Potential Hike in Shipping Rates
Posted on Mar 11, 2013 in Legislative & Politics, Rates, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Bipartisan Group of Senators Express Concern Over Potential Hike in Shipping Rates
Several U.S. senators, led by Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., have asked federal regulators to make sure that an investment giant’s purchase of BNSF Railway Co. does not saddle shippers with unfair costs. Specifically, Sen. Franken, along with Sens. Mark Pryor, D-Ark.; Tim Johnson, D-S.D.; Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.; and David Vitter, R-La, told the Surface Transportation...
House and Senate Introduce Bills to Prevent Theft of Metals from Critical Infrastructure, Businesses
Posted on Mar 7, 2013 in Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on House and Senate Introduce Bills to Prevent Theft of Metals from Critical Infrastructure, Businesses
On February 28, several senators introduced a bipartisan legislation designed to prevent the growing problem of metal theft. Among other things, the bipartisan legislation would make it metal theft, explicitly identifying theft of metal from critical infrastructure, a federal crime and would require recyclers of scrap metal to keep detailed documentation of metal purchases and make...
Bills Would Exempt Hawaii Coop from Some State Regulations
Posted on Mar 5, 2013 in Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on Bills Would Exempt Hawaii Coop from Some State Regulations
Hawaii lawmakers are considering legislation that would allow the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission to exempt the Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative, the only electric coop in the state, from certain state regulations governing for-profit utilities. Senate Bill 1045 and House Bill 815 are up for consideration this week. Read the full story here.
Bills Would Exempt Hawaii Coop from Some State Regulations
Posted on Mar 5, 2013 in Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on Bills Would Exempt Hawaii Coop from Some State Regulations
Hawaii lawmakers are considering legislation that would allow the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission to exempt the Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative, the only electric coop in the state, from certain state regulations governing for-profit utilities. Senate Bill 1045 and House Bill 815 are up for consideration this week. Read the full story here.
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