Copper Theft Continues to Impact Coops
Posted on Mar 4, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Technology | Comments Off on Copper Theft Continues to Impact Coops
Ongoing international demand for copper could result in another rise in copper prices, followed by a rise in copper theft, according to Maurice Martin, a program manager at NRECA’s Cooperative Research Network. Coops like Missouri-based N.W. Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. have tried multiple ways to thwart copper theft. For example, Northwest long ago switched to tin-coated...
Copper Theft Continues to Impact Coops
Posted on Mar 4, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Technology | Comments Off on Copper Theft Continues to Impact Coops
Ongoing international demand for copper could result in another rise in copper prices, followed by a rise in copper theft, according to Maurice Martin, a program manager at NRECA’s Cooperative Research Network. Coops like Missouri-based N.W. Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. have tried multiple ways to thwart copper theft. For example, Northwest long ago switched to tin-coated...
Proposed Kentucky Legislation Would Force Coop Merger
Posted on Feb 22, 2013 in Legislative & Politics, Mergers/Acquisitions, Rates | Comments Off on Proposed Kentucky Legislation Would Force Coop Merger
A proposed Kentucky legislative bill would force Big Rivers Electric Corporation (Big Rivers) and East Kentucky Power Cooperative to merge “as quickly as can be reasonably and economically accomplished.” House Bill 423 is intended to address the significant rate hike Big Rivers customers may face due to the coop’s impending loss of approximately 70 percent of its power sales to two...
Alaska Bill Could Allow Coop Activity in Protected Area
Posted on Feb 18, 2013 in Environmental, Land Use, Legislative & Politics, Litigation | Comments Off on Alaska Bill Could Allow Coop Activity in Protected Area
A bill moving through Alaska’s legislature would eliminate wilderness restrictions in a portion of a Bristol Bay region state park to allow a utility to study a hydroelectric project on a lake where development now is banned. So far, in observance of a 10-year-old management plan approved by local residents, state park officials have refused to allow Nuvista Light & Electric...
New Regulation Under Cybersecurity Executive Order
Posted on Feb 15, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability, Technology | Comments Off on New Regulation Under Cybersecurity Executive Order
President Obama has issued an Executive Order to address the growing cyber threat to the Nation’s “critical infrastructure.” The energy industry should pay attention, both for regulatory compliance purposes and also as a matter of sound business practice, in the face of the increasing security threat posed by cyber attacks. Read the full Sutherland Legal Alert.
Proposed Texas Bill Would Give Customers Grounds to Sue
Posted on Feb 14, 2013 in Energy Savings Programs, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Litigation, Regulation & Policy, Technology | Comments Off on Proposed Texas Bill Would Give Customers Grounds to Sue
In addition to creating a cause of action against utilities for theft and improper use of data, a proposed Texas bill, H.B. 1171, also provides customers with the right to opt out of smart meter programs and the right to have previously installed meters removed. This bill differs from a prior Senate bill in that H.B. 1171 provides customers with this cause of action but does not...
Kansas Coop Brings Attention to Private Transmission Considerations
Posted on Jan 24, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Land Use, Legislative & Politics, Permitting, Project Development, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Kansas Coop Brings Attention to Private Transmission Considerations
Wheatland Electric Cooperative of Kansas is alerting others to potential concerns regarding the construction of private transmission lines to meet increased oil and gas exploration in the Mississippi Lime Play, which is an underground formation across southern and western Kansas and northern Oklahoma. If energy companies begin building their own electric transmission infrastructure,...
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...
Vermont Coop Among Opponents to Proposed Wind Moratorium
Posted on Jan 17, 2013 in Legislative & Politics, Project Development, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Vermont Coop Among Opponents to Proposed Wind Moratorium
Washington Electric Cooperative is among a long list of renewable energy supporters opposing a recent state legislative proposal to ban for three years the development of wind generation projects with a capacity greater than 500 kW. Legislators proposed the bill in reaction to environmental and aesthetic concerns raised by constituents. However, opponents say the move contradicts...
New Reliability Compliance Opportunities in 2013
Posted on Jan 2, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on New Reliability Compliance Opportunities in 2013
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) closed out 2012 with several orders affecting reliability compliance. FERC adopted a revised definition of the “bulk electric system,” authorized FERC access to e-Tags used to schedule power transmission, and affirmed the authority of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to assess monetary penalties against federally...
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