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CFTC Head Issues Statement in Support of Exemption for Coops

The head of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued a statement last Friday in support of the proposed relief from the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) swaps provisions for certain electricity and electricity-related energy transactions between rural electric cooperatives and federal, state, municipal, and tribal power...

Virginia Coop Suspends Efforts to Acquire Permits for Surry Coal Plant

Virginia-based Old Dominion Electric Cooperative is suspending its efforts to obtain the environmental permits needed to build what would have been the state’s largest coal-fueled power plant in Surry County.  The coop’s decision to pull back from the proposed $6 billion Cypress Creek Power Station was based in large part on the Environmental Protection Agency’s new, more stringent...

CFTC Exempts Electric Cooperatives from Dodd-Frank Clearing Requirements

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has approved a final rule exempting electric cooperatives from mandatory clearing requirements if they use swaps to hedge or mitigate commercial risk.  This rule would allow coops to avoid the additional costs of the clearance organization administering these transactions.  Click here for additional details.

Montana Lawmakers Propose Legislation to Increase Transparency of Cooperative Decisions

In reaction to the bankruptcy of Southern Montana Electric Generation and Transmission Cooperative, Montana lawmakers are proposing legislation designed to increase the transparency of Montana’s electric cooperatives.  The proposed legislation would require a two-thirds vote of the member coops before financing certain power generation proposals.  Each of the member coops would be...

Federal Loans Could Cut Rural Electric Bills

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing a new federal loan program that would make federal loans available for rural electric coops to distribute to customers who want to make their homes and businesses more energy-efficient.  A version of the program was piloted in South Carolina.  There, 125 rural homeowners received loans averaging $7,200 to seal air leaks and replace...

NRECA Asks EPA to Withdraw Rule for Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) has asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to withdraw a proposed rule for greenhouse gas emissions for new fossil-fuel-based power plants.  According to the NRECA, the EPA is violating the law by classifying coal and natural gas baseload generation as interchangeable fuel sources.  The NRECA says only some natural gas...

U.S. Senate Rejects Measure to Overturn MACT Standard

The U.S. Senate rejected a Republican-backed resolution that would have overturned the Environmental Protection Agency’s utility maximum achievable control technology (MACT) standard. This rule will require coal-fired power plants to reduce their emissions of mercury and other pollutants by more than 90 percent in four years.  Click here for additional details (subscription...

Energy Secretary Urged to Consult Coops Over Hydropower Reform

Energy Secretary Steven Chu is being urged by 166 members of Congress to consult coops and utilities before reforming the four agencies that oversee the nation’s hydropower marketing: the Bonneville Power Administration, the Southeastern Power Administration, the Southwestern Power Administration and the Western Area Power Administration.  The proposed reforms largely target the...

U.S. Representatives Continue Pressing EPA on Utility Regulations

The Republican chairs of the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent another letter to the Environmental Protection Agency demanding another accounting of the compliance costs associated with the Utility Maximum Achievable Control Technology (Utility MACT) rule.  The Utility MACT rule requires power plant operators to reduce toxic air emissions by some 90 percent over the next three...

Grand Canyon State Electric Coop Association CEO Testifies on Federal Policies

Tom Jones, CEO of Arizona’s Grand Canyon State Electric Coop Association (GCSECA), warned that proposed regulations may significantly increase energy prices for coops in the region when he recently addressed the Committee on House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed federal regulations governing the disposal of...

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