Cross-State Air Pollution Rule Lawsuit Gains Steam
Posted on Feb 27, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Litigation, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Cross-State Air Pollution Rule Lawsuit Gains Steam
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and several G&Ts have joined in a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule. The new rule sets emissions caps and procedures for nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide that contribute to ozone formation in 27 eastern states and uses a system of tradable emissions allowances. The...
Board of Supervisors to Reconsider Opposition to Virginia Coal Plant
Posted on Feb 16, 2012 in Legislative & Politics, Project Development | Comments Off on Board of Supervisors to Reconsider Opposition to Virginia Coal Plant
The Isle of Wight County Board of Supervisors’ may rescind a November 2011 resolution opposing a proposed $6 billion coal-fired generation plant. The Board had opposed the Old Dominion Electric Cooperative project in Surry County, Virginia, due to environmental and economic development concerns. The Board, now composed of new, will revisit its position regarding the plant this week....
Budget Reform Bill Could Impact RUS Lending
Posted on Feb 14, 2012 in Economic Downturn, Financing, Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on Budget Reform Bill Could Impact RUS Lending
A budget reform bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives may place unnecessary limits on Rural Utilities Service (RUS) lending to electric coops, according to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). The bill, H.R. 3581, is intended to incorporate market risk into the cost of government credit programs, such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, but would also...
Kansas Officials Working on Disaster Fund That Would Benefit Coops
Posted on Feb 13, 2012 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Kansas Officials Working on Disaster Fund That Would Benefit Coops
Kansas lawmakers are working with the state’s governor to establish a fund to cover the state’s share of expenses from federally declared disasters, after millions owed to electric coops from storms in 2011 went unpaid. Kansas governor Sam Brownback wants to use $12 million from tax collections each year to establish a rainy day fund to avoid the situation the state faced in 2011 when...
Tenth Circuit Says Customer Is “Stuck Between a Rock and a Pile of Sewage”: Tying Suit Against City Moves Forward After U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Appeal
Posted on Feb 7, 2012 in Land Use, Legislative & Politics, Litigation, Permitting, Project Development | Comments Off on Tenth Circuit Says Customer Is “Stuck Between a Rock and a Pile of Sewage”: Tying Suit Against City Moves Forward After U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Appeal
Unlawful tying arrangements are a frequent point of contention between electric cooperatives and municipalities. On January 17, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a decision that permits an unlawful tying/monopolization claim to go forward against the City of Newkirk, Oklahoma. Click here for more.
Coops’ Input Leads to Beneficial Bills
Posted on Jan 30, 2012 in Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Coops’ Input Leads to Beneficial Bills
The House Agriculture Committee has advanced three bills that address electric cooperatives’ concerns with federal regulators’ writing of financial reform regulations. The bills would allow coops to continue using financial instruments such as derivatives, which help insulate customers from price volatility without being subjected to potentially costly regulations. To read more about...
Oregon Coop Looks to Change State Law
Posted on Jan 26, 2012 in Legislative & Politics, Rates, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Oregon Coop Looks to Change State Law
Umatilla Electric Cooperative hopes to change a 2007 state law to avoid raising customer rates to meet a state-mandated renewable energy portfolio. Currently Umatilla is a “small” energy provider under the law, but an increase in large customers, particularly Internet data centers, may force the coop into the “large” category. Umatilla would face approximately $40 million in added...
Vermont Coops Spurn Potential Transmission Control Shift to Green Mountain Power
Posted on Jan 24, 2012 in Corporate Governance, Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Mergers/Acquisitions, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Vermont Coops Spurn Potential Transmission Control Shift to Green Mountain Power
In light of a possible merger of Vermont’s two largest utilities to form new entity Green Mountain Power, Vermont municipals and coops are debating who will control the state’s transmission utility, Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO). Through petitions before the Vermont Public Service Board, both municipals and coops are urging the Board to prevent Green Mountain Power from...
Missouri Bill Introduced to Promote Smart Grid Technologies
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on Missouri Bill Introduced to Promote Smart Grid Technologies
A new bill introduced in the Missouri House of Representatives would make it easier to attach smart grid and broadband communication equipment to telecommunication poles and rural coop distribution system poles. The proposed bill would allow the pole owner to charge a reasonable rate based on costs incurred from the attachments and aims to spread these and other advanced technologies...
Proposed Bills Seek to Minimize Dodd-Frank Impact on Energy Markets
Posted on Dec 14, 2011 in Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on Proposed Bills Seek to Minimize Dodd-Frank Impact on Energy Markets
Two recently proposed House bills, H.R. 3527 and H.R. 2682, attempt to clarify definitions and exemptions in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in favor of electric coops that participate in derivatives trading. Under Dodd-Frank, coops and other end-users that use swaps for hedging purposes fear they could be miscast as swap dealers or larger traders seeking...
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