Sutherland Webcast: NIST’s Preliminary Cybersecurity Framework – Impact on Energy Companies
Posted on Nov 6, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Sutherland Webcast: NIST’s Preliminary Cybersecurity Framework – Impact on Energy Companies
Cybersecurity and the protection of critical infrastructure are major concerns for the energy industry. New government regulations and guidance are in the works under the President’s Cybersecurity Executive Order, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework. NIST released its Preliminary Framework on October 22. Join Sutherland...
Webinar: Patronage Capital Litigation
Posted on Oct 29, 2013 in Corporate Governance, Derivative Suits, Financing, Litigation, Patronage Capital, Regulation & Policy, Tax, Webinar | Comments Off on Webinar: Patronage Capital Litigation
Since 2009, at least 14 cases have been filed against electric cooperatives over patronage capital (or capital credits) in eight states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas. To help coops understand the surge in this type of litigation, Sutherland will present a live Webinar, “Patronage Capital Litigation,” for...
Coops Urge EPA to Slow Down Carbon Rule for Existing Plants
Posted on Oct 29, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Rates, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Coops Urge EPA to Slow Down Carbon Rule for Existing Plants
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) first “listening session” for its pending Clean Air Act emissions standards had a strong showing from coops. The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, along with individual coops from three states, proposed a fair solution that recognizes the billions of dollars already invested by coops to clean up existing plants and allows...
NRECA, Electric Coops, DOE Collaborate on Solar Energy
Posted on Oct 28, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy, Technology | Comments Off on NRECA, Electric Coops, DOE Collaborate on Solar Energy
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), 15 electric cooperatives in a dozen states and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are collaborating on a jointly funded project called the SunShot Initiative, which is aimed at bringing down the cost of utility-scale solar projects by controlling the costs of labor, procurement and materials through standardization. NRECA’s...
House Passes Bill Protecting Access to Low-Cost Hydropower
Posted on Oct 25, 2013 in Legislative & Politics, Rates, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on House Passes Bill Protecting Access to Low-Cost Hydropower
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill by a margin of 417-3 that limits the ability of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to change its hydroelectric projects in ways that could result in increased rates for coops. Read the full story here.
MISO Will Not Allow Shutdown of Presque Isle Power Plant
Posted on Oct 22, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development, Regulation & Policy, Reliability, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on MISO Will Not Allow Shutdown of Presque Isle Power Plant
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) says We Energies’ Presque Isle coal-fired power plant in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula needs to remain operational for reliability reasons, despite a bid by We Energies to suspend operations. We Energies had discussed retiring the power plant several years ago but changed its mind after Wolverine Power Cooperative (Wolverine) agreed to...
Dairyland to Retire Alma Station
Posted on Oct 22, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Dairyland to Retire Alma Station
Dairyland Power Cooperative (Dairyland) has announced plans to shutter two boilers of one of its coal-fired generating plants in Alma, Wisconsin, because of the age of the facility, demand, market prices and regulations. Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) obligations require that Dairyland produce a quarter of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2025. Currently about 88...
EPA Emission Standards Face Supreme Court Review
Posted on Oct 18, 2013 in Environmental, Litigation, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on EPA Emission Standards Face Supreme Court Review
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) arguing that the EPA has overreached its authority under the Clean Air Act by regulating greenhouse gas emissions from fossil-based power generation facilities. Oral arguments for the case (Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA) are expected in February or March 2014. Click here for more...
BPA Penalties May Trickle Down to Customers
Posted on Oct 15, 2013 in Litigation, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on BPA Penalties May Trickle Down to Customers
The electric coops, municipal systems and public utility districts that are customers of the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) in the Pacific Northwest may be stuck paying for an investigation of the agency’s flawed hiring practices, according to an October 8 report of the Department of Energy’s inspector general. Because the BPA is a self-funded, non-profit federal agency, its...
Industrial Standards Group Rejects Limits on Water Heaters
Posted on Oct 14, 2013 in Environmental, Innovation/Efficiency, Regulation & Policy, Technology | Comments Off on Industrial Standards Group Rejects Limits on Water Heaters
In a victory for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and electric coops, an industrial standards organization has rejected water heater restrictions that could have cost coop members millions of dollars. The International Code Council voted down water heater limits recommended by the Natural Resources Defense Council at its code hearing in early October. As a result,...
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