NRECA Opposes President’s Plan on Climate Change
Posted on Aug 13, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on NRECA Opposes President’s Plan on Climate Change
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) has launched a campaign against President Barack Obama’s proposal to use the Clean Air Act to regulate carbon dioxide and fight climate change. The NRECA released a video voicing its opposition to the President’s plan. Click here for more.
Utilities Object to Recommendations for Columbia River Treaty
Posted on Aug 9, 2013 in Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Rates, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Utilities Object to Recommendations for Columbia River Treaty
Flathead Electric Cooperative and other utilities have expressed their concern in recent months over the rate impacts of certain recommended changes to the Columbia River Treaty relating to the river’s ecosystem. This half-decade-old treaty provides for the return of power to Canada in exchange for flood control provided by dams in Canada. See the Daily Inter Lake for details on the...
John W. Turk, Jr. Power Plant Named Plant of the Year
Posted on Aug 9, 2013 in Environmental, Project Development, Regulation & Policy, Technology | Comments Off on John W. Turk, Jr. Power Plant Named Plant of the Year
The new 600-MW John W. Turk, Jr. coal-fueled plant in Arkansas has been named Plant of the Year by POWER Magazine. The plant, which is co-owned by Southwestern Electric Power Company, Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation, East Texas Electric Cooperative and Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority, received this award for overcoming a number of regulatory hurdles and legal obstacles. ...
North Dakota City Commission Denies Franchise to Coop
Posted on Aug 7, 2013 in Legislative & Politics, Rates, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on North Dakota City Commission Denies Franchise to Coop
The Devils Lake City Commission denied a request from Nodak Electric Cooperative (Nodak) for a franchise to allow the cooperative to provide electrical service to some areas within the city limits. All property within the city limits is currently served by Otter Tail Power Company. As the city limits expand, Nodak was seeking to serve several new subdivisions within the city limits. ...
FERC Conditionally Approves Alaskan Hydro Project
Posted on Aug 7, 2013 in Permitting, Project Development, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on FERC Conditionally Approves Alaskan Hydro Project
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has conditionally approved a license for a 6.5-MW hydroelectric project in Alaska which will reportedly cost $38.8 million. The license was awarded to Copper Valley Electric Association for the proposed Allison Creek Hydroelectric Project. The license includes various environmental mitigation conditions for the project, which is...
Coops Challenge Lending for New Renewable Energy Projects
Posted on Aug 5, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Project Development, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Coops Challenge Lending for New Renewable Energy Projects
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) has voiced opposition to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to establish a new Rural Utilities Service (RUS) lending project aimed at renewable energy. The USDA announced in early June that it would consider implementing the program under the Electric Loan program to fund renewable energy generation, even...
FERC Sides With Louisiana Coop in NERC Challenge
Posted on Aug 5, 2013 in Litigation, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on FERC Sides With Louisiana Coop in NERC Challenge
As the Sutherland Coop team reported on July 25, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) sided with South Louisiana Electric Cooperative Association (SLECA) and ordered the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to remove the coop from its compliance registry for distribution providers and load-serving entities. SLECA originally came under the compliance...
Wisconsin Bill to Protect Coops From Civil Suits
Posted on Aug 2, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Wisconsin Bill to Protect Coops From Civil Suits
Wisconsin State Assembly representatives have proposed Assembly Bill 257 to protect coops and other electricity providers from civil liability for damage to persons and property resulting from power service. The bill does not intend to modify existing standards related to permissible stray voltage levels, but critics say the bill will take utilities off the hook for related harm and...
Court Rejects Challenge to EPA Haze Rule
Posted on Jul 31, 2013 in Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Court Rejects Challenge to EPA Haze Rule
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit upheld the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2009 regional haze rule in Oklahoma despite challenges that the EPA overstepped its authority. The decision is expected to impact coal-based electricity, which makes up about 70% of cooperative-owned generation. To read more about this story and a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals...
Debate Arises over Issue of Sustaining Net Metering Projects
Posted on Jul 25, 2013 in Environmental, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy, Technology | Comments Off on Debate Arises over Issue of Sustaining Net Metering Projects
Some coops in the Northeast are concerned about the legal ambiguities of financing small renewable energy projects. Coops in Vermont are subject to a law that requires utilities to credit customers 20 cents for every kWh they produce through small renewable energy systems, or net metering systems, unless a utility’s total net metering surpasses 4 percent of its peak demand from the...
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