Colorado Seeks to Increase Coop Renewable Power Target
Posted on Apr 9, 2013 in Climate Change, Litigation, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Colorado Seeks to Increase Coop Renewable Power Target
A Colorado state committee approved legislation this week that would require that 25 percent of Colorado’s electric coop electricity come from renewable sources by 2020. Investor-owned utilities in the state — Xcel Energy Inc. and Black Hills Energy — must by state law generate 30 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Tri-State Generation and Transmission...
Coops Gain Exemption From CFTC Regulations
Posted on Apr 2, 2013 in Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Coops Gain Exemption From CFTC Regulations
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) voted unanimously on March 28 to exempt electric coops from certain regulations under the financial reform laws. Specifically, certain non-financial energy derivative transactions between and among coops and municipal utilities, federal power agencies, federal entities with electric assets, and Indian tribes will be exempt from most of...
Rural Areas May Be Redefined
Posted on Mar 19, 2013 in Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Rural Areas May Be Redefined
If the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has its way, the definition of “rural” would be amended to include areas with as many as 50,000 people. The goal of this recommendation, according to the USDA, is to make rural development programs more consistent. Others are concerned that such a change could be detrimental to less-populated, needy areas. The recommendation, if it...
New Mexico Coops, Regulators and Power Supplier Clash Over Rates
Posted on Mar 18, 2013 in Litigation, Rates, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on New Mexico Coops, Regulators and Power Supplier Clash Over Rates
Last week, the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC) denied a trio of requests from Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association (Tri-State) for interim rate increases that would have affected 12 New Mexico coops. Tri-State provides wholesale power to 44 rural cooperatives in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska, and each coop has a representative on the Tri-State...
FERC Issues License for Hydroelectric Project in Alaska
Posted on Mar 13, 2013 in Energy Savings Programs, Project Development, Rates, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on FERC Issues License for Hydroelectric Project in Alaska
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued a license for Inside Passage Electric Cooperative’s Gartina Falls project near Hoonah, Alaska. The project, which is fully funded at less than $8 million, will replace 30 percent of the diesel use in Hoonah. Local businesses, which are not eligible for the state’s power-cost equalization program, stand to benefit from the...
Coops Ask DOE Chief to Drop Grid Restructuring Plan
Posted on Mar 11, 2013 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy, Technology | Comments Off on Coops Ask DOE Chief to Drop Grid Restructuring Plan
Coops and other utilities want the new Department of Energy chief, Ernest Moniz, to drop his predecessor’s requirements to integrate renewable energy into the grid. Utility groups want Moniz to rescind a plan proposed by outgoing DOE Secretary Steven Chu to restructure federally controlled power systems in the Western United States that would enable deployment of renewable energy,...
Bipartisan Group of Senators Express Concern Over Potential Hike in Shipping Rates
Posted on Mar 11, 2013 in Legislative & Politics, Rates, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Bipartisan Group of Senators Express Concern Over Potential Hike in Shipping Rates
Several U.S. senators, led by Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., have asked federal regulators to make sure that an investment giant’s purchase of BNSF Railway Co. does not saddle shippers with unfair costs. Specifically, Sen. Franken, along with Sens. Mark Pryor, D-Ark.; Tim Johnson, D-S.D.; Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.; and David Vitter, R-La, told the Surface Transportation...
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...
Maryland PSC Raises Reliability Standards in Wake of Storm
Posted on Feb 28, 2013 in Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Maryland PSC Raises Reliability Standards in Wake of Storm
The Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) will require utilities to file plans by May 31 outlining improved response efforts after severe storms. The order stems from last year’s “derecho” storm during which almost one million customers lost power. The PSC will not impose penalties on any utility based on its reaction to the 2012 storm. For the full story, click...
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