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Energy-water bill likely to move this week
The test of the precarious path will come when the Senate holds a cloture vote no later than tomorrow morning to dispose of a contentious Iran amendment that has held up the appropriations bill for the past few weeks. Sixty votes would be required to move ahead with the amendment, an unlikely threshold given solid opposition from the chamber’s 44 Democrats. Once the amendment is defeated, the Senate could move toward passage of the broader bill. [ read more … ]
Critics blast IRS wind tax guidance
Critics of the renewable energy production tax credit are crying foul over new Internal Revenue Service guidance allowing wind and other facilities an additional two years to qualify for the incentive after breaking ground. Last week’s IRS notice doubled the amount of time renewable energy production facilities have to qualify for the PTC after starting construction. The guidance extended the time from two years, a number set in 2013, to four or more years. [ read more … ]
California Utility-Scale Solar Energy Surpasses Wind Energy For 1st Time
California leads in solar PV installations, as it continues to dominate the solar landscape. With the state having one of the top Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) of 50% by 2030, this will put further need to increase not only utility-scale solar energy, but also improved local solar forecasting to produce maximum results, as the state heads towards its clean energy goals. [ read more … ]
Iowa emerges as national leader in wind energy
Iowa has emerged as a national leader in the development of renewable energy, thanks to the willingness of energy customers, communities, business and environmental coalitions and state policymakers and elected officials to work together toward this goal. The visionary leadership of Sen. Chuck Grassley at the federal level and Govs. Tom Vilsack and Terry Branstad at the state level have helped put Iowa on the path to generating more than 40 percent of its annual energy needs from wind by the end of this decade. [ read more … ]
Lawyers test arguments before court contest
Ahead of next month’s courtroom showdown over the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan, lawyers last week previewed their arguments in a Chicago classroom. Industry attorney Tom Lorenzen and environmental lawyer Sean Donahue each appeared confident as they presented their opposing sides of the case at a debate hosted by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. Both attorneys are expected to represent their respective sides during oral arguments next month over U.S. EPA’s regulation to curb power plants’ greenhouse gas emissions. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.