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Three struggling nuclear plants need ‘emergency’ rescue by Rick Perry, company pleads
In the latest blow to the struggling U.S. nuclear industry, a subsidiary of the large Ohio-based utility firm FirstEnergy announced plans Wednesday to shut down three nuclear plants, which collectively produce a steady stream of 4 billion watts of electricity. The company, FirstEnergy Solutions, cited “market challenges” to the plants, which are being undercut by cheap natural gas and a growing wave of renewable energy installations, according to the nuclear energy industry. [ read more … ]
E.P.A. Prepares to Roll Back Rules Requiring Cars to Be Cleaner and More Efficient
The Trump administration is expected to launch an effort in coming days to weaken greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy standards for automobiles, handing a victory to car manufacturers and giving them ammunition to potentially roll back industry standards worldwide. The move — which undercuts one of President Barack Obama’s signature efforts to fight climate change — would also propel the Trump administration toward a courtroom clash with California, which has vowed to stick with the stricter rules even if Washington rolls back federal standards. That fight could end up creating one set of rules for cars sold in California and the 12 states that follow its lead, and weaker rules for the rest of the states, in effect splitting the nation into two markets. [ read more … ]
Policy & Politics
FirstEnergy asks DOE for emergency action to save PJM coal, nuke plants
FirstEnergy Solutions on Thursday asked the U.S. Department of Energy to issue an emergency order to provide cost recovery to coal and nuclear plants in the PJM Interconnection, saying market conditions there are a “threat to energy security and reliability. FirstEnergy made the appeal under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, which allows the Department of Energy to issue emergency orders to keep plants operating. The company Wednesday announced it would close three nuclear plants in PJM before the end of their operational lives. [ read more … ]
A Utility Wants to Build America’s Largest Wind Farm—And Get Customers to Pay for It
On the gusty Oklahoma Panhandle, a fight is escalating over a $4.5 billion wind power project that stands to reshape the way Americans pay for clean energy. Across 300,000 acres utility giant American Electric Power Co. is trying to pull off something no other company has attempted at this scale: It wants to build the nation’s largest wind farm — and it wants up-front guarantees from regulators that customers will pay the bill. [ read more … ]
Wind energy advocates rally to support industry in Oklahoma
Dewey County Commissioner Dillon Berry spent Wednesday morning telling legislators about the millions of dollars his county has gained from the wind industry. Flanked by land owners, school district representatives, wind energy companies and other industry advocates, Berry told legislators how wind farms have transformed the economics of school districts and local government in Dewey County. [ read more … ]
Mass. hunts for new power link from Canada
Massachusetts has spotted a huge source of renewable energy in the Great White North. Can the state reach it? It’s a question that must have resonance for some in Massachusetts today, following the news that state authorities are moving on from the Northern Pass hydropower project, a 1-gigawatt power line to Quebec once seen as the foundation of Gov. Charlie Baker’s (R) clean energy plans. The project failed to get a siting permit in New Hampshire, even after a brief time extension. Now Massachusetts is switching to another Quebec-bound project, the 1.2-GW New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC). If permitted, it would go through Maine. [ read more … ]
Coming to a grid near you
Amid policy wins and electricity auction gains, battery storage is slowly carving out a place on the power grid, a long-sought victory for the industry that is finally coming to fruition. While battery deployment across the grid remains small, steep declines in pricing, a renewed demand from solar and wind developers and crucial regulatory decisions are enticing states to make more room for batteries in energy markets. [ read more … ]
Clean Line says federal partnership still an option for Midwest projects
The developer of a planned long-distance, high-voltage transmission line connecting Oklahoma to Tennessee says the dissolving of a federal partnership last week won’t affect two similar projects in the Midwest. “We don’t see any implications for our other projects,” Clean Line Energy Partners spokeswoman said. [ read more … ]
Frustrated with Trump, green group goes local with clean energy campaign
U.S. environmental group the League of Conservation Voters on Thursday launched a $2 million campaign to press this year’s candidates for state and local office to embrace clean energy, citing a lack of leadership on the issue in Washington. The effort seeks to tap into increasing local-level leadership on climate change since President Donald Trump took office on a vow to roll back environmental regulation and promote fossil fuels production. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.