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U.S. Chamber splits with Trump over car rules
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is splitting with President Trump over his rollback of Obama-era clean car standards. Until now, the business heavyweight had largely refrained from criticizing the high-profile environmental regulatory rollback.
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Policy & Politics
Tesla Solar Panels Catch Fire, and the Lawsuits Start Flying
One evening last year, David Burek noticed charred wood and a burning smell in his attic, near his young sons’ bedroom. He climbed a ladder and saw a melted connector wire from the solar panels installed on the roof of his North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, home. Firefighters rushed over and discovered that flames had burned through the shingles, the roof and a support beam. Luckily, a recent rain had doused it. A month later, a fire broke out on the roof of Ken Tomasello’s home in Waldorf, Maryland, sending a section of the ceiling crashing onto a bed. It ultimately caused so much fire, smoke and water damage that Tomasello and his wife lived in a hotel for more than a year.
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Xcel Energy announces plans to begin wind energy farm in Eastern New Mexico
Xcel Energy announced Wednesday that construction on the 522-megawatt Sagamore Wind Project in Roosevelt County will commence in the fourth quarter. Once completed, it will provide enough clean, affordable electricity to power close to 194,000 typical homes annually, driving millions of dollars in economic benefits to the eastern part of the state.
David Hudson, president, Xcel Energy – New Mexico, Texas, reported to the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission that Xcel Energy has completed its development phase, including grid interconnection studies, paving the way for construction to start. Upon completion in late 2020, Sagamore will be New Mexico’s single largest wind generating facility. [ read more … ]
Kansas Makes Good Use Of Wind Power, But Other Renewables … Not So Much
Kansas is a national leader in wind energy, but a new report shows the state lags in the adoption of other so-called green technologies. Find out how Kansas compares to the rest of the country. [ read more … ]
As Wind Energy Thrives, So Does Its Waste Problem
Over the last two years, Rob Van Vleet has been slowly scraping the last vestiges of Kimball, Nebraska’s first wind farm. The wind turbines are made to be sturdy, he said, but they don’t last forever — about 20 years. While most of a turbine can be recycled or find a second life on another wind farm, researchers estimate the U.S. will have more than 720,000 tons of blade material to dispose of over the next 20 years, a figure that doesn’t include newer, taller, higher-capacity versions.
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Clean energy groups urge FERC to support transmission investment incentives
Eighteen groups dubbed the Grid Advancement Coalition told federal regulators they support new policies to increase investment in the transmission grid, specifically to improve operational efficiency and expand access to “low-cost remote resources.” he Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in March launched a proceeding to consider changes to its transmission policy, including how incentives could improve grid resilience and whether they should be based on potential benefits. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.