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Senate panel to discuss 22 infrastructure proposals for broader bill
The agenda for Thursday’s infrastructure hearing includes 22 bills introduced by members on both sides of the aisle. ENR Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) last week stressed her desire to put aside “messaging” bills that have monopolized much of the congressional agenda in recent years. She and ranking member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) are looking for areas of bipartisan agreement on needed updates to federal energy policies that have not been significantly changed since passage of the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act. [ read more … ]
EPA sends carbon rule for new power plants to White House
U.S. EPA sent today its final rule limiting carbon dioxide emissions from new power plants to the White House for review. EPA is working toward finalizing the rule in midsummer, along with its Clean Power Plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants. EPA also plans to submit a federal proposal for meeting the Clean Power Plan at the same time. The new power plant rule, proposed under the Clean Air Act’s New Source Performance Standards program, would require developers of coal-fired power plants to capture and store carbon dioxide emissions. [ read more … ]
Tesla may grow its Gigafactory to meet huge demand for stationary batteries
Last Thursday, Tesla Motors Inc. announced a new line of batteries to power buildings and the electric grid. Two days ago, CEO Elon Musk said that the response was so strong that Tesla is considering raising production by 50 percent or more at its new battery factory, already slated to be the largest in the world. “So, I mean, there’s, like, no way that we could possibly satisfy this demand this year, and we’re basically like sold out through the middle of next year in the first week. It was just crazy,” Musk said on a phone call with industry analysts. [ read more … ]
Southeast starts to love the sun, even if policies don’t always help
The North Carolina House just passed a bill that would freeze the state’s renewable energy standard in favor of a study committee to look at new policies, however. Broadly, South Carolina utilities are planning to add solar to the grid to follow a new state law that allows for long-term financing arrangements of solar panels and net metering. Florida, however, has made strides in utility-scale solar but has restrictive policies when it comes to homeowners and businesses having rooftop solar arrays. Despite the inconsistent policies, developers say the region is maturing, and the market continues to approach grid parity.
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Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.