View this email in a web browser.
Coal’s Cruel Fortune: Its Biggest Market Is Also the Windiest
Here’s how bad U.S. coal has it these days: The region that has for years burned the most coal also happens to be the windiest. The Great Plains states that run south from Canada to Texas, tucked between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River, are increasingly turning to cheap wind power to generate electricity. It’s a shift that’s eating into coal’s dwindling share of America’s power plant pie. [ read more … ]
Almost 10K solar, wind jobs announced in 3rd quarter — report
U.S. companies announced almost 10,000 new clean energy and transportation jobs in the third quarter of this year, with a host of solar and wind projects pushing Utah to the top of the job growth rankings, a new report says. The solar industry accounted for 7,300 of the announced jobs at 23 separate projects, according to the report from the nonprofit Environmental Entrepreneurs. The wind industry announced more than 2,500 jobs at 11 separate projects, it said. [ read more … ]
Utilities plan a surge of solar, wind in Southeast
The Southeast’s three major investor-owned utilities have big plans to ramp up their renewable energy portfolios across the United States in the near future, citing falling costs and rising demand because of U.S. EPA’s Clean Power Plan. Duke Energy Corp., NextEra Energy Inc. and Southern Co. each recently told analysts that opportunities to add more wind and solar projects have exceeded their expectations. All three companies plan to invest billions into expanding solar arrays and wind farms, either by buying or building them, despite the possibility of eventual changes in some of the federal tax incentives. [ read more … ]
BLM advances federal portion of massive Calif. desert plan
The Obama administration yesterday advanced the federal portion of a major plan designed to guide commercial-scale wind, solar and geothermal power development across millions of acres of Southern California desert. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced completion of a final environmental impact statement (EIS) and three proposed land-use plan amendments covering about 10 million acres of federal lands as part of the first phase of implementation of the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP). [ read more … ]
EPA confirms wind, solar only renewables to receive early credit
U.S. EPA is throwing cold water on hopes that renewables other than wind and solar might qualify for an incentive program designed to reward emissions reductions made before the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan takes effect. In an informational call Tuesday, Tina Ndoh of EPA’s office of Air Quality Planning and Standards shut down a suggestion that the Clean Energy Incentive Program (CEIP) could be used to give credits for hydropower, geothermal or other forms of clean power. [ read more … ]
White House may wait months to fill FERC vacancy — sources
The White House may wait months to fill a vacant Republican seat on the powerful Federal Energy Regulatory Commission — and then use that nomination as a bargaining chip when the time comes, according to sources. The Obama administration has yet to tap a replacement for Philip Moeller, a member of the agency who stepped down at the end of last month to pursue opportunities in the private sector.
[ read more … ]
Republicans seek FERC review of Carter-era renewables law
Congressional Republicans called on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to explore whether changes are needed to improve a law crafted in the Carter administration to boost renewables and efficiency. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton of Michigan, and Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power Chairman Ed Whitfield of Kentucky asked FERC to review its use of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, or PURPA. The letter to FERC Chairman Norman Bay reflects concerns with the law that Berkshire Hathaway Energy (BHE) raised earlier this year as the Senate and House were crafting comprehensive energy legislation. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.