By William Opalka Disregarding its staff’s recommendation, Maine’s Public Utilities Commission on Tuesday endorsed a plan in which electric ratepayers would help finance natural gas pipeline expansion (2014-00071). PUC staff said last month that ratepayer subsidies were unnecessary because market conditions have changed dramatically since 2013, when the proposal was...

By William Opalka MARLBOROUGH, Mass. — New England states are moving ahead with their own greenhouse gas reduction programs while EPA’s Clean Power Plan remains in legal limbo. At the Northeast Energy and Commerce Association Annual Environmental Conference on Wednesday, panelists said that the nine-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative remains...

Mary Beth Gentleman, a former co-chair of the energy practice at law firm Foley Hoag and current Hillary Clinton volunteer, said that the presumptive Democratic nominee for president would likely have coattails if elected, resulting in a switch to a Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate, but a takeover of the U.S. House...

Regulators OK APS Battery Storage Program The Corporation Commission approved Arizona Public Service’s demand-side management plan, which includes $4 million to incentivize the use of battery storage systems for residential customers. The plan’s aim is to reduce peak load on the utility’s distribution system and includes programs to encourage the use...

By William Opalka After more than two contentious years of ordering ISO-NE and the New England Power Pool to design sloped zonal demand curves for its constrained zones, FERC last week accepted a compliance filing that does that and also modifies the systemwide demand curve. The changes will be effective...

By William Opalka NEW YORK — Whether the view is from PJM, which sits atop the Utica and Marcellus shale gas formations, or ISO-NE, at the “end of the pipeline,” the so-called “dash to gas” shows no sign of abating, speakers said Friday at the Energy Bar Association Northeast Chapter’s...

NEW YORK — Scott Weiner, the New York Public Service Commission’s deputy for markets and innovation, discussed the state’s Reforming the Energy Vision initiative. Weiner © RTO Insider “REV distinguishes itself not by its specific proposals but by its comprehensiveness. If you take a look at the specific components of...

By William Opalka FERC accepted the results of ISO-NE’s 10th Forward Capacity Auction last week, again rejecting allegations of market manipulation and concluding that the prices were just and reasonable (ER16-1041). Brayton Point Wikipedia The auction, covering the 2019/20 commitment period, saw prices drop to $7.03/kW-month from last year’s $9.55/kW-month.

By William Opalka Staff members are recommending that the Maine Public Utilities Commission not approve natural gas pipeline capacity contracts paid for by electric and gas customers. Opponents of the Northeast Energy Direct pipeline marching in protest. (Source: PopularResistance.org) An Examiners’ Report released last week said market changes since the...

Del Mar Releases Climate Action Plan Del Mar became the second city in San Diego County — after San Diego — to announce an objective of moving to 100% renewable energy by 2035. That goal is part of a larger climate action plan to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions. The...