Should the world’s subway systems become free people movers, in order to help the environment and low-income folks, at essentially low costs? That’s the argument from economist Lucas Davis at the University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. Based on his analysis of three large subway systems in Mexico for the Hass Energy… More Should subways be free?

How to deal with used nuclear fuel from reactors continues to confound the U.S. (and other nuclear power countries), a puzzle that has paralyzed policy makers and politicians for more than 70 years. Since the Trump administration pulled the financial plug on the over-40-year old, stalemated Yucca Mountain project in Nevada on political grounds, while… More Nuke waste disposal still in prolonged limbo

As economies start to reopen and the nation adjusts to the Covid-19 pandemic, how should electricity regulators respond? According to a white paper from the D.C. law firm of Wilkinson Barker Knauer, utility regulators should look to medium-term recovery steps, rate design rationalization, capital cost adjustments, decoupling sales and rates, and infrastructure and decarbonization. Written… More D.C. law firm offers utility regulatory advice on Covid-19 response

An attack on state net metering programs at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has drawn a blizzard of opposition and barely a few flakes of support as the comment period closed Monday (June 15). A group calling itself the New England Ratepayers Association (NERA) in April asked FERC to declare state solar net metering programs… More Solar net metering attack draws much opposition, little support

An investor-owned utility petition to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to essentially federalize traditional state authority over solar net metering is getting negative comments so far, The comment period closes next week (June 15). Even the Edison Electric Institute, which has long opposed various state net metering programs, has declined to comment on the petition… More State solar net metering under attack

An internal U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission working group has found some weaknesses in the agency’s practices on how nuclear power plants’ decommissioning is financed, a growing issue as more plants retire due to financial circumstances. It’s a multi-billion dollar issue. In an April 29 report, the working group says two new approaches to how to… More NRC staff group has some qualms about recent decommissioning financial models