Commentary: Biden EPA doubles down on risky carbon capture

It didn’t take long. Less than a day after the Environmental Protection Agency announced its latest move to remove CO2 produced by coal-fired power plants, Wyoming Republican Gov. Mark Gordon told his attorney general to look into forming a coalition of coal states to challenge the rules in court. Cowboy State Daily quoted Gordon, “We… More Commentary: Biden EPA doubles down on risky carbon capture

New EPA rules target coal-fired plants and, to a lesser degree, gas

The Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency yesterday (April 25) announced a comprehensive package of rules aimed squarely at coal-fired electric generating plants and secondarily at natural gas generation. The new rules will generate legal challenges from industry and several states in multiple federal jurisdictions. They are likely to end up in the U.S. Supreme Court.… More New EPA rules target coal-fired plants and, to a lesser degree, gas

Calif. solons nix reform of utility influence spending

California legislators Monday (April 22) rejected by one vote a bill that would have expanded an existing ban on public utility companies charging customers for spending on lobbying and attempting to influence the public. The major target of the legislation was Pacific Gas & Electric, which lobbied heavily against the measure. The state Senate Committee… More Calif. solons nix reform of utility influence spending

DOE looks at the road and the roadmap to better electric transmission

The U.S. Department of Energy last week unveiled two reports focused on the crucial interstate electric transmission system, proposing both a roadmap for getting onto the grid and how strengthen the road itself. The inadequate U.S. high-voltage grids are perhaps the greatest obstacle to a low-carbon electric future. Last Tuesday (April 16), the agency rolled… More DOE looks at the road and the roadmap to better electric transmission

Biden BLM streamlines geothermal permits

Pushing geothermal electric production, the Biden administration is limiting the scope of the nation’s key environmental law, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), in environmental impacts studies for these projects on federal land. The Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management on Monday (April 15) announced it was granting two “categorical exclusions” from the list of… More Biden BLM streamlines geothermal permits

Grid interconnection queue gets longer and longer

The congested queue for grid interconnection continues to grow, according to a new study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. New generation and storage capacity trying to connect to the U.S. grid in 2023 hit nearly 2,600 GW. The difficulty in connecting to the grid is a major impediment to the transition from the legacy fossil-fuel… More Grid interconnection queue gets longer and longer