NRECA Joins Shippers in Calling on Congress to Act on Rail Reform
Posted on Jul 22, 2014 in Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on NRECA Joins Shippers in Calling on Congress to Act on Rail Reform
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) is part of a coalition of shippers that renewed a year-long call for Congress to take action to reform the country’s freight rail system. The coalition, which consists of 24 trade organizations, sent a letter to congressional leaders outlining a series of reforms meant to increase competition and lessen regulatory hurdles for...
House Funding Bill to Block Proposed EPA Regulations
Posted on Jul 10, 2014 in Climate Change, Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on House Funding Bill to Block Proposed EPA Regulations
The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations released its interior and environment funding bill for fiscal year 2015 that would cut the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) budget by $717 million from fiscal year 2014. The proposed bill would also stop EPA from enacting or enforcing its controversial proposed regulations on greenhouse gas emissions for new and...
High Court Hands Down Mixed Decision on EPA’s Power
Posted on Jun 24, 2014 in Climate Change, Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Litigation, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on High Court Hands Down Mixed Decision on EPA’s Power
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) violated the Clean Air Act when it expanded two permitting programs to include carbon dioxide emissions, and that the EPA misinterpreted the Clean Air Act when it concluded that a source’s greenhouse gas emissions can trigger permitting requirements under the law’s Title V or Prevention of Significant...
Palmetto President and CEO Receives Award and Endowed Scholarship Established in His Honor
Posted on Jun 19, 2014 in Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on Palmetto President and CEO Receives Award and Endowed Scholarship Established in His Honor
The University of South Carolina Beaufort recently announced a $100,000 endowed scholarship honoring retiring Palmetto Electric Cooperative President and CEO Tom Upshaw. Palmetto Electric Cooperative (Palmetto) and Palmetto Electric Trust provided the funds for the endowment. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley also awarded Upshaw with the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s...
Coal Squeezed Out By Environmental Regulations
Posted on Jun 11, 2014 in Climate Change, Environmental, Financing, Legislative & Politics, Rates, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Coal Squeezed Out By Environmental Regulations
New environmental regulations and coal plant retirements will affect the nation’s energy mix by 2015, according to a government report. Coal consumption is projected to drop by 3.1 percent in 2015, despite the demand for coal power during the coldest parts of last winter. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates coal plant operators will shut down 60 GW of capacity by...
EPA Carbon Rule Could Lead States to Cap-and-Trade Programs
Posted on Jun 3, 2014 in Climate Change, Energy Savings Programs, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on EPA Carbon Rule Could Lead States to Cap-and-Trade Programs
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed regulations requiring a 30 percent reduction in carbon emissions from existing power plants by 2030 outlines several approved ways for states to reach the targeted reductions. However, some experts believe that most states will likely focus on achieving compliance through cap-and-trade systems. Because the electricity grid...
EPA Proposes New Rule to Cut Emissions from Existing Plants
Posted on Jun 2, 2014 in Climate Change, Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on EPA Proposes New Rule to Cut Emissions from Existing Plants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Monday that it has issued a proposed rule that would for the first time reduce greenhouse gas emissions from existing stationary sources, including coal-fired power plants. The proposal calls for a cut in carbon dioxide emissions from existing plants to 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and would be implemented through a...
U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Controversy Over EPA Haze Authority
Posted on May 28, 2014 in Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Litigation, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Controversy Over EPA Haze Authority
The U.S. Supreme Court denied petitions from North Dakota and Oklahoma challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decisions to prioritize the respective states’ emissions control plans in favor of a federal plan. In separate cases, the states claimed that the EPA’s action undermines the state-federal relationship outlined by the Clean Air Act. For more on the cases...
Senate Agriculture Committee Raises Concerns about Proposed RUS Environmental Regulation
Posted on May 28, 2014 in Environmental, Financing, Legislative & Politics, Patronage Capital, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Senate Agriculture Committee Raises Concerns about Proposed RUS Environmental Regulation
In its report accompanying spending legislation for fiscal year 2015, the Senate Agriculture Committee has directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development office to provide a report on the impact of a controversial regulation proposed by the USDA. The regulation at issue would reclassify all loan transactions for Rural Utilities Service (RUS) borrowers as “major...
Power Plant Emissions Regulations Are Around the Corner
Posted on May 20, 2014 in Climate Change, Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Power Plant Emissions Regulations Are Around the Corner
Final regulations for capping greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants are expected to be unveiled in June 2014. The regulations provide that new coal-fired plants would limit emissions to within 1,100 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt-hour. However, the plants would have the flexibility of choosing to average their emissions over several years if they agree to adhere...
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