Tennessee Governor Signs the Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act
Posted on May 18, 2017 in Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Tennessee Governor Signs the Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed the Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act, a bill permitting rural electric cooperatives to provide broadband services in the state. This legislation is intended to increase the provision of broadband services to Tennessee’s unserved areas.
FEMA Awards $6 Million Grant to Bury Power Lines
Posted on May 3, 2017 in Grid & Infrastructure, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on FEMA Awards $6 Million Grant to Bury Power Lines
FEMA has awarded Kootenai Electric Cooperative a $6 million federal grant to reduce power outages from storms. The grant will go toward burying 45 miles of transmission and distribution lines.
D.C. Circuit Pauses Litigation Over Clean Power Plan
Posted on Apr 28, 2017 in Climate Change, Litigation, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on D.C. Circuit Pauses Litigation Over Clean Power Plan
On Friday, the D.C. Circuit granted the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) stay request regarding the Clean Power Plan and ordered the parties to file briefs by May 15 on whether the cases should be remanded to the EPA or just kept on hold. Since President Trump’s executive order last month regarding “energy independence,” the EPA has asked for additional time to review the...
NRECA Approves of the White House’s Announcement of the Rural America Task Force
Posted on Apr 27, 2017 in Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on NRECA Approves of the White House’s Announcement of the Rural America Task Force
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) praises the Trump Administration’s creation of the Rural America Task Force as a sign of future prioritization of the economic development of rural American communities.
EPA to Review Power Plant Effluent Rule
Posted on Apr 14, 2017 in Environmental, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on EPA to Review Power Plant Effluent Rule
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced that it will reconsider a rule that sets federal limits on the amount of toxic metal that may be discharged with power plants’ wastewater and has stayed the compliance dates in the rule. The EPA updated the rule in 2015 because the older version did not adequately address toxic metal discharges by not treating dissolved...
Trump to Roll Back Environmental Protection Agency Regulations
Posted on Mar 28, 2017 in Climate Change, Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Project Development, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Trump to Roll Back Environmental Protection Agency Regulations
President Donald Trump is expected to issue an executive order Tuesday that would withdraw the Clean Power Plan. The order is also expected to lift the moratorium on the federal coal program and ease restrictions on hydraulic fracturing.
Minnesota Governor Vetoes Bill on Electric Cooperative Disputes
Posted on Mar 23, 2017 in Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Minnesota Governor Vetoes Bill on Electric Cooperative Disputes
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton vetoed a bill that would have removed the Minnesota Public Utility Commission’s authority to settle certain electric utility disputes between cooperatives and coop customers, including billing disputes regarding customer installation of renewable energy sources. The bill was passed by the state senate last week and, if approved, would have vested dispute...
Maine’s Swan’s Island Electric Cooperative to Dissolve
Posted on Mar 17, 2017 in Mergers/Acquisitions, Rates, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Maine’s Swan’s Island Electric Cooperative to Dissolve
Swan’s Island Electric Cooperative members voted 265-29 in favor of dissolving one of the country’s smallest electric cooperatives. The vote to sell their local utility to Emera Maine could close as early as March 31, 2017 and will effectively save the members $20 per month on their electricity bills but will sacrifice four full-time jobs and eight part-time jobs in a community...
Minnesota Governor to Review Bill on Electric Cooperative Disputes
Posted on Mar 17, 2017 in Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Minnesota Governor to Review Bill on Electric Cooperative Disputes
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton is set to review a bill that would remove authority from the Minnesota Public Utility Commission in handling complaints from electricity customers and give such authority to a third-party mediator. Supporters of the legislation feel the cooperatives should have to go to St. Paul to defend its practices as the cooperatives boards are locally elected by...
Swan’s Island Makes another Attempt to Merge with Emera Maine
Posted on Feb 17, 2017 in Grid & Infrastructure, Mergers/Acquisitions, Rates, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Swan’s Island Makes another Attempt to Merge with Emera Maine
After Maine regulators denied Swan’s Island Electric Coop (Swan’s Island) to merge with Emera Maine (Emera) because the merger would have put a disproportionate burden on Emera’s mainland customers, Swan’s Island has submitted a new merger proposal putting more of the financial burden of the merger on the island utility customers. Regulators are schedule to review the revised plan on...
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