If you’re reading this, you probably already know that modernizing and expanding the U.S. transmission and distribution system is one of the greatest opportunities and one of the most difficult challenges facing the nation’s energy industry, which also makes it one of the hottest topics for NetZero Insider reporters.
Our K Kaufmann starts our coverage with the Department of Energy’s announcement of its list of 10 potential National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors, aimed at accelerating the permitting of interregional lines and providing federal financing to help get those projects built.
Speaking at a recent conference, New Jersey Sen. Bob Smith said the state’s grid is nowhere near what is needed to meet the state’s ambitious climate goals, correspondent Hugh Morley writes. “We now have a grid that is held together by duct tape, and not very good duct tape,” Smith said, calling for a “war-time mobilization for climate change.”
Speaking of ambitious climate goals, Hugh also reports that the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities recently approved new incentives to spur developers toward making all new buildings in the state net zero.
Continuing our coverage of federal and state policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, James Downing provides a good rundown of EPA’s final rule on methane emissions from oil and gas facilities, establishing new standards and requirements for reporting and ultimately reducing emissions.
But EPA is also getting pushback on its recently released rule setting tough requirements for cutting GHG emissions at existing coal plants and new natural gas plants, with a slew of Republican-led state attorneys general filing suit to block implementation of the rule, Kaufmann reports.
Meanwhile in Vermont, John Cropley has the story on the showdown brewing between the state’s Democratic-controlled legislature and Republican Gov. Phil Scott over H. 289, a bill that would up the state’s renewable energy requirement to 100% by 2030. Scott has said he will veto the bill, already passed in both houses of the legislature, where Democrats have the votes to override a veto.
Cropley also covered Maryland’s latest effort to prop up its struggling offshore wind industry, with Gov. Wes Moore signing H.B. 1296, which calls on the state’s Public Service Commission to reopen its most recent OSW solicitation to consider revised schedules, sizes and pricing for any previously approved contract.
Our curated content reflects a roiling landscape of reactions to climate change and the growth of renewables.
The New York Times leads off with an analysis of two new reports, one showing the global growth of renewable energy ― now 30% of generation worldwide ― and the other, the ever rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Another analysis of New York’s ambitious Build Public Renewables Act, by Canary Media, finds that the New York Power Authority is being criticized for a lack of transparency in how it is planning to implement the law and its choice of the consulting firm McKinsey to help it understand the challenges facing renewable developers.
Read on for more news and analysis in this week’s Intelligence Report:
|
Share
Tweet
Share
Forward