http://www.powermag.com POWER Mag en-us 2010 Sun, 14 Mar 2010 8:54:09 EDT "Diversify, diversify, diversify." That has long been the mantra of many Wall Street pundits when advising investors on how to weather the risks of the stock market. Now advocates of electric vehicles (EVs) are using this same logic to champion plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).... http://www.powermag.com/issues/departments/legal_and_regulatory/2504.html Mon, 1 Mar 2010 0:00:00 EST "It’s anti-renewables" is becoming a familiar refrain voiced before public utility commissions, air quality management districts, and other public agencies with jurisdiction over the siting and operation of new fossil-fueled electric generation projects. The survival — and, in some cases, expansion — of legislatively mandated renewable energy requirements, tax incentives, and outright subsidies through the recent economic downturn has further encouraged opponents of new fossil-fueled generation to cloak themselves in the environmental flag, irrespective of their underlying motives and goals.... http://www.powermag.com/issues/departments/legal_and_regulatory/2437.html Mon, 1 Feb 2010 0:00:00 EST Last fall, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a rule creating a mandatory national system for reporting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The agency requires regulated entities to begin monitoring GHG emissions January 1, 2010, and to submit their first annual emissions reports March 31, 2011. This is a key step toward federal regulation of GHG emissions (a step that may have major implications regarding "major sources" and permitting requirements for new sources). It’s also an opportunity for power producers to implement their inventory management plans.... http://www.powermag.com/issues/departments/legal_and_regulatory/2356.html Fri, 1 Jan 2010 0:00:00 EST On October 16, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals revived a lawsuit filed by residents along the Mississippi Gulf coast against several corporations in the energy, fossil fuels, and chemicals industries alleging that the defendants were responsible for property damage caused by Hurricane Katrina — Comer v. Murphy Oil USA, et al., No. 07-60756 (5th Cir. Oct. 16, 2009).... http://www.powermag.com/issues/departments/legal_and_regulatory/2300.html Tue, 1 Dec 2009 0:00:00 EST In September, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the district court ruling in Connecticut v. American Electric Power ("Decision"), a lawsuit initiated by eight states, New York City, and environmental organizations against six power-generating utilities. The plaintiffs allege that carbon dioxide emissions from the defendants’ fossil fuel – fired power plants in 20 states are contributing to a public nuisance — climate change and global warming.... http://www.powermag.com/issues/departments/legal_and_regulatory/2239.html Sun, 1 Nov 2009 0:00:00 EDT For several years there has been widespread doubt about Washington’s ability to move forward with a national program to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. At various times during the Bush administration, it appeared that... http://www.powermag.com/issues/departments/legal_and_regulatory/2175.html Thu, 1 Oct 2009 0:00:00 EDT "If you build it, they will come" — the litigants, that is. The lawsuit involving the construction of Southwestern Electric Power Co.’s (SWEPCO) John W. Turk Jr. ultrasupercritical coal-fired power plant in Arkansas gives new meaning to that popular quote from the movie Field of Dreams.... http://www.powermag.com/issues/departments/legal_and_regulatory/2119.html Tue, 1 Sep 2009 0:00:00 EDT In June, California issued yet another report on renewable energy. This one, a joint effort of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the California Energy Commission (CEC), analyzes implementation issues related to increasing the state’s renewables portfolio standard (RPS) to 33% by 2020. The report is the latest in an increasingly growing number of assessments, policy pronouncements, and administrative decisions examining renewable energy and climate change issues.... http://www.powermag.com/issues/departments/legal_and_regulatory/2059.html Sat, 1 Aug 2009 0:00:00 EDT There has been much excitement about the advent of the "smart grid" recently, especially because of the strong push by the Obama administration. Despite the simple-sounding term, the smart grid is not a simple concept.... http://www.powermag.com/issues/departments/legal_and_regulatory/1991.html Wed, 1 Jul 2009 0:00:00 EDT In the wake of the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling related to cooling water intake practices at large power plants, many utilities are relieved to be off the hook as far as implementing expensive control upgrades to protect fish and other aquatic organisms.... http://www.powermag.com/issues/departments/legal_and_regulatory/1931.html Mon, 1 Jun 2009 0:00:00 EDT