Legal & Regulatory

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed into law sweeping bills approved by Texas legislators that will require power generators in the state to weatherize against extreme events and revamp organizational oversight of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Hours before the state’s regular 140-day legislative session dwindled to its end on May 30—and amid […]

The Biden administration in February announced that for the remainder of 2021, federal agencies will conduct regulatory and environmental analyses assuming that the global “social cost” of emitting carbon

Owners and operators of the 100 most “critical” hazardous liquid and natural gas pipelines, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities will need to act within the next 30 days to align with federal cybersecurity guidance under new mandates issued by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The TSA’s May 27-issued pipeline-focused security directive is a notable, […]

Germany has moved its climate neutrality target up from 2050 to 2045 and adopted new interim binding targets that will require greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions of 65% by 2030 and 88% by 2040, compared to 1990 levels. After 2050, notably, the country—which is Europe’s biggest economy—envisions it will achieve negative GHG emissions.  Germany’s federal […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved 20-year subsequent renewed licenses (SRLs) for Dominion Energy Virginia’s Surry Power Station Units 1 and 2 near Newport News, Virginia, making them only the fifth and sixth reactors in the U.S. cleared to operate for 60 to 80 years. But the number of operating U.S. nuclear reactors fell […]

ERCOT market participants are grappling with the resulting financial fallout from winter storm Uri, which devastated Texas in February. Many are now familiar with actions the Texas Public Utility Commission (PUCT) took during the weather event, moves made with the intent to bring and maintain as much generation online as possible. Most notable, the commission […]

In the decade following World War II, the U.S. government took a keen interest in helping to create a commercial nuclear power industry. Although there were military leaders and members of Congress who

Blue, green, turquoise, yellow, pink, blue, grey and brown/black. Hydrogen is currently beset by a host of colorful adjectives, but what part of the hydrogen rainbow is most likely to lead to a pot of gold (and environmental benefits)?  Elected officials across the country are more and more focused on promoting green hydrogen, which is […]

The European Union’s (EU’s) much-watched Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act—the world’s first “green list”—unveiled by the European Commission (EC) on April 21 qualifies several power-producing sectors in its technical screening criteria for sustainable investment decisions. However, it delays controversial decisions on gas and nuclear.  The EC adopted the Delegated Act as part of an ambitious package […]