Legislative
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News
Key Power Industry Conferences and Trade Shows to Think About in 2019
Conferences and exhibitions are a valuable way for power professionals to share ideas and network, gain up-to-date training, further education, understand regulatory or policy changes, and access the latest products and technologies. POWER‘s editors compiled this helpful list of events in 2019 that cater to the power industry. FEBRUARY ARC Industry Forum February 4-7 Orlando, […]
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News
Regulators Back Dominion Takeover of SCANA
Dominion Energy’s bid to purchase SCANA Corp. and its South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G) utility, approved by South Carolina regulators on Dec. 14, could bring some stability to SCANA. Shareholders hope that’s the case; they’re excited about swapping their devalued SCANA shares for more valuable Dominion stock. Workers, though, remain uncertain about their futures, […]
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News
Senate Confirms McNamee as FERC Commissioner
The U.S. Senate on a 50-49 party-line vote December 6 confirmed Bernard McNamee to a seat on the five-member Federal Energy and Regulatory Commission (FERC), despite questions about his independence from the Trump administration and his previous comments in support of a bailout of coal and nuclear U.S. power plants at the expense of renewable […]
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News
Xcel’s Latest Plan: Carbon-Free by 2050
Xcel Energy has announced its plan to move to 100% carbon-free power generation by 2050, with the utility also saying it will reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2030, from 2005 levels. Xcel, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serves customers in eight states and over the past two years has announced a significant number of renewable […]
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News
Midterms a Mixed Bag for State Energy Ballot Measures
The midterm elections yielded mixed results for power-related matters across the U.S. Voters in Arizona shot down a measure that would have expanded the state’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS) to 50% by 2030, but voters in Nevada overwhelmingly backed a similar measure, adding it to a growing list of states that have sought 50% RPS […]
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Commentary
Tax Reform Legislation Drives Increased Focus on Cash Flows
In the wake of the implementation of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), many utilities and their holding companies are experiencing increasing pressure on cash flow due to the elimination of bonus
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O&M
Hydropower Bill Overwhelmingly Clears Senate, Heads to President’s Desk
The U.S. Senate has cleared a major water infrastructure bill that contains several provisions promoting hydropower development, sending it to the president’s desk. The Senate passed S. 3021, “America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018,” on October 10 through a bipartisan vote of 99–1. Because the House of Representatives unanimously passed the bill in a voice […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Can Coal and Nuclear Power Plants Be Saved?
It’s no secret that U.S. nuclear and coal-fired power plants are struggling to remain viable in competitive markets. Many plants have been retired for economic reasons long before the facilities reached the
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Legal & Regulatory
Federal Appeals Court Upholds New York’s Nuclear Subsidies
New York’s subsidies of nuclear power are legally sound, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has concluded. The decision comes two weeks after the Seventh Circuit upheld a similar measure in Illinois. The development marks a victory for the nuclear industry, which has been financially crippled by the rise of cheap gas […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Oglethorpe Agrees to Continue Vogtle Nuclear Project with Conditions; Final Vote Still to Come
Owners of the beleaguered Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion project have voted—at least for now—to continue construction of two new AP1000 reactors at the site near Waynesboro, Georgia. Directors of the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG Power) and Oglethorpe Power on September 24 each agreed the oft-delayed and increasingly over-budget project should move forward, although […]