Legislative
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Nuclear
Millstone Weighs Options as Opposition to Financial Aid Continues
Groups opposed to financial relief for Connecticut’s 2,111-MW Millstone Nuclear Power Station continue to press their case against subsidies for the plant as state lawmakers prepare for a special session to prepare a state budget for the new fiscal year, which begins July 1. The regular 2017 legislative session ended June 7. Dominion Energy in […]
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Nuclear
House Passes PTC Extension for New Nuclear Facilities
A bipartisan bill extending a production tax credit (PTC) for advanced nuclear power facilities passed the U.S. House on a voice vote on June 20. The bill, introduced by Congressman Tom Rice (R-S.C.), seeks to give facilities that use novel nuclear power technologies more investment certainty. The nuclear PTC was established under the Energy Policy […]
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Renewables
Dominion to Reassess Plans for Millstone’s Continued Operation after Connecticut Nuclear Support Bill Thwarted
Dominion Energy told POWER it will begin a “strategic reassessment” of its plans for the 2,111-MW Millstone Nuclear Power Station in Connecticut after state legislators effectively blocked a bill that would have provided it a mechanism to bid for state contracts reserved for renewables. Dominion waged a tough campaign to push the bill through the […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Coal Is Back
Although I’m sure some readers will consider the title of this column hyperbole, coal is back. It’s back in the public discourse, and that’s largely due to the Trump administration. President Trump was
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Legal & Regulatory
Power Market Operators and Participants See a Glimmer of Optimism in Current Chaos
The conversation at the ELECTRIC POWER Conference and Exhibition, as underscored by comments made in its keynote address and at the annual event’s executive roundtable, was optimistic yet cautious, owing to
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Legal & Regulatory
Exelon Announces Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant to Close in 2019
Exelon Corp. said it plans to retire the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear power plant around September 30, 2019, unless policy reforms are enacted in Pennsylvania. The company used a similar ploy in Illinois to pressure lawmakers into passing the state’s Future Energy Jobs bill, which provides subsidies for nuclear power plants. In that case, Exelon […]
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Renewables
Trump Administration Releases Budget Slashing Energy Research
President Donald Trump wants to balance the federal budget in 10 years, and it appears he believes that to do so, deep cuts to the nation’s energy research funding are needed. The administration’s fiscal year 2018 (FY18) budget request, released Tuesday, May 23, cuts funding for the Department of Energy (DOE) by $1.7 billion, a […]
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Nuclear
Ohio Committee Suspends FirstEnergy’s Nuclear Power Rescue Plan
Ohio-based FirstEnergy’s plan for a rescue of its two uncompetitive Ohio nuclear plants took a nosedive May 17, as the Ohio House Public Utilities Committee suspended action on the company’s proposal to charge its customers a fee to subsidize the plants. FirstEnergy’s plan mimics programs adopted in Illinois and New York to create “zero energy […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Senate Committee Takes on Regulatory Reform
The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs May 17 advanced a number of bills that could have significant impacts on the future of energy regulation in the future. Four of the bills— the Regulatory Accountability Act (RAA), the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, the Midnight Rules Relief Act, […]
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Legal & Regulatory
New York’s Ambitious Transitions: Who Wins? Who Loses? Who Knows?
New York’s electricity system and markets face a blizzard of changes, driven by policy, politics, and economic forces. The New York Independent System Operator and the New York State Energy Research and