News
-
News
New Products (August 2013)
240-W LED High-Bay Light for Hazardous Areas Larson Electronics released the the HAL-HB-240W-LED 240-W LED light for high-bay and floodlight applications in Class 1 Division 2 areas. Available with 19-, 25-, 40- and 125-degree optic configuration, this high-powered LED light comes closer to replicating 1,000-W metal halide illumination. At 240 W, the HAL-HB-240W-LED Class 1 […]
-
News
Blowing Smoke
President Obama’s recent comments on climate change and the need for additional federal regulation of greenhouse gases carelessly handled the science he quotes.
-
Coal
Coal Plant Owners, Beneficiaries, Enviros Propose “Better-than-BART” Alternative to EPA
Stakeholders of the coal-fired Navajo Generating Station on Friday proposed to shut down a 750-MW unit at the plant by 2020 as an alternative to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that requires the owners to install costly Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology on all three units by 2018.
-
Smart Grid
Industry-Backed Bipartisan Cybersecurity Bill Passes Senate Committee
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on Tuesday unanimously approved a bipartisan bill that bolsters efforts by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to craft a cybersecurity framework.
-
Environmental
Senate Confirms Gina McCarthy as EPA Administrator
The Senate last week confirmed Gina McCarthy as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a bipartisan vote of 59–40.
-
Wind
BOEM to Hold Wind Power Lease Sale for Area Offshore Virginia
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will hold its second competitive lease sale for renewable energy on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore Virginia this September.
-
Smart Grid
New FERC Rule Creates New Opportunities for Energy Storage
A final rule issued last week by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to foster competition and transparency in ancillary services markets creates new opportunities for energy storage technologies to help transmission customers self-supply their own Regulation and Frequency Response service requirements while opening up certain ancillary services markets to all generators selling at market-based rates.
-
Smart Grid
Calif., Texas Tie for States with Most Smart Grid Progress
California and Texas equally show the most progress in modernizing their electric systems with smart grid technologies compared to other U.S. states, a new evaluation of the nation’s grid modernization efforts shows.
-
Nuclear
GAO Report Shines Light on Failures of MOX Facility
A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released July 24 makes several “observations” about management challenges at the Department of Energy (DOE). Though most concern weapons program issues, one problem area touches the nuclear power industry.
-
Coal
Comprehensive Diagram Charts Nation’s Energy Use and Waste
An updated energy flow chart released by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) that visually depicts the relative size of primary energy resources and end uses in the U.S., with fuels compared on a common energy unit basis, shows the nation consumed more natural gas and renewables but less coal in 2012.
-
Coal
A Dozen States File Suits for Documents Related to EPA’s “Sue and Settle” Tactic
Twelve attorneys general last week filed a lawsuit in federal court requesting for access to documents related to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) so-called "sue and settle" practice with advocacy groups.
-
Coal
Federal Court Denies Review of Okla. Regional Haze EPA Case
A divided three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday rejected Oklahoma State’s challenge to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) implementation of a regional haze rule to limit emissions from power plants in the state.
-
Coal
EIA Projects Massive Growth for Renewables, Nuclear Power Through 2040
The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA’s) International Energy Outlook 2013 (IEO2013) released today projects that renewable energy and nuclear power will each increase 2.5% per year through 2040, but fossil fuels will continue to supply almost 80% of world energy use by 2040.
-
Coal
EPA Extends Deadline for Four Corners Decision as Ariz. Re-Examines Deregulation
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week gave Arizona Public Service Co. (APS) six more months to decide on the future of its 2-GW coal-fired Four Corners Power Plant near Farmington, N.M., recognizing "uncertainties" posed by Arizona’s recent move to consider deregulation of the state’s electric sector.
-
Gas
EPA Rule Transparency, Natural Gas Pipeline Energy Bills Advance in House Committee
A bill approved by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Wednesday could prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from finalizing new rules that cost more than $1 billion if the Energy Department determines they will hurt the economy.
-
Coal
Federal Courts Tackle Clean Air Act Liability, Cross-State Emissions
Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld an earlier district court decision that Clean Air Act liabilities do not transfer to new owners when a facility is sold, while the Third Circuit upheld an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule to limit sulfur dioxide emissions from a Pennsylvania coal-fired power plant on request of New Jersey, a downwind state.
-
Water
DOE Releases Report on Energy Sector Vulnerabilities to Climate Change
The Department of Energy has released a report on current and potential impacts of climate change on the energy sector, including power plants.
-
Coal
AEP to Retire 585-MW Coal-Fired Unit in Ohio
American Electric Power (AEP) has opted to retire—instead of refueling with natural gas—its 585-MW coal-fired Muskingum River Plant Unit 5 in Beverly, Ohio, in 2015.
-
Environmental
EPA’s McCarthy Moves Closer to Confirmation
Gina McCarthy moved closer to a Senate confirmation as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator after Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) confirmed he wouldn’t further block a long-delayed vote on her nomination.
-
Nuclear
High Inlet Temperatures Forces Pilgrim Nuclear Plant to Power Down
Entergy’s Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in the Manomet section of Plymouth on Cape Cod Bay, Mass., was on Tuesday forced to reduce power to 85% after its salt service water inlet temperature exceeded technical specifications.
-
Environmental
Senators Introduce Bipartisan Nuclear Waste Administration Bill (Updated)
A bipartisan Senate bill introduced on June 27 seeks to break gridlock over a permanent nuclear waste repository by establishing a new nuclear waste administration and creating a consent-based process for siting nuclear waste facilities.
-
Coal
Binz to Be Nominated for FERC Chairman Position (Updated)
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) said on June 27 that President Barack Obama has announced his intent to nominate Ronald Binz as FERC commissioner. It had been widely anticipated that Binz would be named the new chair of the regulatory body.
-
News
Obama Promotes Power Africa Partnership Plan in Tanzania
In remarks on July 2 at Symbion Power Plant in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, President Obama elaborated on his new “Power Africa” initiative, which aims to increase electricity availability in Africa, where nearly 70% of the population lacks access to electricity.
-
Coal
EPA Settles with Deseret to the Tune of $35,000
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a Clean Air Act settlement with Utah-based Deseret Generation & Transmission Co-operative (Deseret) resolving alleged violations at the coal-fired Bonanza Power Plant.
-
Coal
DOE to Offer Up to $8B in Loan Guarantees for Advanced Fossil Energy Projects
Last week, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced a draft loan guarantee solicitation for “innovative and advanced” fossil energy projects that “substantially reduce greenhouse gas and other air pollution.”
-
Solar
BLM Withdraws Solar-Designated Federal Lands from Mining Claims
A public land order approved by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on Friday extends the withdrawal of 303,900 acres of federal land within 17 zones designated for solar power from new mining claims.
-
Coal
FirstEnergy to Shutter 2 GW of More Coal Capacity on MATS Cost Concerns
FirstEnergy Corp. plans to shutter two coal-fired power plants in Pennsylvania this fall—a total capacity of 2,080 MW—citing high costs of compliance with current and future environmental rules and a "continued low market price for electricity."
-
Business
Power Conservation to Preserve Reliability Urged in Ontario, N.Y., Calif.
Soaring power demand in New York, California, and Ontario over the past week forced grid authorities to institute conservation measures.
-
Coal
Hawaii Power Companies to Deactivate Oil Plants, Ramp Up Renewables
Three Hawaiian power companies plan to deactivate a total of 226 MW of oil-fired generating units, convert remaining baseload plants to cycling duty, and substantially ramp up use of renewables by 2016.
-
Nuclear
Competition for SMR DOE Funding Heats Up
Three companies vying for a $452 million cost-sharing funding opportunity through the Energy Department to help commercialize their small modular reactor (SMR) designs made major announcements over the past weeks.