News

Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) on Tuesday released the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) economic analysis of their American Power Act (APA), a bill that would establish a multi-sector cap-and-trade program. The analysis finds that the bill would keep allowance prices low while keeping household costs to a minimum.

Last week the U.S. Senate defeated by a 47–53 vote a resolution submitted by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) that disapproved of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) finding that greenhouse gas emissions threaten public health and welfare.

A deluge of rain in the Northwest is forcing hydropower turbines in the Columbia River system to work overtime. During the past few days, the 31 federally operated dams in the region have been running at full capacity—12,000 MW—generating 144% more than normal. The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), asking regional utilities to back generation down, has been giving power away almost for free since Wednesday.

Nuclear energy will be key to combating climate change, and nearly 25% of global electricity could be generated from nuclear reactors by 2050, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its Nuclear Energy Technology Roadmap, released today.

A U.S. District judge on Tuesday allowed a lawsuit filed by environmental groups that challenges a permit for Southwestern Electric Power Co.’s (SWEPCO’s) John W. Turk plant to stand.

The FIFA World Cup 2010—a month-long soccer tournament that is arguably the biggest sports event on the planet—officially kicked off on Friday in South Africa. As grid operators and utilities all over the globe braced for power consumption surges, some governments went to lengths to enable fans to enjoy uninterrupted coverage of the matches.

The U.S. market for small wind turbines expanded by 15% in 2009 and accounted for about half of the units sold globally, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

PPL Corp.’s Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Luzerne County, Pa., is the nation’s largest boiling water reactor (BWR) in terms of thermal power and generating capacity, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The plant’s Unit 1, which recently completed equipment and system upgrades during a recent scheduled refueling and maintenance outage, boasts 3,952 MWth and 1,300 MWe when operating at full capacity.

A new rule for sulfur dioxide (SO₂) set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday sets a new one-hour health standard, changes monitoring requirements, and modifies the Air Quality Index. Full implementation of revised primary National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for SO₂ by 2020 could cost the electric power industry nearly $700 million a year, the agency said.

A report released last week by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) identifies cyber attacks, pandemics, and electromagnetic disturbances as “high-impact, low-frequency” (HILF) risks that could significantly affect the reliability of the North American bulk power system.