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On Friday, following passage of a bill to delay Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)–promulgated Boiler MACT rules, the U.S. House of Representatives also passed the Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act (H.R. 2273), legislation that would impede the federal agency from proceeding with its May 2010 proposed rule to regulate coal ash residuals.

An association of 41 European transmission system operators (TSOs) from 34 countries last week warned that adequacy margins in the coming winter could dip dangerously and threaten power supply for most of the continent.

A coalition of seven U.S. manufacturers of solar cells and panels today petitioned the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to investigate whether Chinese manufacturers are illegally dumping crystalline silicon solar cells into the U.S. market and receiving illegal subsidies from China. The measure follows a string of bankruptcy filings by several U.S. solar manufacturers in the past few months.

New variants of Stuxnet—the sophisticated computer virus designed to attack control systems and which was used last year to sabotage the Iranian Bushehr nuclear power plant—has been detected in European computer systems. The malware, dubbed “Duqu” is “essentially the precursor to a future Stuxnet-like attack,” computer security firm Symantec said on Tuesday.

A study conducted by the New York Independent System Operator Inc. (NYISO) to evaluate whether the cost of compliance with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)—a regional cap-and-trade program—has caused an increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in neighboring non-RGGI areas such as Pennsylvania concluded RGGI has not caused an increase in emissions or significantly affected the pattern of power supply.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Thursday announced approvals of loans worth $2.1 billion to 43 projects in 27 states that would help rural electric utilities build and upgrade infrastructure in rural America.

Heavy rain in key mining areas in India has caused a critical coal shortage and restricted supplies to several major coal-fired power plants in the nation that fuels 55% of its power capacity with coal.

NextEra Energy Resources today powered up the 5-MW Hatch Solar Center, in Hatch, N.M., a project it says is the largest operating concentrating photovoltaic solar power plant in North America.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday proposed “technical adjustments” to the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) finalized on July 6 that would increase statewide limitations on emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxide (NO_x) for nine states. This proposal also amends the assurance penalty provisions for all states within the program so that they start in 2014, instead of 2012, to promote the development of allowance market liquidity and smooth the transition from the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) program.

Twenty-five states and the U.S. Territory of Guam on Monday filed an amicus brief and urged a federal court to force the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to delay its proposed Utility Maximum Achievable Control Technology (Utility MACT) rule by one year, until at least Nov. 16, 2012. The EPA has said it is on track to finalize the rule this November.