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  • Federal Court Orders NRC to Continue Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste License Review

    In an apparent legal victory for the states of Washington and South Carolina, a divided federal court on Tuesday directed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to continue its legally obligated review of a license application to build the proposed permanent nuclear waste repository in Yucca Mountain, Nev. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. […]

  • DC Court Orders NRC to Resume Yucca Mtn

    By Kennedy Maize A divided federal appeals court today ordered the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to resume action on licensing the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project in Nevada. in a 2-1 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said inaction by the commission at the direction of the Obama administration early in […]

  • DOE Report: Modernizing Grid Is Best Defense Against Weather-Related Outages

    A report released by the White House and Department of Energy (DOE) on Monday that assesses how to best protect the nation’s electric grid from power outages that occur during natural disasters calls for increased cross-sector grid investment and identifies strategies for modernizing the grid. The report, “Economic Benefits of Increasing Electric Grid Resilience to […]

  • First Wind-Oriented CREZ Link Energized in West Texas

    Electric Transmission Texas (ETT) has energized the first of seven 345-kV transmission line projects associated with the Competitive Renewable Energy Zone (CREZ) initiative in West Texas. The overall CREZ initiative involves eight different transmission service providers, including ETT, constructing 2,400 miles of transmission lines to carry 18,500 MW of West Texas wind generation to eastern load […]

  • Duke Energy Settlement with Consumer Advocates Affects Nuclear, Coal Plants

    A revised settlement agreement reached between Duke Energy Florida, the Office of Public Counsel, and other consumer advocates addresses cost recovery issues related to a retired nuclear reactor, a proposed nuclear project, and two coal units. Under the settlement agreement, Duke Energy will address cost recovery issues for the retired Crystal River 3 plant and […]

  • DOE: Wind Leads New U.S. Generation Additions in 2012

    Wind power installations in 2012 represented a 43% majority of all new power capacity additions in the U.S. and accounted for $25 billion in U.S. investment, two new reports from the Department of Energy show. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) released the “2012 Wind Technologies Market Report,” which details the latest trends in the […]

  • House Passes Bills to Require Congressional Approval Before Final Agency Rules Take Effect

    The U.S. House last week passed two bills that seek to reform the nation’s regulatory process by limiting the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) rule-making authority and requiring congressional approval before any “major” rules issued by a federal agency can take effect. The House on Friday voted 232-183 to pass the Executive in Need of Scrutiny […]

  • Report Warns of Narrowing Window for LNG Exports

    A report circulated by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, warns the U.S. could miss its window to become a major player in global natural gas trade. The white paper titled “The Narrowing Window: America’s Opportunity to Join the Global Gas Trade,” part of the senator’s […]

  • DOE Authorizes Third LNG Export Facility

    The Department of Energy (DOE) on Wednesday conditionally authorized Lake Charles Exports to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries that do not have a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the U.S. The firm can now export LNG from its Lake Charles Terminal in Lake Charles, La. Lake Charles previously received approval to […]

  • NRG Adds Another Gas Plant to California Fleet

    Courtesy: Siemens. Copyright Brian Haux—SkyHawk Photography No nukes? No problem. The state of California, once home to three major nuclear power plants, weathered an early July heat wave in good shape despite having only one operating reactor, Unit 2 at Diablo Canyon Power Plant. Unit 1 at Diablo Canyon was forced to shut down for […]