Legal & Regulatory

The U.S. Supreme Court in a 5–4 vote blocked enforcement of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) final “Good Neighbor Plan,” a rule intended to significantly cut smog-forming nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution from power plants and other industrial facilities in 23 states. In the meantime, the applicants, which include the states of Ohio, Indiana, and West […]

The U.S. Senate has passed the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act, sweeping legislation that seeks to promote U.S. nuclear leadership, accelerate advanced nuclear technology development while preserving existing nuclear generation, bolster national security measures, and enhance regulatory efficiency to support new nuclear deployment. The Senate passed the bill on […]

Forty-three Republican senators (along with one Independent) introduced a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution of disapproval on June 5 to overturn emissions rules issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which they say target existing coal-fired power plants and new gas-fired plants. The action was led by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member […]

In a significant push toward modernizing America’s aging grid infrastructure, the Biden administration, in partnership with 21 states, has launched the Federal-State Modern Grid Deployment Initiative. The measure marks the latest triumph for transmission and distribution (T&D), which has seen “lumpy” progress in recent decades. The initiative unveiled on May 28 essentially seeks to establish […]

It’s welcome that the U.S. House of Representatives in April revived policy discussions over nuclear waste. Our organizations support nuclear energy as a tool of economic opportunity and emissions reduction, and we believe that nuclear’s sustainable expansion is necessary for global health and prosperity. Nuclear’s role in deep decarbonization is clearer than ever, especially as […]

The past few years have shown that the need for cleaner energy sources is only growing, while balancing economic and infrastructure concerns remains vital to safeguard American energy dominance and security. The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and 2022 Inflation Reduction Act are two recent examples of massive investments into American infrastructure and jobs, forging ahead […]

It’s no secret that the U.S. electric power system has undergone a remarkable transition that continues today. Coal-fired generation, which was the leading source of power generation during the 20th century, often providing more than half of the country’s electricity supply, fell to about 16.2% of the mix in 2023. Meanwhile, the U.S. solar market […]

More than two dozen states and a handful of trade groups filed separate lawsuits in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, challenging parts of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) suite of new final environmental regulations targeting fossil-fired power plants. The challenges respond to the publication in the Federal Register on May 9 […]

There are numerous articles and studies warning of the fragile nature of America’s electric grid. The vulnerabilities will only become more apparent as we continue to undergo a fundamental shift in how

The U.S. government offers certain benefits to renewable energy projects, primarily in the form of tax credits and depreciation. But the reality is that a growing number of tax-equity partnerships are reaching the end of their lifespan, and the sponsors and tax-equity investors in these projects need to be preparing for the future. In fact, […]

In an unprecedented move, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on April 25 simultaneously finalized four major environmental rules covering greenhouse gases (GHG), air toxics, wastewater discharges, and coal combustion residuals from fossil fuel-fired power plants. Among the rules is the EPA’s final Carbon Pollution Standards, which marks the agency’s third attempt to broadly curb […]

The Biden administration has unveiled several sweeping actions over the past month aimed at boosting clean energy deployment, enhancing manufacturing jobs, and reducing pollutant emissions across the power sector. The measures—many announced as part of a comprehensive Earth Week agenda on April 25—are notable for their strategic push in an election year, highlighting the administration’s […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has voted to codify proposed changes to streamline a key environmental review process for advanced nuclear reactors. Nuclear advocates lauded the measure as one of the regulator’s most important actions in 2024.    The NRC on April 17 approved its staff’s recommendation to publish a proposed rule that would amend […]

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in its March 2024 open meeting made clear that successful energy transition requires immediate action. With the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) as a benchmark, the U.S. will need to expand its electrical transmission capacity at an annual rate double that seen between 1978 and 2020, as reported by the […]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has denied an industry petition seeking to delist stationary combustion turbines from the agency’s list of hazardous air pollutants (HAP) major source categories regulated under section 112 of the Clean Air Act (CAA). The agency’s final action on April 11 responds to an August 2019 petition filed by several […]

In a time where capacity revenues are pricing lower and many generation owners find that their facilities are not being dispatched for energy on a consistent basis, reliable revenue streams are increasingly important. In addition to selling energy and capacity, many generation facilities collect fixed, monthly payments for the provision of “reactive power,” which are […]

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) final energy efficiency standards for distribution transformers appear to strike a compromise with industry, softening the agency’s stance on steel requirements for essential transformer components and extending compliance deadlines to five years. The DOE’s final standards issued on April 4 seek to reduce losses in three types of distribution […]

The California Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulation, which began being implemented on Jan. 1, 2024, is designed to complement the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule, which mandates a significant increase in the number of medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) on California roads. There’s much to understand about the regulation and how it will impact […]

In recent years, concerns about the lengthy interconnection queue have dominated headlines. This queue has emerged as a major obstacle to adding new generating facilities to the U.S. power grid. It is primarily caused by grid congestion, permitting issues, extensive infrastructure project delays, and the traditional interconnection study approaches used in many states. To address […]

The first image that likely comes to mind when the average energy consumer thinks about renewable energy is some kind of vast (utility-scale) solar or wind farm, or a massive battery project, usually pictured

Although cooperatives may not have the financial resources of large investor-owned utilities, valuable digital solutions are still within their grasp. Because they have fewer resources to employ, co-ops may

Nuclear regulatory agencies from the U.S., Canada, and the UK will collaborate on technical reviews and share best practices for advanced reactors and small modular reactor (SMR) technologies. The measure is aimed at improving regulatory efficiency and effectiveness as more reactor technologies seek approval in the three countries. A trilateral memorandum of cooperation (MOC)  signed […]

Virtual power plants (VPPs), as aggregations of dispatchable distributed energy resources (DERs), can deliver grid services ranging from resource adequacy to reliability at scale—all while making energy more affordable. Yet, despite their merits, the U.S. utility industry is yet to leverage the full potential of these readily available, affordable, customer-sited resources to add flexibility to the grid. Of course, the decision to incorporate […]

Can a requirement to simply disclose information truly be a big deal? Can a requirement that only applies to big companies, or companies that do business in California, actually impact your small business or your business in another state? Can a requirement that doesn’t take effect until next year or later really require thought and […]

(Updated March 7 with responses from EPA): The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will drop requirements covering existing natural gas-fired power plants in its final Section 111 rule regulating power sector greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which is expected in April.  EPA Administrator Michael Regan on Feb. 29 said in a written statement the agency’s rule—which the […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has directed its staff to publish a proposed rule and draft guidance to create Part 53, a much-awaited risk-informed and technology-inclusive licensing framework geared toward advanced technologies, including non-light-water-reactors (non-LWRs). In a staff requirements memorandum (SRM) made public on March 4, the commission directed staff to incorporate several changes to […]

As the world intensifies its efforts to combat climate change, Ireland has set ambitious goals to produce offshore renewable energy as part of its Climate Action Plan. A member of the European Union (EU)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in February issued a final rule imposing tighter restrictions on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) or soot.  The final rule, issued on Feb. 7, strengthens the nation’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) by lowering the level of the primary (health-based) annual PM2.5 standard from 12.0 micrograms per cubic meter […]

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), in Docket No. ER24-99-000, recently approved a suite of tariff revisions submitted by PJM intended to “accommodate the energy transition while maintaining resource adequacy.” Although the reforms affect many aspects of PJM’s Reliability Pricing Model (RPM), this commentary highlights: The transition from capacity accreditation using Equivalent Demand Forced Outage […]

The European Commission (EC) is in the process of implementing its “Union database,” or UDB, to track all renewable gases and liquid fuels. Gases and fuels, whether produced in the European Union (EU) or imported, will need to be registered in the UDB if their use in the EU is to be counted toward satisfying […]