More than a year after EPA’s latest update to EPA’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), dubbed the ‘Good Neighbor Plan’ (GNP), was finalized and due to come into effect, a momentous ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) looms large. The ruling in the case of Ohio vs. EPA, expected this June, […]
The New Horizon: Understanding EPA’s 2024 Suite of New Environmental Regulations for Power Plants
On April 25, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced a comprehensive suite of final environmental regulations significantly affecting the landscape of energy production in the United States. Targeting both new and existing fossil fuel-fired power plants, these environmental regulations – notably the GHG Rule, ELG Rule, and an update to the MATS Rule, […]
Baltimore Bridge Collapse Halts All Exports from the U.S. Second-Largest Coal Port
In the early hours of March 26, 2024, the maritime and energy sectors witnessed a significant disruption when a containership collided with a support pillar of the F.S. Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing a catastrophic collapse. This unforeseen incident has not only severed a vital artery for the city’s transportation network but also immediately halted […]
Navigating the New SEC Climate Regulation : An Overview
In 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) initiated significant changes aimed at enhancing climate-related disclosures for registrants. Fast forward to March 6, 2024, and the SEC has finalized these rules, ushering in a new era of transparency and accountability regarding climate risks and financial impacts. Let’s delve into the key aspects of this regulation […]
EVA Accurately Predicts Drop of Coal Inventories in its Monthly Coal Stockpile Report
On Friday, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released official statistics of the U.S. electric power sector for the month of August as part of its EIA Form-923 reporting. As reported in EIA’s 923 data, coal inventories at U.S. coal-fired power plants dropped below 90 million tons amid higher coal plant utilization rates and a […]
Understanding 45Q: The Carbon Capture Tax Credit
With several states and a number of utilities adopting decarbonization goals, carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) and carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) may find a role in an energy transition as coal and gas plants retrofitted with either technology could continue to operate. What is the 45Q tax credit? 45Q is a performance-based tax […]
Federal investigation spurs H.B. 6 repeal efforts and potential upside for gas
Ohio H.B. 6 repeal in the works following allegations of bribery Two Ohio House Democrats – Reps. Mike Skindell and Mike O’Brien – announced in a press release on Wednesday, July 22, that they will immediately introduce a bill to repeal House Bill 6, the controversial law passed a year ago that provides ratepayer-funded subsidies […]
California’s Natural Gas Challenge
California finding it difficult to get past natural gas In late 2019, Southern California Edison released “Pathway 2045”, its report on how the utility will meet the state’s aggressive carbon reduction mandates. Just over a year earlier, then-Governor Gavin Jerry Brown (D) signed into law S.B. 100, which accelerated the state’s existing renewable portfolio standard […]
Biden’s energy plan touts significant investment in clean technology as key to job growth, security
Former Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. this week released an outline of his wide-ranging clean energy plan that includes $2 trillion of investments in everything from infrastructure and transit to housing and agriculture. Biden says the plan is designed to spur job growth, drive American innovation, and “build a […]
COVID-19 and Mild Weather Combine to Suppress Electricity Demand
COVID-19 and Mild Weather Combine to Suppress Electricity Demand Electricity demand in the continental U.S. since the beginning of the year has been sharply lower than during the same period in 2019, though the response to the ongoing COVID-19 virus pandemic is only partially to blame. Demand across the six largest centrally-dispatched markets – PJM, […]