Beginning on February 13, 2021, something unprecedented happened in the state of Texas—a winter storm caused temperatures to dip well-below freezing. This event, dubbed the “Black Swan Winter Event,” caused Texas to...more
Part One -
As the 2020 election nears, the Democratic campaign has begun to talk policy specifics regarding energy and climate change. Although the Trump administration undertook to dismantle many Obama-era policies and...more
9/29/2020
/ Carbon Pricing ,
Clean Energy ,
Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) ,
Electricity ,
Energy Market ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Energy Storage ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FERC ,
Joe Biden ,
Political Campaigns ,
Political Candidates ,
Power Grid ,
Presidential Elections ,
PURPA ,
Renewable Energy ,
Supply Chain ,
Transmission Grid ,
Trump Administration ,
Wholesale
On August 5, 2020, members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee questioned witnesses from the power industry and the federal government about the readiness of the United States bulk-power system (BPS) for a...more
8/18/2020
/ Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Electricity ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Adversaries ,
National Security ,
Natural Resources ,
Popular ,
Power Grid ,
Supply Chain ,
Trump Administration ,
Utilities Sector
- On July 8, 2020, the Department of Energy (DOE) published a Request for Information (RFI) concerning Executive Order 13920, “Securing the United States Bulk-Power System” (the “E.O.”). The E.O. authorizes the DOE to block...more
7/13/2020
/ Comment Period ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Electricity ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Adversaries ,
Request For Information ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Supply Chain
On September 27, 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (Second Circuit) affirmed a district court’s finding that New York’s Zero Emissions Credit (ZEC) program is not preempted by federal law. The Second...more
10/23/2018
/ Appeals ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Dormant Commerce Clause ,
Electricity ,
Energy Market ,
Energy Sector ,
Federal Power Act ,
Interstate Commerce ,
Nuclear Power ,
Out-of-State Companies ,
Power Plants ,
Preemption ,
Standing ,
States Rights ,
Subsidies ,
Utilities Sector ,
Wholesale ,
Zero Emission Credits
Nearly a year after summoning stakeholders to discuss whether—and if so, how—the wholesale power markets should accommodate state policy goals, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the “Commission”) has taken a...more
In a decision issued last week, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted summary judgment in favor of Winding Creek Solar LLC (“Winding Creek”). Winding Creek had alleged that certain California...more
On August 23, 2017, the Department of Energy (DOE) released its Staff Report assessing the reliability and resilience of the electric grid. The highly anticipated report was commissioned in April 2017 by Secretary of Energy...more
9/7/2017
/ Coal ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Electricity ,
Energy Market ,
Energy Sector ,
FERC ,
Information Reports ,
Nuclear Power ,
Power Grid ,
Renewable Energy ,
Secretary of Energy ,
Wholesale
On March 13, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) introduced the Ratepayer Fairness Act (RFA). The RFA would amend the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) to require that state public utility regulatory authorities and...more
At its November Open Meeting, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the “Commission”) issued a Final Rule (Order No. 831) directing the Regional Transmission Organizations and Independent System Operators...more
On April 16, 2015, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued Order No. 809, its Final Rule regarding the coordination of scheduling between interstate natural gas pipelines and electric public utilities. FERC...more
On January 24, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld an order issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in 2012 denying rehearing (Rehearing Order) of a 2008 order granting Virginia Electric...more
On January 22, 2014, the staff (Staff) of the Office of Enforcement of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC of the Commission) issued a Staff Notice of Alleged Violations (Preliminary Notice) relating to a September...more
On October 1, 2013, we reported here that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued orders on August 29, 2013, assessing civil penalties against, and requiring disgorgement of profits by, Lincoln Paper and...more
On Tuesday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an order assessing $435 million in civil penalties against Barclays Bank PLC (Barclays) for allegedly manipulating western electricity markets in and around...more