** A historic milestone was reached in the United States in March. For the first time ever, cleaner, low-carbon energy sources generated more electricity than fossil fuels. According to data from Ember, a nonprofit focused on energy, the share of fossil fuels in the country’s energy production fell to 49.2%. ** A 1.3 gigawatt (GW) solar …
Category: EPA
Energy briefs
** The U.S. House passes legislation that would require federal agencies to analyze the economic impacts of reducing Glen Canyon Dam’s hydropower output to benefit endangered Colorado River fish. ** EPA administrator Lee Zeldin has promised to end a contentious feature in many automobiles: the automatic start-stop feature that temporarily shuts down engines at red …
Trump White House to review EPA’s blended fuels mandates
Two years after the operators of the CVR Refinery in Wynnewood, Oklahoma joined other small refinery firms in challenging the Biden administration’s EPA decision against granting waivers of biofuel blending mandates, the Trump administration might reverse things. Current Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin told lawmakers this week he wants quick action on …
Energy briefs
** Congressional Republicans advance a measure to allow oil and gas companies to pay a $10 million fee to fast-track federal permitting reviews and bypass years of environmental reviews and litigation. ** Clean Refineries Inc. announces plans to invest $1 billion to redevelop a petroleum terminal in Louisiana into a net-zero emissions refinery to make …
Growing list of Oklahoma energy bills fading into obscurity
While one controversial energy bill sent to the Governor of Oklahoma became law this week, others met a quick death in the legislature while a few remain works in progress. SB998, the “CWIP” or construction while in progress cost that will be billed to ratepayers at the time of the electrical project is being …
Energy briefs
** Tallgrass Energy reports it has secured shipper agreements for its planned pipeline to link the Permian Basin to its network in the Midwest, Great Plains, and Rocky Mountains. ** Alaska’s Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy freezes state hiring and some official travel as low oil prices lead to decreased revenue. ** The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory …
Brecheen wants to eliminate Biden green energy tax subsidies
Oklahoma Congressman Josh Brecheen joined Texas Congressman Chip Roy in introducing the Energy Freedom Act. to repeal the more than 20 green energy tax subsidies created or expanded by the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). “The Democrats’ so-called ‘Inflation Reduction Act’, signed into law in 2022, is nothing more than a massive, …
Energy briefs
** Utility player NRG Energy will pay nearly $10 billion for 18 natural gas-fired power plants from LS Power in a move designed to prepare NRG for a domestic power market that’s set to soar. ** A bill to lift Illinois’ 40-year moratorium on new large nuclear energy plants has stalled recently as Senate lawmakers work …
Energy briefs
** The Colorado Supreme Court permitted Boulder County and the city of Boulder on Monday to proceed with their lawsuit against two fossil fuel corporations over alleged local harms caused by the effects of climate change. ** BP’s underperformance and strategy shifts have made it a potential takeover target. Shell, Chevron, Exxon, TotalEnergies, and others …
Energy briefs
** Texas lawmakers approve legislation to require nearly every solar and wind farm in the state to back up their energy production with gas-fired power plants or batteries or face a steep fine, potentially shutting down thousands of megawatts of existing projects. ** Duke Energy blames a slithering snake for causing the May 5 power …