Budget & Policy

Abby L. Harvey GHG Monitor 7/31/2015 States will have an additional two years to achieve interim goals under the final version of the Environmental Protection Agency’s carbon emissions standards for existing coal-fired power plants, the “Clean Power Plan,” according to a source familiar with the rule. The rule, which was proposed in June 2014, requires […]

Abby L. Harvey GHG Monitor 7/31/2015 The obligation to meet the United States’ commitment under the anticipated  global climate agreement to be struck in Paris in December will fall upon future administrations, but presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s recently released climate plan comes up short, David Bookbinder, a partner at Element VI Consulting and former Sierra […]

Abby L. Harvey GHG Monitor 7/31/2015 Negotiations at the 21st Conference of the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will not focus on whether climate change is real, but instead will strive to develop the most economical way to address the issue, Rachel Kyte, World Bank Group vice president and special […]

Abby L. Harvey GHG Monitor 7/31/2015 The United States has an option when it comes to addressing climate change: Act now and be a global leader, or wait and see, and enjoy continued dynamic economic growth, RAND Corp. said in a report released this week. “The United States may choose whether it wants to be […]

Abby L. Harvey GHG Monitor 7/31/2015 Under an amendment passed by voice vote at this week’s three-day committee markup of the Senate Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015, the focus of the Department of Energy’s carbon capture, carbon storage, and coal-related research and development programs would be shifted to a small pilot project base. According […]

GHG Monitor 7/31/2015 IN INDUSTRY Government policies that force electricity producers to make new investments and in turn increase electric rates could cost the nation millions of jobs, according to a report released this week by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. According to the report, a 10 percent increase in electricity prices from 2020-2040 […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 7/31/2015 House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) on Tuesday remained noncommittal regarding a time frame for moving forward a legislative solution to address nuclear waste storage. Speaking at the National Journal’s “Conversation with the Chair” series in Washington, D.C., Upton said he remained “hopeful” that some legislation […]

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Fred Upton (R-Mich.) on Tuesday remained noncommittal regarding a time frame for moving forward a legislative solution to address nuclear waste storage. Speaking at the National Journal’s “Conversation with the Chair” series in Washington, D.C., Upton said he remained “hopeful” that some legislation addressing the problem either by advancing […]

From fiscal 2016 to 2023, the Defense Department base account could require a total of $500 billion above Budget Control Act (BCA)-permitted funding levels to comprehensively modernize U.S. nuclear forces and support other key missions, according to a recently released RAND study on national security. “Choices for America in a Turbulent World” outlines an average […]

Lance Moore GHG Monitor 7/24/2015 If every state were to invest heavily in energy efficiency and renewable energy, through the implementation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s proposed carbon emissions standards for existing coal-fired power plants, dubbed the Clean Power Plan (CPP), consumer energy bills could decrease, Synapse Energy Economics found in their own Clean […]

Abby L. Harvey GHG Monitor 7/24/2015 Republican lawmakers from both chambers this week requested the Environmental Protection Agency’s carbon emissions standards for existing coal-fired power plants, which were submitted to the Office of Management and Budget for finalization in June, be returned to the EPA if the draft final version of the regulation “would compel […]

Abby L. Harvey GHG Monitor 7/24/2015 The Alberta provincial government in Canada this week released an offset protocol for carbon capture projects utilizing deep saline aquifers for long-term carbon storage. Under the new protocol, companies that employ carbon capture and storage technology can receive carbon offset credits for their stored carbon. “Carbon capture and storage […]

Abby L. Harvey GHG Monitor 7/24/2015 Flaws in the models employed to calculate the “social cost of carbon,” a measure used by regulatory agencies in investigating the environmental costs and benefits of regulations, have inflated the perceived benefits of various costly rules, panelists said this week at a hearing of the House Committee on Natural […]

Abby L. Harvey GHG Monitor 7/24/2015 The European Commission last week released its proposed revision of the Emissions Trading System (ETS), which is intended to deal with an ongoing surplus of allowances within the system and will serve as a key step toward the EU’s global climate commitments. The reform would develop a market stability […]

Chris Schneidmiller WC Monitor 7/24/2015 A Department of Energy office incorrectly allowed the managing contractor at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina to reallocate funds from one cleanup project to three others in violation of federal directives, according to a DOE Inspector General’s Office report released on Wednesday. The report also found that contractor […]

Lance Moore WC Monitor 7/24/2015 The Senate has put an indefinite hold on the confirmations of former Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) Vice Chair Jessie Roberson to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and two other nominations for the DNFSB . These delays mean both the NRC and the DNFSB must await Senate action on […]

Abby L. Harvey GHG Monitor 7/24/2015 After more than 500 hours of operation, the CO2 Solutions carbon capture demonstration project at Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, near Montreal, Québec, remains on target to meet performance expectations, the company said in a press release last week. The project has been operational since June 19 and is expected to conclude its […]

Abby L. Harvey GHG Monitor 7/24/2015 Pressure for southern states to refuse compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed carbon emissions standards for existing coal-fired power plants increased this week with the release of a policy position by the Southern Legislative Conference. The conference, consisting of state legislators from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, […]

GHG Monitor 7/24/2015 IN INDUSTRY The Mississippi Public Service Commission (PSC) will hold a hearing Aug. 3 to consider Mississippi Power’s request to increase rates to recover funds related to the company’s Kemper County Energy Facility. Kemper, once completed, will be a first-of-its-kind new-build coal-fired power plant. Through the use of carbon capture and storage […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 7/24/2015 Nevada Sens. Harry Reid (D) and Dean Heller (R), both strong opponents of the Yucca Mountain waste storage facility plan, this week introduced legislation that would require state consent before any Nuclear Waste Fund money could be spent on the transport of spent nuclear fuel to a potential repository. […]

A Department of Energy office incorrectly allowed the managing contractor at the Savannah River Site to reallocate funds from one cleanup project to three others in violation of federal directives on use of the money, according to a DOE Inspector General’s report released on Wednesday. The report also found that contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) […]

The Bipartisan Policy Center announced last week that it would begin issuing a series of five briefs on the management of nuclear waste, culminating in an October information meeting. The briefs are the result of the BPC’s five regional meetings hosted in the past year on stakeholder and regional concerns on the management of spent […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 7/17/2015 The relationship between the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the contractors managing its laboratories must be made stronger to benefit the U.S. nuclear modernization program, according to Thomas D’Agostino, former NNSA administrator. “In order to effectively modernize our infrastructure, we need to have a different type of relationship between […]

Lance Moore GHG Monitor 7/17/2015 The Department of Energy announced this week that it is withholding further American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding allocated to the Hydrogen Energy California carbon capture and storage project managed by SCS Energy. Having petitioned for a reallocation of funds, SCS Energy failed to reach certain benchmark milestones, according […]

Lance Moore GHG Monitor 7/17/2015 “Safety for its citizens and establishment of domestic energy security are the driving forces behind China’s shift toward low-carbon energy as it develops domestic energy and innovation technologies, while also seeking to carry out its submitted Intended Nationally Determine Contribution (INDC) to the upcoming climate negotiations in Paris”, said Paul […]

Lance Moore GHG Monitor 7/17/2015 Mississippi Power is requesting authorization from the Mississippi Public Service Commission to take immediate action on implementing interim rates that reflect the new “In-Service Asset” option with regards to its Kemper County energy facility. This would outline a replacement of the 18-percent rate increase that the Commission repealed based on […]

Lance Moore GHG Monitor 7/17/2015 The Department of Energy (DOE) has selected four projects from the National Energy Technology Laboratory’s (NETL) Carbon Storage Program for funding, with the goal of assessing the geologic storage prospects of offshore subsurface depleted oil and natural gas reservoirs and saline formations on the East Coast and the Gulf of […]

Abby L. Harvey GHG Monitor 7/17/2015 While the recent Supreme Court ruling against the Environmental Protection Agency’s Mercury and Air Toxic’s Standards (MATS) rule is unlikely to have any direct effect on the agency’s proposed carbon emissions standards for existing coal-fired power plants, it could strengthen opponents call for a stay pending review, a former […]

Sonal Patel GHG Monitor 7/17/2015 Seven gasification projects will receive about $7.5 million in funding from the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Energy Technology Laboratory, as first reported by GHG Monitor’s sister publication Power Magazine. The projects will reduce the cost of coal conversion and mitigate the environmental impacts of fossil-fueled power generation, the DOE […]

Lance Moore GHG Monitor 7/17/2015 “Climate change is the central environmental challenge of our time. It’s also a humanitarian challenge, an economic challenge, a public health challenge, and a challenge to everyone who cares about social justice,” said Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) President Rhea Suh this week. She made this statement as the NRDC […]