Richard Nemec began writing for NGI in 1995 and has 30 years experience in the energy industry. He holds BA from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles; and a MA in journalism from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL; and completed MBA courses at Northwestern's Evening Graduate School of Management.
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Articles from Rich Nemec
Avista Sets Carbon-Free Goal for Natural Gas, Electric Operations by 2045
Four-state combination utility holding company Avista Corp. on Thursday set a goal of making its natural gas system carbon neutral by 2045, starting with a near-term goal of reducing carbon emissions 30% by 2030. CEO Dennis Vermillion said Avista sees increasing opportunities to even further bring down greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Natural gas already plays…
April 27, 2021
California Regulator’s Proposed Decision Critical of Utility Wildfire Power Shutoffs
California regulators have proposed revenue losses and corrective actions for the state’s three major investor-owned electric utilities because of alleged violations in staging numerous planned power outages in 2019. The five-member California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) plans to vote on the proposed decision (PD) on May 20 as the culmination of its ongoing investigation of…
April 27, 2021
California Governor Seeks to Ban New Drilling Permits by 2024, End Oil Extraction by 2045
Moving closer to an all-out ban, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has directed regulators to start a regulatory process for banning new permits for drilling using hydraulic fracturing (fracking) by January 2024. The governor said he chose the regulatory route after a legislative attempt earlier this month again failed. He has directed the Department of Conservation’s…
April 26, 2021
Amazon Inks RNG Agreement, Considers Possible Stake in Clean Energy Fuels
Amazon Inc. said it has inked a five-year contract for renewable natural gas (RNG) with Clean Energy Fuels Corp. and could take up to a 20% stake in the fuel supplier over the next decade. Beginning last Friday (April 16), RNG is to be provided to Amazon.com NV Investment Holdings LLC through 27 existing fueling…
April 25, 2021
PG&E to Expand Use of Permanent Microgrids in Northern California
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) on Tuesday introduced a program to help Northern California communities develop permanent, multi-customer microgrids to ensure off-the-grid electricity to critical facilities and vulnerable customer groups. The first installation is set for the Yurok Tribe of Native Americans. The Community Microgrid Enablement Program (CMEP) would provide technical support and capital…
April 20, 2021
California Drilling Ban Proposal Rejected in State Senate Committee
Another attempt in California to ban the use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and other well stimulation technologies has failed to get a key legislative committee’s endorsement, drawing cautious optimism from industry representatives. Senate Bill 467 by state Sen. Scott Wiener was granted reconsideration to possibly be reintroduced. The bill also would have prohibited wells from…
April 19, 2021
PG&E Back in Crosshairs of California Regulators for Fire Mitigation Work
Alleging wildfire mitigation work failures, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Thursday put Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) into the first step of an enhanced oversight and enforcement process. Under its more closely scrutinized status, PG&E must submit to the CPUC a corrective action plan and progress reports every 90 days. Depending on…
April 19, 2021
Bakken Shale Faces 400,000 b/d Shut-Ins from DAPL Closure
North Dakota’s Bakken Shale could experience up to 400,000 b/d of shut-ins for an interim period if a federal court hearing set for Monday results in the forced closure of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), the state’s chief oil and gas regulator said Thursday. Lynn Helms, director of the state’s Department of Mineral Resources, made…
April 16, 2021
California NGVs On Back Burner as State Funds Battery-Electric, Hydrogen Fueling
The California Energy Commission (CEC) Tuesday rolled out a $50 million competitive program to advance electric vehicle (EV) and hydrogen transportation technologies for truck fleets. Natural gas vehicle (NGV) funding was not included in the funding, which in part is focused on mitigating emissions in poor communities. “Only battery-electric or hydrogen technologies will be eligible,”…
April 16, 2021
PG&E Facing 33 Charges Related to 2019 Kincade Wildfire in Northern California
San Francisco-based Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) is facing 33 criminal charges for the 2019 Kincade Fire in Sonoma County, CA, which damaged close to 78,000 acres and injured six firefighters. Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch filed the charges after state officials determined PG&E equipment sparked the fire northeast of Geyserville in Northern…
April 9, 2021