Standards

The House of Representatives Friday was poised to vote out its oil spill legislation, which imposes stiffer financial responsibilities and safety standards on offshore and onshore production and development, but the Senate was not expected to pass its slimmed-down oil spill bill before the August recess.

Declaring federally designated energy corridors in 11 western states “coal friendly” and in direct opposition to nine states’ renewable portfolio standards (RPS), 14 environmental groups and San Miguel County, CO, last week filed a lawsuit challenging the Bush-era designations.

Declaring federally designated energy corridors in 11 western states “coal friendly” and in direct opposition to nine states’ renewable portfolio standards (RPS), 14 environmental groups and San Miguel County, CO, on Tuesday filed a lawsuit challenging the Bush-era designations.

FERC has begun a formal, nonpublic investigation into whether any mandatory federal reliability standards were violated during the widespread power outage in Florida last month that affected as many 2.5 million people statewide.

NorthernStar Energy LLC received an unfavorable review this week from the Clatsop County (OR) Planning Commission staff’s updated report, which follows an earlier recommendation for denial of zoning changes for the proposed Bradford Landing liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal along the Columbia River in Oregon. NorthernStar, however, said it was unconcerned.

California’s legislature Thursday put the final exclamation point on the state’s far-reaching move establishing the toughest standards in the nation in an attempt to turn back the clock on greenhouse gas (GHG), or global warming, emissions, passing mandatory reporting and emission limits for electric generation plants, refineries and other major industries (AB 32), along with a ban on adding any new power generation or supply contracts tied to traditional coal-fired power generation (SB 1368).

The rapid growth of renewable energy through state renewable portfolio standards and other actions nationwide will have a substantial negative impact on natural gas demand and prices, according to a new report by scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

The rapid growth of renewable energy through state renewable portfolio standards and other actions nationwide will have a substantial negative impact on natural gas demand and prices, according to a new report by scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

The Committee of Chief Risk Officers (CCRO), which was formed in 2002 to establish bottom-line standards for energy traders, plans by this summer to establish a best practice financial framework to serve as the foundation for the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) quarterly request for financial data.