The new study is from: Smart Electric Power Alliance

What 3 reasons does the Smart Electric Power Alliance give for utiltiies being unprepared for Evs?

• 75% of utilities were inthe early development or early planning stages for EV
  • The 75% account for service to 70% of the US
• Utilities are reacting to EV rollout in a way that’s very similar to utility reaction to the growth of distributed solar
• Its predicted that EV energy use will grow exponentially
  • “EV energy use could rise from a few terawatt-hours a year in 2017 to at 118TWh and as high as 733TWh by 2030.”

Pacific Business Journal | Electric utility companies largely unprepared for anticipated EV boom, report says

Atlanta’s city services recently experienced a ransomware attack, the responses include:

• Calls for more transparency for utilities about their cybersecurity to “keep consumers aware of the threats and their frequency”
• Because electricity is a security issue, the market cannot resolve the issue & the government must act
• FERC is beefing up mandatory reporting requirements

Eagle Tribune Opinion | Utilities should be more transparent about cybersecurity

Newbery Port NEws | Utilities should be more transparent about cybersecurity

What issue are legal property rights centers looking at?  is there a public good, for eminent domain purposes,  when the public that benefits from the exported good is Europe or China?

What does this have to do with eminent domain? Pipelines, such as those that feed a LNG Export Center, are often uilt with the use of the power of eminent domain.

To exercize eminent domain constitutionally there must be a public use/public purpose for the land

How are property rights legal exeperts looking to intervene in exported oil and gas?   intervening in existing cases to aid property owners fighting eminent domain actions

Is this impacting oil and gas industry? Yes, a Texas pipeline that seeks to serve deregulated Mexican market, included a spur to a small Texas town that had never had natural gas service before to avoid the public purpose issue before the company utilized eminent domain

Houston Chronicle | Are pipeline land takings in the public interest if oil, gas headed overseas?

State: Maryland

Agency considering the 24,000 EV charging station proposal: Public Services Commission

The Proposal  is led by: utilities

What does the coalition of support look like for the utilities?

• EV manufacturers
• Business groups
• Environmentalists

The investment: $104 Million for 24,000 residential, workplace and public charging stations

The Baltimore Sun | Maryland’s utilities propose spending $104 million on statewide electric-vehicle charging network

• Regional Transmission Organizations and Independent System Operators filings are significant and will require more time to analyze
• Grid resilience is a critical issue for the American people, the economy & national security
• FERC wants a robust record with as much comment as possible

Electric Light & Power | FERC extends comment deadline on grid resiliency issues 

According to a new report from the California Energy Commission by 2025, EV chargers will:

• 1 GW of peak demand
• Increase in demand  in workplace charging demand during weekday mornings
• Steep Increase in evening power demand due to residential charging

How will this be addressed in California Governor’s Executive Order?

• $2.5 billion in revenues directed to EV charger deployment. 

• Millions of Texas utility customers  pay rates as if their utility were being taxed at the old 35% rate
• Similart actions were taken in 1987 after President Reagan’s tax cuts
• Texas has the 5th highest utility rates in the country and that impacts the fixed income

Conclusion: The PUC must act and use its authority over  transmission and distribution companies

TribTalk from bob Jackson of AARP  | Bring down utility rates under new federal tax law

State: Arizona

Which taxing entity sought to tax leased home solar equipment: Arizona Department of Revenue sought to levy a property tax

What did the Arizona Supreme Court say? Homes are not operating electic eneration facilities, so the Arizona Department of Revenue has no authority to impose a tax

Are there other taxing avenues? The State Supreme Court opinion left open county taxes levied on leased soilar equipment

What entities could be impacted by a tax on leased solar equipment in Arizona?  schools, churches and other government and non-profit organizations

AZ Central | Solar customers don’t have to pay some taxes, state Supreme Court rules

Santa Monica California is considering a permit for Tesla to convert a former Volvo dealership to a retaurant and EV charging station. The future is here.

ABC 7 | Tesla files permit to open restaurant at a supercharger station in Santa Monica

State: Arizona

The regulatory action: The Arizona Corporation Commission places a moratorium on gas powered electric generation

Supporters of the gas generation moratorium say:

• Policy Choices. Utilities should  consider energy storage and clean energy options 
• Short Term:  This will protect ratepayers from potential unnecessary capital improvements
• Long Term:  This will protect ratepayers from stranded asset costs

Utility Dive | Arizona regulators move to place gas plant moratorium on utilities 

What did the FERC Order do? FERC requires grid operators to establish a set of rules to incorporate batteries into the wholesale electricity market with 4 requirements:

• Allow storage to provide energy, capacity and ancillary services;
• Allow storage to set wholesale market prices as a buyer or seller of electricity;
• Respect the operational characteristics of storage, such as discharge duration or state-of-charge requirements, and;
• Set a minimum size for market participation not more than 100 kW. 

What has Texas PUC done? In January it began the rule making process for battery storage integration into the state’s competitive electric market

Houston Chronicle | FERC orders grid operators to make room for battery storage

FERC Order on Energy Storage (February 2018)

American Public Power Association | Texas PUC to take a closer look at energy storage issues

Utility Dive | FERC issues storage, reliability orders, calls conference on aggregated DERs

State: California

How are the water contamination testing fees being implemented?  Potentially within the state budget

Who would pay the water testing fees?

• commercial water users
• residential water users
• fertilizer producers
• dairy producers

What would fees fund?

• “short- and long-term improvements to water infrastructure and help clean up contaminated drinking water systems that affect primarily rural, low-income regions”

What is the proposed fee for commercial and residential users? 95 cents/month

The Opposition: Public Water Agencies

The Opposition’s Suggested Funding Source Change: bonds and federal funds

Sacramento Bee | New fees proposed to pay for California’s contaminated water problem

President and CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas gave 2 reasons Texas electric systems withstood Harvey better than other natural disasters:

• an investment in smart meters
• software improvements in power distribution grids

How did smart meters & software improvements help? 

• smart meters helped companies recognize transmission problems before some residents even knew they didn’t have power
• software improvementsb helped shift a new transmission line inland to maintain power supplies

Houston Chronicle | Smart meters helped Houston withstand widespread power loss during Harvey

Background: The Nebraska Legislature passed a bill that allowed for expedited permitting for Transcanada pipeline by allowing the Governor to approve the project outside the ordinary regulatory scheme. Lawsuits ensued. Protestors protested. Concerts were held for the landowners.

What happened in courts?

• Landowners effectively won.
• Pipeline did not use the Governor Office for approval and chose the ordinary regualtory approval.
• The Nebraska Supreme Court on March 9, 2018 denied attorney fee award to the landowners.

AP via Hastings Tribune | Court: TransCanada doesn’t have to pay landowner attorneys

What’s the water law issue? property rights in groundwater, does a land owner, with an interest in the groundwater, have party status to protest a water permit?

Is there a nuance? Yes, does protesting require that the landowner have a well that is impacted? Or, is it enough that the permit protestor is a landowner?

What started this? 

• The Permit Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District was considering Recharge Water  permit to withdraw 56,000 acre-feet of water per year from the Simsboro formation of the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer in Bastrop and Lee Counties.
• The landowners. 4 landowners wanted to join AquaSource in protesting the permit to draw water.
• Administrative Law Judges sided with Lost Pines because the landowners didn’t have wells in the same aquifer
• 2018 District Court sided with the landowners and sent the permit back tothe GCD

Statesman | Groundwater district appeals judge’s ruling for Bastrop landowners

An Australian regulator are calling for a national battery (energy storage) registry.

Why a national registry of energy storage locations?

• There’s a boom in home enrgy storage installation that could create blind spots in the grid
• Knowing the location of energy storage installations makes grid management easier
• Easier to harness the collective potential of energy storage
• Improve grid security by  more easily identifying and responding to non-credible contingency and protected events

Renew Economy | Regulator pushes for household battery storage register to remove “blind spot” 

Australian Battery Storage Mapping Porposal (2018)

The utilities:  Pacific Gas & Electric  Southern California Edison &  San Diego Gas & Electric

The credits:  $10,000 discount, for a total of more than $20,000 off the cost EVs

Free charging:  The discount includes free charging at specified locations

Utility Dive | California utilities offer $10K rebate on new BMW electric vehicle 

Texas Comptroller Private Letter Ruling: PLR No. 201712002L

What did the private letter ruling do? Extends the Texas franchise tax to oil and gas joint ventures that are  treated as a partnership for federal tax purposes only

2 Reasons the franchise tax applies to these oil and gas joint ventures:

• Rule 3.581(b)(10)’s definition of a taxable “joint venture”—that is, a “partnership engaged in the joint prosecution of a particular transaction for mutual profit”
• the joint venture did not elect out of partnership treatment for federal income tax purposes
  • if it had done so, it would not have qualified for the exclusion under Texas Tax Code Section 171.0002(a) for ventures electing out of federal income tax partnership treatment

Where‘s the legislative issue?

• The ruling was silent on whether the entity is in fact a partnership
• A legislative fix is in Texas Business Organizations Code (“BOC”) § 152.051
  • This section would need to be clarified that the existing language “ownership of mineral property under a joint operating agreement” does not, by itself, create a partnership for margins tax purposes

Letter: Improved energy grid vital to area job growth

Columnist on target in tying energy grid to local job growth

I don’t want to see Fredericksburg fall behind, while Richmond and Northern Virginia see job growth. You can tell Curry Roberts at the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance doesn’t either based on his recent column [Va. bill key to expanded, improved energy grid, Feb. 16, 2018].

You can’t argue with the fact that when businesses are looking to expand into Fredericksburg, they want to know about energy reliability and renewability, as well as cybersecurity. As it stands, we’re operating on a grid that can’t meet the expectations of these businesses. In fact, our current grid can’t even meet our own expectations in the face of increased solar panel and electric car usage.

The Grid Transformation and Security Act of 2018 is exactly the legislation we need to make ourselves competitive again. And it’s not just the Fredericksburg area that would be elevated in terms of economic growth and job opportunities by the updates this act proposes—the rest of Virginia would, too.

I want us to set the standard for cutting-edge infrastructure, and that’s why the Fredericksburg community needs to support the Grid Transformation and Security Act of 2018.

Debbie Seay

Spotsylvania

Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star | Letter: Improved energy grid vital to area job growth

The vice president of Global Industry Services at the American Petroleum Institute lays out 3 reasons that electric grid security and stability requires data sharing:

• Data Sharing is 1 of the 3 pillars of a stable grid.
  • Cooperative Leaders
  • Cooperative Standards
  • Data and Knowledge Sharing
• Puerto Rico layed the “groundwork to propel smart energy storage to the massive adoption level of the personal computer and the cellphone”
• Need for Wide Scale Commercialization

How will we get there?

• by corralling industry experts, technology innovators and academics into the same room with government leaders and regulators
• by defining gaps between demand and supply
• by identifying the fragility of the current systems
• by calculating the energy storage capacity needed years down the road
• by eliminating information sharing barriers that keep corporate and government leaders and their administrations from shielding their proprietary data methods

Utility Dive | Solving our energy grid problems requires a data sharing economy

The Study:  Environment Texas Report  entitled Local policies, state funds can help city prepare for electric car revolution

The local policies at issue:

• The need for EV charging stations
  • An estimated 2000 more charging stations would be necessary
  • Access to public charging stations
  •  Residential access to on-street EV charging
• The need to improve security of EVs in Houston
• The accessibility to grants to facilitate buiulding EV charging stations 
  • Support for private investment in publicly accessible stations 
• Incentivized EV parking and charging

“Where we really need to place our emphasis is on infrastructure, building out the capacities so that people can feel secure when they’re driving their electric vehicles around Houston,” said Dominic Boyer, director of the Rice Center for Energy and Environmental Research in the Human Sciences.

KHOU | How an electric car boom could impact Houston

South Dakota HB 1292  will remove de novo review for conditional use permits.

The coalition offering recommendations to tweak PURPA:

• Puget Sound Energy
• Northwest and Intermountain Power Producers Coalition
• Renewable Energy Coalition
• Renewable Northwest
• Northwest Energy Coalition and Climate Solutions

The recommendations:

• Contract Negotiations Prior to Execution 
• Standard contact provisions for QFs at or below the size threshold approved by the Commission 
• Term sheets with limited contract provisions for QFs above the size threshold available upon the utility’s website 
• Nameplate capacity of 5 MW size (AC for solar) threshold for standard contract and rate eligibility 
• non-renewable price calculation will include:
  • most recent project proposals received pursuant to an RFP issued under Chapter 480-107 WAC to meet capacity needs
  • estimates included in the utility’s current integrated resource plan
  • results of the utility’s most recent bidding process to meet capacity needs 
  • current projected market prices for power 
• renewable price calculation will include:

  • most recent project proposals to an RFP issued under Chapter 480-107 WAC to comply with the requirements of the Energy Independence Act, 

  • estimates included in the utility’s current integrated resource plan  

  • results of the utility’s most recent bidding process to comply with the requirements of the Energy Independence Act 

  • current projected market prices for power. 

Utility Dive | IPPs, utilities and greens push PURPA recommendations in Washington state

Joint Recommendation of Puget Sound Energy, Northwest and Intermountain Power Producers Coalition, Renewable Energy Coalition, Renewable Northwest, Northwest Energy Coalition and Climate Solutions

The coalition:  Energy Companies + EV manufacturers + Environmental Groups

The numbers:

• 2017 saw 227 state- and utility-level actions related to EVs
• 43 states and the District of Columbia in 2017
• 70 were changes to the regulation of electric vehicles in 34 states
• 53 actions were Financial incentives, including cash rebates,  in D.C. and 19 states
• 36 actions in 17 states related to Market development policies were the subject 
• 27 studies or investigations of transportation electrification in D.C. and 20 states
• 17 states took 24 actions on vehicle or charger infrastructure deployment
•  17 utility or legislative actions for EV rate redesign
• 28 actions taken in 19 states that created or amended EV-related fees

Most common EV related legislation in order of popularity:

• Fees
• Rebate programs
• EV Rate Tariffs
• EV studies
• Level 2 Charging Deployment
• Sales Tax Incentives
• Income Tax Incentives
• Grid Modernizagtion Studies
• Electric Resale
• Grant Programs
• HOV Lane Access

Utility Dive | Team of rivals: Utilities, enviros unite to push electric vehicles

Iowa Sente File 2235 (2018) protects pipelines from sabotage.

The 4 points you need to know to be informed to talk to your clients about brining this bill to your state:

• Iowa bill was the brainchild of the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
• The Iowa bill categorized the protection broadly as protecting critical infrastructure
• Special circumstances in Iowa: Millions of dollars in damage by protesters in Iowa  to sections of the Dakota Access Pipeline
• The bill’s new critical infrastructure crime looks like this:
  • crime of critical infrastructure sabotage
  • Class B felony
  • Up to 25 years in prison & a fine of between $85,000 and $100,000

Des Moines Register | Bill banning sabotage of pipelines, ‘critical infrastructure’ passes Iowa Senate

Iowa Public Radio | Iowa Senate Strikes Back Against Pipeline Protesters

State:  Ohio

The current wind turbine setback: 110% the height of the turbine + available variances

The 2018 legislative proposal:  Ohio SB 238   increases the setback to 120% the height of the turbine

What rule change is being implemented at the Ohio Public Utility Commission? including a windturbine requirement that notice be provided to “all property owners” including adjacent property owners oustide the 120% line.

What’s a Repulican negotiating tactic in the House? That any setback bill needs to include Ohio HB 114 that effectively makes Ohio’s renewable standards voluntary

Energy News Network | Ohio bill would relax wind setbacks, but rule change could derail process

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission unanimously approved an order for each grid to develop rules for energy storage in the wholesale market. 

5 Things the Rules Must Include:

• “Ensure that a storage resource can provide all the services it is technically capable of providing,
• Ensure that an energy storage resource can be dispatched and can set market clearing prices as both a buyer and a seller,
• Account for the physical and operational characteristics of storage resources through bidding parameters or other means,
• Establish a minimum size for participation in RTO/ISO markets that does not exceed 100 kW, and
• Specify that the sale of electricity from the RTO/ISO markets to a storage resource that the resource resells must be at the wholesale locational marginal price.”

Are there state examples of these rules in place? yes, in California and New York

FERC ORder 841 (February 2018)

 Utility Dive | FERC order opens ‘floodgates’ for energy storage in wholesale markets

 Consolidated Edison has a hybrud service model for large microgrids.

What does this hybrid model look like?

• Consolidated Edison is working with property developers to:
  • offer unique service connection architectures to facilitate a microgrid
  • accommodating requests as to where the power is delivered
  • eliminating complicated equipment to simplify reconnecting to the grid
• Consolidated Edison utilized “microgrid breakers” that supply  13 kV service
  • this allows “the customer to isolate and reconnect to the utility service seamlessly while a new means of communications allows the utility to continuously monitor our transformation equipment even when the customer is isolated”
• Mixed Energy Facility that includes:
  • cogeneration
  • gas-fired combined heat and power
  • diesel 
  •  service from Consolidated Edison

Utility Dive | ConEd’s hybrid service model for large microgrid could become standard

New appointee and new chair at the Texas Water Development Board include:

• Brooke Paup
  • ​BA TAMU
  • JD Texas Tech
  • certified sommelier
  • formerly with Comptroller Hegar as director of legislative affairs
  • formerly with Gov. Perry’s Federal State Relations Office during Hurricanes Rita and Katrina
  • formerly the deputy division chief of intergovernmental relations and former special assistant for policy and research for the Office of the Attorney General
• Peter Lake (CHAIR)
  • ​Tyler, TX
  • former head of business development at Lake Ronel Oil Company
  • formerly director of special projects for VantageCap Partners, Gambit Trading 
  •  member of the Edmund Burke Society at the University of Chicago School of Law
  • Stanford University Graduate School of Business

Governor Abbott | Governor Abbott Names Lake Chair And Appoints Paup To Texas Water Development Board

The catalyst to mapping pipelines: The 2017 fatal Firestone house explosion

The Governor’s Order: find and test all pipelines within 1,000 feet of homes

The Oil and Gas Regulator Response Rules will:

• require companies to report to regulators where pipelines installed after May 2018 will be
• require known pipelines be reported to regulators by October 2019
  • any additional knowledge about pipelines has to be reported
• Major leaks must be reported within 24 hours

There’s a new task force for leak detection that will:

• consider required inspection technology

Governing | To Prevent More House Explosions, Colorado Toughens Oil and Gas Rules

The Innovation HUB: Monash Grid Innovation Hub is  “a unique research, training and teaching platform for digital energy”

Innovation HUBs goals: “collaborative industry partnership approach towards a secure, affordable, smart, reliable and environmentally responsible energy sector”

Where is the innovation hub housed? Monash University and it “features a Future Control Room equipped with specialist software to view, control and manage big data, distributed energy systems and network security”

PACE TODAY | Innovation hub addresses changing electricity needs

State: Missouri

Legislation: Senate Bill 564 

5 Points from Missouri’s SB564:

• cap rate increases at 2.85% for utility companies that file a 5 year capital investment plan
•  utility companies will be able to replace, modernize & secure infrastructure while the Public Service Commission retains  authority & oversight
• modernizing the grid will improve security of the grid
• CARROT: consumers maximize the benefits of the recently passed federal tax cut by cutting electric rates and returning money to consumers
• Not only will consumers, Missouri families, benefit but so will Missouri’s small businesses 

West Plains Daily Quill | Capitol Report

Arizona advocates in  environmental, clean energy and public health are joiing forces to require Arizona utilities to reach 50% renewable energy by 2030.

What’s the legislative approach? A ballot proposition

Who is funding this? backed by billionaire Tom Steyer | NextGen America

Is this push being felt elsewhere?  Yes, Arizona Corporation Commissioner Andy Tobin is calling for raising the Renewable Portfolio Standard to 80% of clean energy by 2050 + deploy 3,000 MW of energy storage by 2030

Arizona Corporation Commissioner Andy Tobin’s proposal 

Utility Dive | New Arizona renewable ballot initiative could spark utility opposition

Study: Advancing One Water in Texas

Study Conducted by: Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation

Study prepared for: Dallas Morning News

3 Reasons Texas Needs a New Way to handle Water Management:

• Holistic Water Decisions. Not Utility Decisions. 
  • All water needs should be considered together, including:
    •  drinking water, wastewater, stormwater and grey water 
• Collaborative Process for Water Management.
  • ​The current system compartmentalizes decision making.
  • Collaborative decision making would be in the best interest for water management
• Texas agencies and cities are already engaing in this thanks to the leadership and tenacity of a few innovators
  • ​Texas is the national leader in water reuse.
  • State Water Implementation Fund of Texas sets aside 20% for  conservation 
  • Arlington & Mesquite are embracing green infrastructure in new and innovative way

Dallas Morning News | Texas needs a new approach to water management before it’s too late

South Dakota is extending a law that protects recreational use of water on non-meandered waters that lay over privately owned lands

Legislation: SB 24 

Policy goal in South Dakota:  affirmatively state that  the waters belong to the public

Private property exception: nearly any private landowner could ask the state Game, Fish & Parks Commission to close all or part of the person’s water to recreational use

What is the impact to recreational use in South Dakota? More than two dozen waters to automatically be open because of their historical use.

The new oversight:  Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response at the Energy Department

Head of the new office:   will be led by an Assistant Secretary

Policy Goals of the new office:

• energy infrastructure security
•  support the expanded national security responsibilities
• coordination and focus on protecting energy infrastructure, like the electric grid, from cyber and foreign attacks & natural threats

Funding: $96 million

Department of Energy | Secretary of Energy Rick Perry Forms New Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response

The Hill | Energy Department creates new office for cyber, energy security

SB 966 in Virginia offers electric companies the aility to retain more profit in exchange for invesgtment in:

• grid security upgrades
• renewable energy investments

Opposition arguments were voiced by:

• attorney general’s office consumer counsel
• State Corporation Commission
• Southern Environmental Law Center
• the Sierra Club
• a few large industrial electric customers

The opposition arguments were:

•  the bill will effectively charge customers twice for the same spending because utilities will be using customer refunds to pay for grid and renewable spending and that becomes part of the utility rate base

What groups support the bill?

• environmental groups
• business groups
• energy-efficiency advocates

Richmond Times Dispatch | Electric utility regulation bill advances in both chambers

Nebraska Senator Tom Brewer looks to stop  Nebraska electric utilities from using eminent domain authority to obtain right of way “on behalf of a third party accessing the infrastructure to sell electric energy.”

How does LB 752 work?

• LB 752 applies to all entities engaged in generation or transmission
• LB 752 stops right of way aquisition
• LB752 prohibits right of way acquisition if the right of way is to be used by 3rd party accessing infrastructure to sell electricity

The author’s goal? Eminent Domain should not be used by private parties.

Omaha World Herals | Nebraska State Sen. Tom Brewer aims to restrict electric utilities’ eminent domain authority

Oklahoma is considering HB 1035 that will cap the amount of tax credits for power generation from zero-emmission facilities to $18 million per year. 

Supporters Say: the state was too generous with the tax credits

Opponents Say:   Wind facilities relied on these credits and if OKlahoma goes back on its word, it establises itself as a bad state for business

News OK | Legislative committees to consider tax bills supported by Step Up Oklahoma

Utah legislators reached a compromise on SB141 for rooftop solar.

What’s in the compromise?

• Purchasers of rooftop solar systems between Jan. 1, 2007, and Dec. 31, 2017, will receive the $2,000 state tax credit
• tax credit decreases to $1,600 for systems purchased after Jan. 1, 2018, and on or before December 2020
• By 2023 the tax credit is reduced to $400
• The net metering compromise preserves status quo rates for thousands of rooftop solar customers in the state for their solar production through 2035

KSL.com | Utah lawmakers approve rooftop solar compromise bill

New York Governor Cuomo is hinting the state will set its energy storage goal at above 1.5 GW by 2030.

Above 1.5 GW by 2030 would make NY’s standard the nation’s highest followed by:

• California at  1,300 MW by 2020

Is there money behind 1.5GW by 2030? Yes, 

•  $200 million from the New York Green Bank
• $60 million from NYSERDA 

Utility Dive | New York could be headed for the country’s most ambitious energy storage goal

As regulators fine tune EV charging station policies, 2 security issues with EV charging stations have been spotted by tech experts:

• EV charging stations are not required to transmit charging authorization information in an encrypted format
• EV charging stations are not required to prohibit duplicates of the same numbered card

Tech Crunch | Electric car charge-station payment systems may lack basic security measures

Ohio is considering HB225 (2018) that will require:

• 45% of a state fund used for oil and gas programs will be dedicated to capping idle & abandoned wells
  • 14% increase in funding
• Ohio Oil and Gas Association & the Ohio Environmental Council both support the cause

The Blade | Oil and gas association, environmental group team up on capping idle, abandoned wells

Who: Opponents to the Dakota Access Pipeline from Iowa + Indigenous Iowans and others from across the Midwest

Why: to protest the four-state pipeline eminent domain

Where: Protesting eminent domain at the Super Bowl in Minneapolis at the US Bank Stadium.  U.S. Bank has a banking relationship with the pipeline company

Des Moines Register  | Iowa environmentalists heading to Super Bowl to protest Dakota Access pipeline

As Governors, Legislators and regulators look to cut utility rates to reflect the federal tax cut, Moody’s makes these points about the impact of federal tax cuts on utilities:

• tax reform is credit negative for utilities
• creates a short term cash flow problem
• will dilute a utility’s ratio of cash flow before changes in working capital to debt by approximately 150 to 250 basis points on average

What other impacts will the federal tax c uts have on unitlities?

• 24 states are conducting regulatory proceedings on the impact of accumulated deferred income taxes from past years
• The Brattle Group says “Returning tax savings to customers does not poses a “threat to the fundamental value” of a utility and will not necessarily affect “book return on equity or the present value of future cash flows, but it does create a near-term cash flow problem,”

Utility Dive | For utilities, the new corporate tax cuts are a double-edged sword

Iowa is considering SSB 3062 which would criminalize protesting critical infrastructure, including:

• pipelines
• electrical critical infrastructure
• chemical critical infrastructure 
• Telecommunications or broadband critical infrastructure 
• Water & Wastewater critical infrastructure 

What’s the new crime’s name?  critical infrastructure sabotage. 

The criminal penalty: class “B” felony, up to 25 years and a $100,000 fine

Eco Watch | As Trump Unfurls Infrastructure Plan, Iowa Bill Seeks to Criminalize Pipeline Protests 

City: Seattle

Seattle installed which EV charging stations? 2 fast-charging stations for electric vehicles
 

What is Seattle charging for use of the super charging stations? 

• 43 cents per kilowatt-hour to charge
• This is about $10.70 to fully charge a Nissan Leaf

Other numbers to know about Seattle’s super charger stations?

• 80 miles of range per 20 minutes of charge time
• Seattle will install 18 additional supercharging stations in 2018

Geekwire | Seattle City Light installs first city-owned electric vehicle fast-charging stations

The Texas Pulic Utilities Chair joins the refrain calling for reduced elecrtric rates base don the federal income tax savings.

3 things to know:

• The PUC Chair calls for rate case in light of federal tax savings
• The PUC will take the matter up on 2/15
• PUC has asked all utilities to track their rates under current system & under the tax cut

Quote from PUC CHair Walker: “People today are paying something that they shouldn’t be, in my mind,” 

Houston Chronicle | PUC chairman raises concerns about CenterPoint’s rates

What entity conducted the study? Salt River Project in Arizona + the  Electric Power Research Institute

What were the parameters of the Study? 100 EV drivers charging habits were studied by  installing Fleetcarma data loggers in their vehicles

What did the study show?

• time-of-use (TOU) rates were effective at helping push those loads off peak
• TOU rates will allow the electric provider to meet customer demand without needing to add power plants
• The utility is concerned whether the TOU will withstanding increased scale, backed by concerns that new EV drivers may not be “as sophisticated”

What’s the game plan for the provider? outreach programs for new EV drivers

Electric Light & Power | Salt River Project provides results of electric vehicles study

Utility Dive | Time-of-use rates can manage EV charging, new report says 

Why did a Pennsylvania Republican State Representative took on transmission line agents? Constituents say line agents were pressuring land owners

What bad acts by line agents triggered constituent unrest?

• Agents said they would  “call the sheriff’s office and arrest residents who did not sign letters”
• Agents were seeking pre-condemnation access before the transmission line project was approved by the requisite state agency
• Agents gave land owners a letter that misrepresented state eminent domain laws

York Dispatch | State rep takes on power line agents who pressured residents

Add the Texas Railroad Commission to list of regulators wanting gas utilities to pass along federal tax benefits to ratepayers.

RRC Chair Craddick’s statement:

• “We will look at the effect on gas rates to guarantee companies share their savings with their customers, allowing Texans to keep more of their paycheck as (the new tax law) intended,”

RRC spokesperson statements:

• “I can just tell you without question that (Texas gas utility customers) will see the impact of it at some point soon,”
• “We want to make sure that (gas utility) companies have a directive from this agency to set aside the cost-savings for the purpose of giving those dollars saved back to the consumer” one way or another

Statesman | Texas regulators want gas utility customers to see tax-cut savings

Refreshing your informed:intel recollection on January 16, 2018:

Texas Attorney General Paxton is joining the chorus to pass along federal tax savings by lower utility rates. Here’s what you need to know:

• General Paxton joins 17 other states in asking FERC to allow for lower utility rates
• FERC must take action to ” adjust the public utilities’ revenue requirements to reflect this federal corporate income tax reduction”
• The FERC revenue change would bring lower rates faster than an after-the-fact “true-up” 

Southeast Texas Record | Paxton part of coalition asking Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reduce utility rates

Refreshing your informed:intel recollection, on January 11, 2018: 

Where: New York

What are regulators doing to lower utility rates? At the behest of the Governor, regulators are analyzing how much utility companies will save from the federal tax cuts and transfering that savings to lower utility rates

How much of a savings is esgtimated? $80 million statewide savings, translating to a 2% reduction in utility bills.

Albany Times Union | PSC, Cuomo want Trump utility tax cuts to benefit ratepayers

Background: 

• A 2018 study by  Environmental Working Group found 37 small Texas water utilities violate federal standards for radium
• A 2016 study that founf 34 rural Texas drinking water systems violatr arsenic standards
• A 2016 study found that 53 of the 100 community water systems with the most violations are int Texas

2 Reasons we got here:

• Lack of resources for small water utilities
• A skeptism of federal water standards

Tyler Morning Telegraph | Why are Texas’ smaller utilities not cleaning up drinking water?

The business entity behind the LIVE ELECTRIC campaign: Rocky Mountain Power

Goals of the LIVE ELECTRIC campaign: 

•  incentivize the move toward electric vehicles
• by installing new DC fast-charging stations 
• to support 50,000 more electric cars on Utah roads in the next 10 years

The benefit to ride share: improved accessibility for EV ride share drivers

Rocky Mountain Power’s partners in LIVE ELECTRIC:b

•  Department of Energy
• Utah Clean Cities
• State of Utah
• Local community partners

http://www.liveelectric.org

NASDAQ Global News Wire | Rocky Mountain Power, Summit County and Salt Lake City Partner With Uber and Lyft to Reduce Emissions

New Hampshire Legislature is considering House Bill 1226 (2018) that exempts from drought restrictions private wells.

What supporters say:

• This is basic Property Rights
• This is the legal tradition for riparian rights
• If opponents want to stop private wells from use during drought, then private wells should be reimbursed for the property rights loss

What opponents say:

• private wells still draw down water reserves 

Concord Monitor | Homes with private wells would be exempt from drought restrictions

Texas Attorney General Paxton is joining the chorus to pass along federal tax savings by lower utility rates. Here’s what you need to know:

• General Paxton joins 17 other states in asking FERC to allow for lower utility rates
• FERC must take action to ” adjust the public utilities’ revenue requirements to reflect this federal corporate income tax reduction”
• The FERC revenue change would bring lower rates faster than an after-the-fact “true-up” 

Southeast Texas Record | Paxton part of coalition asking Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reduce utility rates

refreshing your informed:intel recollection, on January 11, 2018: 

Where: New York

What are regulators doing to lower utility rates? At the behest of the Governor, regulators are analyzing how much utility companies will save from the federal tax cuts and transfering that savings to lower utility rates

How much of a savings is esgtimated? $80 million statewide savings, translating to a 2% reduction in utility bills.

Albany Times Union | PSC, Cuomo want Trump utility tax cuts to benefit ratepayers

Virginia’s HB 1294 requires a natural gas company to post a performance bond, a water quality impact bond, to be accessed for a pipeline project that damages water quality.

Roanoke Times | Roanoke, Blacksburg Democrats roll out pipeline-related bills

Virginia’s HB 1188 will: 

• Require independent water quality tests before pipeline operations begin
• Provides for annual groundwater testing
• Prohibits pipeline leaks
• Requires daily checks of pipeline operations
• Establishes financial penalties for gas leaks

Roanoke Times | Roanoke, Blacksburg Democrats roll out pipeline-related bills

Virginia’s HB 1187 (SB 324) will:

• Prohibit the surveying of land until a a public use certification has been issued
• Requires notification to landowners about surveying timelines and locations
• $500/day damages to landwoners if surveyers fail to meet the bill’s standards

Roanoke Times | Roanoke, Blacksburg Democrats roll out pipeline-related bills

• State remediation required if per- and polyfluoroalkyl levels that meet or exceed 70 parts per trillion
• Applies to both commercial and residential drinking water
• New regulatory standards backed by Governor
• This new standard mirrors the EPA guidelines

What was the catalyst for the new standards:

• legacy pollution from a former chemical dumping site that’s impacting at least 14 communities
• A December 2017 supplmental spending bill that provides $23.2 million in state money for clean up

The Detroit News | Michigan sets limit for chemical contaminants in water

New Hampshire’s HB 485 (2018 Session), calls for clean drinking water by:

• Not calling for a set level of PFCs
• Allowing for rule making by Department of Environmental Services
• Addresses drinking water that is surface water (HB 1590 New Hampshire 2018) , public drinking water systems  (HB 1618 New Hampshire) & bottle water (HB 1632 New Hampshire 2018)
• HB 1766 (2018 New Hampshire) adds in checking for arsenic levels

New Hampshire Public Radio | N.H. Legislature To Take Up Several Bills On Water Contamination, Health Hazards 

Where: New York

What are regulators doing to lower utility rates? At the behest of the Governor, regulators are analyzing how much utility companies will save from the federal tax cuts and transfering that savings to lower utility rates

How much of a savings is esgtimated? $80 million statewide savings, translating to a 2% reduction in utility bills.

Albany Times Union | PSC, Cuomo want Trump utility tax cuts to benefit ratepayers 

• Consumer Facing products compete with Utilities. 
  • ​CEO: Adrian Tuck, CEO of Tendril
  • 4 Ways retailers can smartly react:
    •  All-digital offerings
    • Laser-focused data analytics
    • DERs bundled with smart home applications
    • Advanced software that manages supply risk and reduces customer turnover.
• EVs
  • ​C-Suite: AEE Matt Stanberry, vice president of market development
  • What to watch: Utility Commissions opening an EV docket
    • Michigan did it already
• Millenials
  • ​CEO: Patty Durand, CEO of Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative
  • 10 energy hot topics that Millenials want:
    • energy usage reports
    • app-based savings suggestions
    • prepaid billing
    • energy usage tracking
    • community solar
    • electric vehicles
    • energy storage
    • smart appliances
    • smart home
    • utilities that invest heavily in smart grid infrastructure upgrades and renewable energy generation 
• Residential Customers Control More Energy
  • ​CEO: Sue Kelly, CEO of American Public Power Association
  • electricity consumption could increase due to new uses such as transportation & heating
• DER aggregation picks up the pace- even more
  • CEO: Jon Wellinghoff, former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
  • DERs will provide more transmission services
  • The benefit of DER aggregation: additional revenue opportunities during other hours of the year when the need is not there

Utility Dive | Predictions 2018: Customer engagement, smart energy platforms key DR trends this year

Trains are leading the way to transport fuel to meet Mexico’s demand.

3 Advantages to trains:

• Train tracks already exist
• Building pipelines take time to acquire land and build
• Purchasing additional trains is quick and gives trains a 3-5 year head start

Kallanish Energy | Rail wins race to supply Mexico with U.S. fuel

Florida Legislature is considering HB 1133 would make solar and energy storage the go-to solution for disaster recovery by:

• Offsets emergency facilities’ power needs
• Lessens the need for diesel generators
• Aims to improve security after disasters

Florida HB 1133 (2018) 

Utility Dive | Florida lawmaker proposes to study solar+storage for grid recovery

Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission proposes new rules for flow lines after a gas line explosion in 2017.

5 Key points from the proposed rules:

• Flow lines that are permanently taken out of service must be disconnected, drained and sealed at both ends
• Any above-ground portion of the flow lines must be removed
• Energy companies may remove the lines
• Required disclosure of flow line locations by energy companies
• Adds requirements for designing, installing, testing and documenting flow lines

AP | Colorado debates new gas line rules after fatal explosion

State: New York

2 limits on eminent domain: In the statutes that grant electric transmission lines and electric generators eminent domain authority, Assembly Bill 5463  prohibits eminent domain authority to be used for:

• cannot build or expand a line that extends outside the US
• cannot build or expand lines to conenct to electric generation outside the US

AB5463 (2018 NY)

New York Transportation Corporation Code Section 11

Where: An undisclosed power plant in the Middle East

What was the hackers way into the system? a workstation running Triconex, a safety system developed by Schneider Electric

What did hackers do? Attempted to reprogram the control system, triggering a plant shutdown

Reuters | Hackers halt plant operations in watershed cyber attack

A Professor at the GRID Institute at the  University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering spells out 3 reasons to invest in grid infrastructure:

• infrastructure is aging
  • Look to the Atlanta airport blackout to see the decay of the grid is a larger problem than hackers
• our economy  is critically reliant on a reliable supply of electricity
• today’s demands on the grid, see solar uploading energy, forces the grid to operate in a way for which it was never intended

The solution:

• smaller regional “microgrids,”  that will offer a method of building greater resiliency, reliability, and security in our power infrastructure +
• A national high voltage direct current (HVDC) system

The Hill | A vulnerable power grid: Let’s invest in critical national infrastructure

A 3 way Republican primary in HD-54 (Cosper) has one candidate making comment about water policy.

Challenger Republican Larry Smith, described as “a firebrand with a history of being loose with his words on the election trail” says:

• Water rights is 1 of 2 key issues for him (the other is property taxes)
• He favors simplifying water control in rural areas for farmers and landowners

Kileen Daily Herald | A glance at Texas District 54 candidates

AT&T began testing high speed intenet delivery over power lines.

The first 2 tests are occuring in the State of Georgia and a non-U.S. location.

Reuters | AT&T begins testing high-speed internet over power lines

New Jersey is considering S3470 & S3471 that would rest the ability to build EV cganging stations with cities rather than energy companies.

What reasons do supporters have for wanting cities to be repsonsible for EV charging station planning?

• EV charging stations should exist in all parts of NJ, not just prosperous areas
• Universal service is essenbtial to EV charging station growth

Concern raised during the debate include:

• Giving energy companies the ability to trigger underserved provisions of existing law when operating an EV station in an underserved area

NJ Spotlight | DEBATE OVER EV CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE STARTS TO POWER UP

The California PUC adopted rules to avert wildfires that require transmission line companies to:

• increase the “clearances between vegetation and power lines” in high-risk zones

The rules also give transmission line companies new authority to:

• disconnect customers who refuse to allow crews to come onto their property to remove trees that pose a fire risk

Australia’s Woodside Energy is the first in the world to install  a microgrid with a 1MW lithium-ion PowerStore Battery energy storage system on an offshore platform.

Bonjour, Gulf Coast- oil platforms await energy sotrage systems.

Offshore Engineer | Woodside, ABB plan offshore battery first

Who Conducted The Study: The University of Michigan’s Urban Energy Justice Lab 

Show me how utility savings benefit the wealthy? 

• For every kilowatt-hour efficiency programs saved for low-income residents, up to 22 kilowatt-hours were saved for higher-income customers

Where’s the legislative/regulatory issue in all this?  Michigan’s Energy Waste Reduction requires that utilities seek “the most cost-effective programs which will benefit all Michigan residents and businesses.” But, the policy doesn’t account for the fact that low-income programs generally cost a lot more per-kilowatt-hour savings
 

What’s the hook from the study? That utilities underspent on low-income electric programs by around $74 million

What 3 factors increase KW costs for low income residents?

• outreach can be more challenging
• customers often aren’t asked to contribute as much money
• housing conditions can increase the cost of improvements.

Midwest Energy News| In Michigan, study shows utility energy savings mostly benefit wealthier customers

Louisiana’s Water Resources Commission has established a group to study the feasibility of selling water to Texas.

2 Policy issues for Texas Buying Water:

• Is the water price affordable?
• Is it reliable future source of water?

How does Louisiana’s action fit into Texas water policy? Texas passed legislation to create an interstate water commission to search for states willing to sell water

The Future Policy Issue for interstate water sale to Texas: pipeline infrastructure- how does Texas move the water from its borders to the cities that need the water supply?

Texas Public Radio | Louisiana To Study Interstate Water Sales To Parched Texas Communities

• Tulsa began aggressive flood planning began in 1984
• Tulsa’s flood plan accounts for urban growth 
• Development plans must include a network of drainage systems, creating green spaces that double as flood basins
• Tulsa adopted strict rules, stricter than the national standards, on where and how homes and buildings are constructed
• Tulsa paid for the program, that incudes buying flood zone properties, with a  fee to utility bills
  • The utility fee is offset by cheaper flood insurance prices because of the city’s strict flood plan

NPR | How Tulsa Became A Model For Preventing Floods

The power company: Gulf Power Customer Data Breach is estimated to impact 22,000 customers.

The Hack:  Attacked bill payment centers that accept checks for various bill payments.

The legislative issue: Data Security policy issues for energy companies are 3 fold:

• security of the the grid  +
• security of customer data +
• security of business data

3WEARTV | Data breach could impact 22K Gulf Power customers

Midway, Kentucky,  has a new EV Charging Station. Midway has a population of 1500.

So, how did this quaint commuity end up as a location of an EV charging station?

• Location, location, Location.  Midway is near I-64 and is near Frankfort, Louisville and Lexington
• Community support.  The community looks forward to the potential for economic growth
• Installed by Kentucky Utilities

Lexington Herald Leader | Electric cars sales are soaring. And now this small Kentucky city can charge them.

The 10th Circuit said NO, a utility cannot condemn tribal lands.

The utilities say- the 10th Circuit ruling “threatens the national power grid by effectively blocking Congress’ authorization of condemnation of allotted tribal lands”

What could this mean for Texas? The tribal lands between the Permian Basin and the border could impact pipelines and transmission lines for growth related to Mexico deregulation.

Eminent Domain and Real Estate Evaluation | Fox Rothschild | SCOTUS Asked To Hear Tribal Land Condemnation Case

A December 1 order by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission requires:

• states to not block energy efficiency from competing in regional electricity markets
• there’s an exception for projects that are approved

3 Reasons Supporters Say the Order is crucial:

• critical for maintaining free and open competition
• permits all technologies competing on price and performance
• allows  the best electric power services be delivered at the most reasonable cost to businesses and households

Utility Dive | States can’t bar efficiency technologies from wholesale electricity markets, FERC rules

Illinois Legislature enacted the Future Energy Jobs Act along with a requirement that 25% of the state’s power green by 2025 which has led to job growth by:

• Building the 1st community solar project in the state
• Attracted outside investors for projects that not-for-profit entities can’t individually afford
• “onslaught of renewable energy development will create construction, engineering and other positions that directly or indirectly support new installations”

Journal Star | One year later, Illinois energy jobs law bearing fruit

The transmission line: Transource Independent Energy Connection Project

The visitor’s bureau: The Franklin County Visitors Bureau (Pennsylvania)

The opposition to the transmission line: 

•  long-term and far-reaching negative impact on the entire tourism industry of Franklin County for perpetuity
• distinctly uninviting and counter to what attracts visitors to the beauty of the county’s open spaces
• Ag tourism is the backbone of the county’s fall tourism market

WITF | Franklin County Visitors Bureau opposes Transource power line

Pennsylvania is the only state that does not tax drilling.

5 Facts about oil and gas in Pennsylvania:

• 1st state to drill for oil in the 1850s
• 2nd-leading producer of natural gas
• Industry has spent $60M to oppose a severance tax
• It has an impact fee on drillers that generated $173 million last year
• The severance tax is a big campaign issue

Governing | The Only Oil-and-Gas State Not Taxing Drilling

Which state has 0MW privately developed community solar? California

Which is the top state for privately developed community solar? Massachusetts

3 Reasons Massachusetts is in the lead?

• overall rate of compensation in Massachusetts is much higher
• compensation in Massachusetts is easily understood and stable
• the Massachusetts regulations are “manageable and rational.”

Utility Dive | A tale of 2 states: Massachusetts and California provide different lessons on growing community solar 

Top 3 states for grid modernization:

• California
• Illinois
• Texas

3 Takeaways from the new Grid Modernization Index:

• California ended up on top because of its:
  • rapid acceleration to non-carbon energy sources is pushing California’s grid to modernize more quickly than any other state to accommodate higher penetrations of solar, energy storage and other demand-side resources
• Illinois gets kudos for its  Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA) and participation in the Illinois Commerce Commission’s (ICC) NextGrid initiative
• Texas grid modernized because of its  booming solar and wind markets

PV Magazine | California, Illinois and Texas lead grid modernization efforts

How to best protect an electric grid from hackers brought to you by the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory:

• Information sharing. Voluntary information-sharing program among industry and the government to protect the entire grid system
• Use the Data. Analyzing the collective data to  alert utilities of potential vulnerabilities
• Improve situational awareness. develop an integrated, real-time view of utilities’ cyber risks
• Use Tehcnology to Protect Technology. enable a shift from digital signatures and encryption to a “keyless” solution

Tri City Herald | PNNL protecting electric grid from cyberattack

Colorado farmers supported a tax on farmers to promote water conservation.

What 3 things happened after the farmers were taxed for water use?

• Agriculture water pumping fell by 30%
• Farms did not close up shop
• Aquifers are recharging by a reduction in groundwater pumping by farmers

Texas Public Radio | To Save Their Water Supply, Colorado Farmers Taxed Themselves

According to Utility Dive the answer to whether utilities need rate design for EV charging stations are:

• YES for  investor-owned utilities
• YES if utilities or sttes have policies to put more EVs on the road 

3 Reasons why  proactive rate design necessary for EV charging stations?

• to harness the flexibility of charging stations for grid services
• to target when customers charge the vehicles (hello marketing!)
• to avoid overloading the grid during peak demand

Utility Dive | Do utilities need rate design for electric vehicle charging?

Pipeline infrastructure has reduced flaring in the Permian Basin.

What is an estimate of the flared gas in the Permian Basin? 

• 9% of produced gas
• that is 45.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas
• and that is enough to provide electricty for 2.5 years for all the Permian Basin Counties

Dallas Morning News | Natural gas wasted by Permian Basin drillers could fuel a few Texas counties for over 2 years 

Remember the wave energy project in Europe? Well, the The Department of Energy is spending up to $40 million to build a wave energy test facility on the Oregon Coast.

Which entities are partnering? US Department of Energy + Oregon State University

What type of contractors will they need? contractors that can connect the project  to the power grid by underwater cables

What’s the energy potential from the ocean? 10% according to the  Oregon Wave Energy Trust

Texas Public Radio |  Oceans May Host Next Wave Of Renewable Energy

Background: In 2012 Governor Jerry Brown executive order to require energy efficient new buildings. 

The new California state building standard: “zero net energy” projects

The new report found an increase of: adds 17 to 29% to the projected cost of some new buildings

Report recommendation: A cost-benefit analysis before proceeding with zero net energy projects.

The Houston Chronicle editorial ” MUD Morass” lays out the following 2 problems with municipal utility districts:

• TRANSPARENCY. MUD ballot propositions are announced in “secret and concealed in silence by special districts”‘
  • 10 special districts in Harris County asked for  $826 million worth of bonds on the November 2017 ballot
• BAD ACTORS. Examples of utility district practices:
  •  Mount Houston Road MUD  lacked even a basic website to explain the ballot proposition & MUD refused to release phone numbers for its board of directors
  • Crosby MUD board of directors president refused questions about the bond proposition and referred people to the Crosby D.A.
  • The Woodlands’ neighborhood Timarron Lakes MUD “failed to warn that their property existed in the flood pool behind the Barker Reservoir.”
  • Cinco Ranch MUD president lives 20 miles away and didn’t go near the MUD during Harvey flooding

Where:  Ohio  PUC

The net metering cap for residential customers:  120% annual energy use

Additional regulatory changes by Ohio’s PUC will: reduce net metering credits for residential customers by 30+%

2 Policy Goals of the Ohio PUC:

• establish consistent, state-wide parameters for net metering
• foster a competitive marketplace for innovative products and services

OHIO PUC November 8 2017 Net Metering Rules 

Utility Dive | Ohio regulators trim credits, limit system size in new net metering update

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed HB 118 (2017) to tablize the state’s solar renewable energy credits.

Why was this bill necessary? The state’s solar renewable energy credits had a depressed value from being able to be purchased from out of state to meet renewables goals, but the credits could not be sold outside Pennsylvania. This created a glut of solar energy

The bill’s goals:

•  balance the solar energy market in PA
• grandfather in  systems already certified

PV Magazine | Pennsylvania requires solar SRECs to come from within the state

Utility Dive | New Pennsylvania bill requires solar credits to come from in-state

The city of Barrie has received fiscal support from the Downtown Barrie Business Association (BIA) Board of Management to support Electric Vehicle Charging Stations throughout the city.

The Chamber of Commerce fiscal support is in the form of a “sponsorship/partnership for the hydro operational costs”

The pro-business support of EV stations:

• potential economic benefit for businesses
• EV stations require consumers to stay in the area for a longer time than a traditional gas station

Barrie Today | Downtown Barrie BIA offers to help pay for EV stations

In 2017 Florida Legislature passed legislation to create a reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee.

The kicker in the legislation: the project cannot use eminent domain becuase it requires land to be purchased from “willing sellers.”

TC Palm | Lake Okeechobee reservoir: Willing sellers contact SFWMD to offer more land

A city in Ohio is refusing to agree to easements for a proposed pipeline. 

How far is the city willing to go? 

• The city rejected a $146,000 offer for the easements over city lands and right of ways
• The city is making its case in federal court for an alternate route through less populated areas

What is the city’s policy argument? it is protecting the economic future. A study says the pipeline will cause the city to lose millions in economic development.

ABC News | Ohio city refuses to give up fight against gas pipeline

The North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center quarterly report tallies solar policy actions.

The most common utility proposal: a separate Distributed Generation (DG) customer class but without a rate increase or rate change.

Why? 2 OPTIONS:

• The new rate class would test regulators
• The new rate class sets the stage for later rate changes

Is there regulatory or legislative precedent? Yes:

• Montana & North Carolina have new laws that allow separate rate class as part of a comprehensive DG proceeding
• Kansas Corporation Commission approved a separate solar rate class

How do these porposals compare historically:

• solar policy change requests have increases 21% for Q3 2017
• the largest portion of these solar policy requests relate to residential fixed charge and minimum bill increases

Utility Dive | In new trend, utilities propose separate rate classes for solar customers without rate increase

 Protect Our Power, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to strengthen the reliability and resilience of the U.S. electric grid, supports a 4 part policy plan to strengthen grid security that includes:

• Independent, thorough and candid assessment of exactly where improvements and upgrades are needed, in order of priority
• Development of a collective national plan based on the independent assessment and codified by Congress, with oversight from the federal regulatory agencies
• Regulatory reform, including the “development of improved, uniform standards for the North American bulk power system that rise to the level of detail and rigor required to meet the threats we face” ; 
• Public and private funding mechanisms like  tax-exempt government bonds

The Hill Op-Ed | Escalating threats to infrastructure confirm our need to harden the electric grid

A district court in Ohio has followed in the footsteps of Texas nad Pennsylvania to issue the first decision in OH to allow at well costs to be born by royalty owner.

Contractual language that includes “at the well” provisions” has been interpreted by courts in Texas and Pennsylvania to  “allow[s] energy companies to assign costs to royalty holders.”

Lutz v Chesapeake Appalachia, U.S. District Court, Northeast District of Ohio, Eastern Division, No. 4:09-cv2256.

Reuters | Court decision settles long-standing Ohio energy royalty dispute