Where: Canada’s Quebec Province

Background: The state owned hydro power company offers cheap power and has drawn crypto mining firms to the region

The power request from crypto miners: 17,000 megawatts

The power usage suggested by regulators: 500 megawatts

What are the new regualtory rules looking like? How the state hyrdo power wants rules to “maximize the energy producer’s revenue.”

Coin Desk | Quebec Halts Crypto Mining Approvals Pending New Restrictions 

City: London

London’s EV Infrastructure Taskforce:

• 16 members, including:
  • British Electrotechnical and Allied Manufacturers Association (BEAMA)
  • British Retail Consortium
  • Cross River Partnership
  • Energy UK
  • Federation of Small Businesses
  • Freight Transport Association
  • London Councils
  • London First
  • Office for Low Emission Vehicles
  • Ofgem
  • RAC Foundation
  • Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors
  • Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT)
  • Shell UK
  • SSE Enterprise
  • UK Power Networks
• Goal:  install vital rapid charging points &  tackling London’s air pollution problem
• Public-private partnership for final rollout
• Recommendations should benefit:
  • businesses
  • taxi drivers
  • encourage a switch to electric vehicles (EV)

Mayor of London | Mayor launches new taskforce to expand electric vehicle infrastructure

The Baker Institute at Rice author offers 3 reasons Texas has th emost to gain from Mexico’s energy deregulation:

• Texas’ location
• Texas’ long standing energy leadership
• Exports of natural gas have skyrocketed from Texas to Mexico

Houston Chronicle | Texas benefits most in a collaborative U.S.-Mexico relationship. [Opinion]

What election included power generation debt & renewable propositions? San Francisco’s June 5th election

Did both propositions for energy pass? YES

What did the San Francisco Generation Proposition do? Expanded the city’s bond authority from  issuing bonds to pay for water and sewer upgrades to also include power generation

What did the San Francisco Renewables Proposition do?Expanded the city’s bond authority from  issuing bonds to pay for water and sewer upgrades to also include renewable power investments

San Francisco Chronicle | San Francisco passes ban on flavored tobacco; education parcel tax wins

State: North Carolina

Protestors that were arrested were with: Poor People’s Campaign

What energy issues do the Poor People’s Campaign support?

• end to fracking
• 100% reliance on renewable energy

How long have demonstrations continued? Weekly since May 14th

13 NewsNow | More than a dozen arrested inside North Carolina legislature. 

Plastic straws are the new hot trend for cities and countries to ban. In many states, this means the state Legislatures will stop the cities from banning plastic items.

Here’s how fast it is moving….

The cities that have banned plastic straws:

• New York City, Hawaii, and California have pending straw ban legislation.
• California: Alameda, Carmel, San Luis Obispo, Davis, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Oakland, Richmond, and Berkeley
• Washington: Seattle and Edmonds
• New Jersey: Monmouth Beach
• Florida: Miami Beach and Fort Myers
• Vancouver, BC
• Scotland
• Taiwan
• Prime Minister Theresa May announced a Britain-wide ban on the sale of plastic straws, stirrers, and plastic cotton swabs

The businesses that banned with plastic straws:

• Alaska Airlines
• Bon Appétit in all 1,000 of its cafes across 33 states, including locations like AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Getty Museum, Vassar College, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Portland in Oregon
• Queen Elizabeth II banned plastic straws and bottles from all royal estates,  cafes, and gift shops
• Waitrose, London City Airport, McDonalds UK, and Costa Coffee
• Ryanair aims to be “plastic free” by 2023
• Marriott is implementing a straw ban at all 60 UK properties

Fast Company | Here are the U.S. cities that have banned plastic straws so far

State: Pennsylvania

The legislation: Republican authored SB 1189 (2018 | PA)

How are landowners compensated for a fracking ban?

• A fracking ban imposed Delaware River Basin Commission
• would allow landowners to receive compensation 
• by defining the ban as a taking of property”
• triggering just compensation

The new report:  In response to Executive Order 13800

Report prepared by: Department of Energy and Department of Homeland Security

7 gaps in grid security:

• lack of clarity around the roles of specific organizations in responding to prospective cyber incidents
•  electric sector’s cyber workforce shortfalls
• a lack of effort to address supply chain vulnerabilities specific to the electric sector
•  lackluster information sharing between private industry and the federal government
• clear rules and responsibilities under cyber response frameworks
• cybersecurity integration into state energy assurance planning
• resources for cybersecurity preparedness

The Hill | Federal assessment finds ‘gaps’ in preparation for electric grid attacks

Utility Dive | DOE cybersecurity report reveals 7 ‘gaps’ in power sector defense capabilities

Its like when Harry met Sally, except for Energy Storage and Railways: 

First of its kind partnership between railways and energy storage:  Russian Railways 85.5 thousand kilometers and renewable energy company, Enel Group.

The partnership goal: develop a “low cost strategy for improving system operations without getting into more expensive grid upgrades”

Clean Technica | A New Energy Storage Solution For A Massive Railway System

• Seattle City Light installs first city-owned electric vehicle fast-charging stations
•  California utilities offer $10K rebate on new BMW electric vehicle. with free EV charging
• Pennsylvania’s HB 1446 (2018)  EV Charging Station framework
• California Governor’s Executive Order $2.5 billion in revenues directed to EV charger deployment
•   SB 145 (2017 | NV) Nevada regulators support utility owned EV charging stations
• Colorado’s HB18-1270 (CO |2018)  requires regulators to establish rules for investor-owned electric utilities to procure energy storage systems 
• Ohio is looking at a plan to rollout 350 EV charging stations Less than $1 fee on residential customers

• Montana: Montana’s HB 219 (2017 | MT)  wants supporting data for the solar value
•  California regulators required all new homes, after 2020, to include solar panels
• In Ohio town, energy ‘locavores’ drive demand for community solar
•  Solar customers don’t have to pay some taxes, Arizona Supreme Court rules
• SB 966 in Virginia offers electric companies the ability to retain more profit in exchange for investment in renewables, including solar
• Utah lawmakers approve rooftop solar compromise bill SB141

Company: NET Power

The Clean Power Source:  “a prototype power plant that uses a stream of pure carbon dioxide — not air — to drive a turbine”

The Texas facility & its future power production:

• March 2016 construction began on a 25-megawatt plant
• $140 million in capital raised for the project
• 2017 construction completed
• 2018: facility is  running a battery of tests on the combustor that powers the plant
  • cpomuster built by Toshiba
• late 2018: NET Power will hook up the turbine and begin generating electricity

International Journal of Science | Innovative zero-emissions power plant begins battery of tests

Where: Pennsylvania

Who: The Pennsylvania Conservative Energy Forum

What will be the position of the Pennsylvania Conservative Energy Forum? 

• provide a conservative voice in the state energy policy debate
• supporting common-sense, all-of-the-above energy solutions
• solutions that are good for the economy, grid and national security and the conservation of our state’s natural resources

Why? Conservatives “have led our country’s efforts to protect and preserve our natural resources”

Members of the forum’s leadership council:

• Chad Forcey, executive director, PENNCEF
• John Easoz, president of Solar PV Consulting and CEO of Direct Gain Consulting, LLC
• Tom Stevenson, partner, Green Roads Solar Energy & Iceburgh Associates
• Rev. Mitch Hescox, president & CEO, the Evangelical Environmental Network
• Ron Gdovic, president & CEO, WINDSTAX Inc
• Brian Kennedy, SVP for Operations and Government Affairs, Pittsburgh Technology Council
• David Jason, partner, Green Roads Solar Energy & Iceburgh Associates
• Mark DeSantis, CEO, RoadBotics, and
• Jim Seif, consultant and board member of BioChem Technology Inc.

Solar Power World | Pennsylvania conservatives launch organization for diverse energy policy

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy  Executive Order 28  requires revision of the Energy Master Plan, including:

• 100% clean energy by 2050
• 30 days for the Energy Master Plan Committee to convene
• 7 State Agencies will be represented on the Energy Master Plan Committee
• Create a comprehensive blueprint
• Specific targets for the next 10 years
• Must include:
  • offshore wind development goals (Executive ORder #8 | NJ | 2018)

  • community solar projects

New Jersey Governor signed the bill.

S2313 (2018 | NJ)  will:

• create a tariff imposed at a rate of $0.004 per kilowatt hour on retail distribution customers
• increase sales and use tax revenue by up to $20.0 million
• maintain nuclear power’s current 40% contribution to the state’s electrical needs in perpetuity

Utility Dive | New Jersey Gov. Murphy signs bills creating zero emission credits for nuclear

To address driver retention, LYft is dedicating $100M to build ride share driver hubs.

How do ride share hubs and EV fit together? 

• hubs will serve as infrastructure for EV charging in the future
• hubs will also serve as infrastructure for a fleet of autonomous vehicles in the future

Curbed | Lyft is spending $100M on new hubs for drivers

• Distributed grids that include cybersecurity from the outset of planning
• Grid Hardening to protect transmission from disaster by Mother Nature or a Mother of a Squirrel
• Prioiritizing Cyber Security as worker safety is prioritized
• Risk Mitigation plan for the most plausible event
• Grid Modernization led by California, Illinois & Texas
• Broadening the Utility Tent during an event by reaching out to vendors to secure issues

Michigan’s revised water contamination rules, expected to be finalized, will cost:

• $2.5 billion over decades
• costs to be paid by water customers

What will the new Michigan water contamination rules do?

• replacement of all 500,000 lead service pipes in Michigan despite
• “action level” for lead would drop from 15 parts per billion, the federal limit, to 12 ppb in 2025
  • That’s up from the 1st rules draft of 10 ppb
• By 2040 replacement of underground lead service lines connecting water mains to houses and other buildings
  • exception: construction plan requires more time
• prohibit the partial replacement of lead service pipes
  • exception: emergency repair
• require preliminary and final inventories of the lines and other components of a water supply by 2020 and 2025

What opposition is there?

• opposition from municipalities and utilities concerning replacement of lead pipes
• opposition concerning property rights violations while fixing lines to a privately owned uilding

Detroit News | Mich. close to finalizing stricter lead rules for water

• Oil and gas company wealth allows them to buy a leadership role in renewables
• Oil and gas geology experts can lead with the high copper requirements for EV manufacturing
• Oil ans gas has the momentum in their favor

The report details:  “Enter the Volt-Age: Electric vehicle disruption of the oil and gas industry”

Prepared by: Deloitte

Prepared for: Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association conference

SBS News | A new report by Deloitte suggests oil and gas companies are among the least prepared for the electric car revolution.

Where is this happening? Oklahoma

What consumer protections does the OKlahoma State Attorney General want from a wind power project?

• The Company must commit to a cost cap on the facility 
• The Company must commit to a cost cap on operating & maintaining
• The Company must guarantee that the ratepayers will receive 100% of Federal Production Tax Credits
• A minimum net average capacity factor at the western us-bar minimum of 52.4% for 25 years
• A hold harmless agreement
• 100% of incremental off system energy sales margins will flow to ratepayers
• No cost recovery unless the company moves forward with commercial operation

Oklahoma Attorney General Filing 

Enid News & Eagle | Okla. AG asks for customer protection guarantees if Wind Catcher energy plan approved

The lawsuit: post-Harvey lawsuit against San Jacinto River Authority

Why? constituents with homes that were flooded 

Southeast Texas Record | River authority’s post-Harvey actions unleash flood of litigation

Colorado’s SB18-230 (2018 | CO)  is awaiting signature by the Govenror.

The bill will:

• adds 60 day notification mineral owners whose oil and gas are developed without their consent
• add liability when oil and gas are developed without owner consent
• nonconsenting mineral owners are immune from liability for costs related to any spills, damage or injury from the drilling on the unit

How does forced pooling and eminent domain analogy work?

• Forced pooling is like ” the use of eminent domain by governments to acquire easements for roads that otherwise might not be able to be built.” according to a bill sponsor
   

Bill supporters:

• oil and gas industry
• homeowners groups
• Colorado Municipal League
• state Department of Natural Resources

Daily Sentinel | Drilling forced-pooling bill awaits guv’s pen

Which state’s regualtors said, yes, utilities can own EV charging stations? Nevada 

On which program did NV  regulators rely?  Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Demonstration Program

Where can I find the legislation that created the Electic Vehicle Infrastructure Demonstration Project?   SB 145 (2017 | NV)

Are the EV charging stations included in the rate base? YES

Nevada Independent | Regulators approve rules for electric vehicle charging, despite criticism from consumer advocate. 

Where it is housed: at the University of Nevada, Reno’s Cybersecurity Center

How it helps the workforce: “training the next-generation of cybersecurity workforce and equipping them with knowledge of the technical, political, social and human factors needed to understand the mission-critical objectives of cybersecurity.”

The Center’s 3 prong approach: education, research, and outreach to Nevada businesses and agencies

Nevada Today | Cybersecurity Center works to protect Nevada industry, individuals from cyber threats

Connecticut legislature this week passed SB 9 (2018 | CT) that:

• implements the state’s energy plan, 2018 Comprehensive Energy Strategy
• increases the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) to 40%
• creates a statewide shared clean energy program for income-challenged customers
• successor programs for commercial, industrial and residential efforts to provide sustainable growth of renewables
• replaces net metering with buy-all-sell-all incentive
  • the buy all sell all incentive will have 2 options with rates set by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority

How did people feel about the bill?

• “everyone was unhappy”
• environmental advocacy community & the state’s solar industry were split

Connecticut Mirror | After near derailment, energy bill heads to governor as fence-mending begins

In a week, where California regulators required all new homes, after 2020, to include solar panels, a comparison of solar studies reveals:

• Volume. In 2017, 28 valuation studies were proposed, pending or decided in 21 states and DC
• Disparity. 88% difference in these 2 studies:
  • ​March 29 study | Northwestern Energy in Montana shows BTM solar’s levelized 25-year value to be between $0.035/kWh and $0.046/kWh
  • April 10 draft study | Maryland’s Public Service Commission shows BTM solar’s 2019 value in the state’s investor-owned utility (IOU) territories to be between about $0.31/kWh and about $0.41/kWh
• Flaws. According to Former Texas utilities commissioner and Department of Energy Assistant Secretary Karl Rabago
  • “Montana study fails to accurately credit solar for its benefits
  • Maryland study is more accurate on solar’s costs and benefits, but fails to treat solar as a long-term generation resource”
• Legislative response. Montana’s HB 219 (2017 | MT)  wants supporting data for the solar value

Utility Dive | How two value-of-solar studies add up to no clear value of solar. 

What should groundwater regulations do?

• groundwater regulations should be based on loss in aquifer storage and not on artesian pressure
• if taking water from an aquifer, it’s not just about recharge, the correct analysis is the “size of the aquifer’s storage relative to the rate of recharge”
• think of water, like oil and gas, and mineral resources are considered

Texas A&M University | The Mosbacher Institute | Texas Groundwater: Dispelling Some Common Misconceptions

State: New York

What partnership is behind the EV on highways rollout in New York? Governor + New York State Thruway Authority + New York Power Authority

High Speed EV Charging Plan in New York:

• $4.2 million expansion plan
• along the New York State Thruway
• it’s part of Gov enror Cuomo’s Charge NY 2.0 EV initiative
• 2 years
• Goal is 10,000 charging stations by 2021
• It is an expansion of a trial program that brought fast chargers to four Mid-Hudson Valley service areas

NextGen Transportation News | New York Announces $4.2M EV Charging Expansion

The Utility: Chelan County Power Utility District (PUD) of north-central Washington

The moratorium: Prohibits utility service for crypto currency mining whcih impacts 2 types of crypto currency miners:

• unauthorized miners
• high-density load service applicants 

The repercussions of the moratorium: The utility has:

• heightened security measures
•  “bulletproof panels and security cameras at PUD headquarters”

Bitcoin.com | Washington Utility Increases Security Amid Crypto Mining Moratorium

The Department of Energy announced $19 million in research funding for EV research that:

• Improves rapid charging of EV batteries
• The specification goals:
  • Lower the charge times to 15 minutes or less
  • Deadline is by 2028
  • Increasing charging power levels up to 400 kW
  • Reduce battery pack costs to under $100/kWh
  • Increase range to over 300 miles

Utility Dive | 15 minute charge for a 300 mile range? DOE moves to boost EVs 

A California Administrative LAw Judge determined that a proposed pipeline was not shown to be necessary because:

• the pipeline “cannot be justified on the basis of meeting a relatively small deficit of 25 MMcfd”
• the pipeline did not show that it will be “providing overall benefits to ratepayers. “

The administrative law process continues…

Utility Dive | Another blow for California gas — judge rejects proposed pipeline

State: Michigan

The 4 bill package will:

• Allow people/groups to ecreate energy cooperatives to share up-front costs & receive a monthly credit on their energy bill
• increase the net metering cap above the current 1%
• allow renewable energy producers create a microgrid that could operate indepdently in a grid failure
• Create a “fair value pricing” framework for large & small renewable customers

Supporters of the Energy Freedom Bills say:

• free people from burdensome & unnecessary restrictions and costs
• utilities shouldn’t be opposed to competition
• it will help the grid in high load times
• microgrids are crucial to disater recovery

Detroit News | Lawmakers want to relax rules on renewable energy

Where is this happening? Decorah, Iowa

Why did Decorah vote on creating a municipal power utility? 

• “persistent refusal to support efforts to develop renewable generation in town.”
• a report sais it could save $5 million annually

What did the voter action spark for the retail service provider for Decorah? it has a pending permit to increase its wind power and add 1 GW of new renewable resources

Energy news Network | Iowa town split on municipal utility vote; too close to call late Tuesday

Department of Energy announced $30 million for energy storage research that will:

• sustain long duration energy storage
• provide power to the electric grid for durations of 10 hours up to approximately 100 hours
• the program name: Duration Addition to electricitY Storage
• its about moving away from litium ion, such as:pumped storage hydro storage
• this MIT paper backs up the need for alternative energy storage: paper by MIT’s Energy Initiative

Utility Dive | 100-Hour storage? DOE launches $30M program to explore new technologies 

What is a Smart Grid for Water?

• It is a system. a complete infrastructure
• 3 Step technology. smart metering + analytical software platform +customer service and billing process
• Economics. “leverages economies of scale across traditionally disparate municipal operations”

What does that mean?

• technology to track water use and water loss
• technology to find real water leaks and to find data leaks 

What does it mean for utilities?

• “found revenue”
• better data
• more consistent revenue
• better customer service

Fathom White Paper | THE SMART GRID FOR WATER:TURNING NON-REVENUE WATER INTO FOUND REVENUE WATER

State: New York

The New York Public Service Commission​ new proceeding goal: dedication to accelerating electric utility engagement in transportation electrification

The statement from the New York Public Service Commission: “to remove inappropriate obstacles to adoption and ensure critical [electric vehicle supply equipment] and infrastructure is in place to support the state’s Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) targets.” 

Supporters of the new EV process in NY:

• 40 automakers
• bus manufacturers
• electric vehicle (EV) charging-service providers
•  labor groups
• business associations
• environmental justice organizations
• environmental groups

New York Charges Ahead with New EV Initiative

State: Colorado

The bill: Colorado’s HB18-1270 (CO |2018) 

What will HB 18-1270 do?

• requires regulators to establish rules for investor-owned electric utilities to procure energy storage systems
• requires rules to be based on:
  • an analysis of costs and benefits
  • grid reliability
  • reduction in the need for additional peak generation or transmission capacity
  • restricting energy storage size to 15 MW

Utility Dive | Colorado Senate approves second storage bill, waits on House. 

The regulatory body: FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION (FERC)

The FERC action addressing the Internet of Things (IoT) for utilities: Revised Critical Infrastructure Protection Reliability Standard CIP-003-7 – Cyber Security – Security Management Controls

How far do the new data data security rules drill down to utility work? To laptops and USB drives used 

Why? In 2009, a Ukrainian utility was compromised by a hack that began from a USB drive and attacked a “air gapped” (unconnected system)

What are 2 impacts to utilities? 

• technicians traveling to remote facilities across the U.S. to check security controls may face greater logistical challenges
• require additional cybersecurity compliance for less-critical substations and generators.

CyberScoop | Regulators tightening controls on devices connecting to utility company networks

Hawaii’s SB 2939 (HI | 2018), signed by the Governor,  will:

• break the link between utility revenues and capital investments for regulatory purposes
• establish the new business model for utilities that will focus on 
  • basing revenues on metrics like customer satisfaction, renewable energy integration and data sharing
• have the support of Hawaii’s sole investor-owned utility

What 6 regulatory policy considerations will  the state public utility commission focus on for ratemaking and for designing new incentives and penalties? 

• Customer affordability

• Electricity reliability

• Customer engagement and satisfaction, including “options for managing electricity costs”

• Access to system information, including “system planning data and aggregated customer energy use data and individual access to granular information about an individual customer’s own energy use data”

• Rapid interconnection of renewables and distributed resources

• Timely execution of competitive procurement and interconnection of third-party resources

Utility Dive | Hawaii Gov. Ige signs law mandating performance-based utility regulation

Ohio is looking at a plan to rollout 350 EV charging stations. What you need to know:

• 375 proposed EV stations under a plan to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio from AEP
  • 1/2 at employers
  • 60 stations are for multifamily housing
  • 90 public stations
• Less than $1 fee on residential customers. AEP Ohio’s $21.1 million Smart City rider will be split between funding EV stations & demonstration projects for digitally connected smart electric grids
• Starting a Trend. This plan is the first approved rebate for EV charging in the Midwest

Columbus Business First | EV charging stations in Ohio could nearly double under PUCO-approved AEP plan 

The Background to the Opinion Request: Chair, House Committee on Environmental Regulation posed the question whether  Texas Commission on Environmental Quality may consider a recommendation from ·a local government to deny a permit for a facility because the facility is incompatible with the local government’s zoning or land use ordinances

What permit triggered the request? A concrete crushing plant in Fort Worth

Who won? The State

Why?  TCEQ obligation to consider a city’s ordinances or land use is only “to the extent that the recommendation concerns the statutory and administrative requirements ofthe Texas Clean Air Act.”

Let’s translate the WHY to What a Bill would look like that Reverses the Outcome, Potential solutions:

• Amend the “shall” in §§ 382.05198(a) Health and Safety Code 
• Amend §§ 382.112 Health and Safety Code here: “consider a local government’s recommendation only to the extent that the recommendation concerns the statutory and administrative requirements ofthe Act”
• Factor in consistency with Health and Safety Code 382.05195 & 382.05198 that the Opinionalso relies on

Are there additional complications? Yes, The City ofMarble Falls v. Tex. Comm ‘non Envtl. Quality, No. D-l-GN-18-000020 (261 st Dist. Ct., Travis Cty., Tex. Jan. 2, 2018) which kept the Attroney General Opinion from discussing how much weight the city should be given in the permitting process which is part of Health and Safety Code 382.112.

Texas Attorney General Opinion KP-0190

The Company that got FAA approval for drone use: Xcel Energy

Is Xcel Energy the 1st company to get FAA approval for drone use beyond line of sight? yes

Are drones a cost savings? Yes, drones cost $200 and $300 per mile while current helicopter inspections cost $1,200 to $1,600 per mile

Any extra points XCEL makes with its drone use? Yes, it will use licensed pilots and advanced command-and-control technology to ensure safe operations

Business Wire | Xcel Energy Announces a New Milestone for Drone Technology

State: Michigan

Arguments supporting Michigan’s Public Utility Regulators Action:

• residential distributed generation billing mechanism will provide that energy purchased by a customer will be bought at the full retail rate
• Excess energy will be credited at the utility’s avoided cost in the next billing period and will vary by utility
•  

Opposition: 

• Legisaltors say that the Regulator went beyond its authority in a 2016 bill that provided for a net metering study
• Oppoinents say the new tariffs say it will create business uncertainty
• Opponents say It takes control of energy use away from farmers and residential customers
• Opponents say the policy is out of step with neighboring states
• Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council calls the new rules “complicated, unfair and costly to the industry.”

Energy News | Michigan to replace net metering program with avoided-cost tariff

South Carolina Governor signed S1101 (2018) that extends the ban on eminent domain for private or publicly traded pipeline companies.

The ban on eminent domain was set to expire and has been extended to November 30, 2020.

Berkeley Independent | Lawmakers continue work on electric power reform

State: Ohio

The new solar trend: Solar locavores

What is a solar locavore?  An energy customer who prefers community sourced solar to power the cooking of thier locally sourced vegetables

Local Solar by the Numbers in Ohio:

• 2014 Ohio launches SOPEC is a community choice aggregation (CCA) program
• 350 participating communitites
• the largest is Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council with 200 members
• 0.2 cents per kWh.   Athens City Council approved the idea of adding a carbon fee of 0.2 cents per kWh to the electric bills of Athens residents in the SOPEC aggregation program
  • Voters have to approve the fee

Energy News | In Ohio town, energy ‘locavores’ drive demand for community solar

State: Pennsylvania

The EV Bill: Pennsylvania’s HB 1446 (2018)

The EV Charging Station framework proposed by HB1446:

• Governor must set EV charging station rollout based at 50% above 2030 estimates
• the framework must set statewide goals
• the framework must also establish separate regional goals
  • developed by stakeholders including agencies, municipalities & electric distribution companies

The response by an EV charging station company:

• before HB 1446, “the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission should set rules of the road and evaluate how rate payer funds should be used by utilities in support of EV infrastructure”
• “utilities must work with private businesses in the EV industry” to “leverage matching payments when ratepayer dollars are spent.”
• “Consumers should have the ability to choose things like charging station type, manufacturer and network services.”

PennLive | Lawmakers need to level the playing field for Pa’s electric-driving future | Opinion

Nebraska’s LB 1008 prohibits disclosure,under open records laws, of  public power records that:

Texas Attorney General Opinion Request: RQ-0217-KP

Requestor: Tracy O. King

The impetus for the opinion request: The Texas Supreme Court ruling in Guitar Holding Co., L.P. v. Hudspeth County Underground Water Conservation District that Chairman King believes “prohibits groundwater conservation districts from amending historic or existing use permits to authorize a different use while retaining the historic use protections”

The 2 questions the Attorney General Office shall answer:  

Texas Attorney General Opinion Request: RQ-0218-KP

Opinion requestor: Lyle Larson

What’s the background that sparked the opinion request?

• 2017 the Southwestern Travis County Groundwater Conservation District (SWTCGCD)(“District”) was created
• Travis County Commissioners Court approved a loan to the District to pay for the District’s pro-rata share of the May 2018 election
• Citing costs of the loan to Travis County related to the May 5, 2018 election, the initial-appointed temporary directors canceled the May 5, 2018 election of initial directors and confirmation ofthe district.
• The Legislature did not know of the election cost
• There has been no initial election cost imposed on other districts

The 4 questions the Attorney General Office shall opine:

• “What legal authorities allow the initial-appointed temporary directors of the Southwestern Travis County Groundwater Conservation District (SWTCGCD)(“District”) to cancel the Moy 2018 election of permanent directors and voterconfirmation ofthe District?
• “Does the affirmative action ofthe initial-appointed temporary directors to cancel the May 2018 election ofpermanent directors and voter confirmation ofthe District either contemporaneously or subsequently terminate all authorities of the initial-appointed temporary directors?
• “May an official authorized to appoint a temporary director, who fulfllled such appointment, withdraw their appointment; the result of withdrawing an appointment nullifying the appointee as a temporary director to the Southwestern Travis County Groundwater Conservation District (SWTCGCD)?
• “What legal authoritl.”es do the initial-appointed temporary directors have?”

Colorado Governor has signed HB18-1098 that will keep unexpended environmental clean up funds with the state agency and outside of general revenue fund.

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission could use unexpended funds for:

• properly capping “orphan wells”
•  funds stay for future uncertainties to protect the safety of Coloradoans

Longmont Times Call | Colorado Legislature approves 1 oil, gas bill; others die or face probable deaths

Louisiana Legislature is considering HB 727 (2018) that will:

• penalize trespassers on land containing pipelines and the equipment and structures
• penalize trespassers with up to 5 years in jail
• creates a new crime of critical damage to critical infrastructure
  • with up to 15 years jail time
  • a convicted person can also be charged the cost of prosecution

The Advocate | Environmentalists see proposed Louisiana law to protect pipelines and penalize protesters as overreach

Carlos Rubinstein writes 3 reasons P3s are the solution to Texas water infrastructure needs because:

• P3s are a solution, even if P3s arent THE solution. P3s frees up bonding capacity and scarce public capital resources
• P3s do not require the permanent divestiture of public assets
• “P3s yield improved risk management, speedier project completion schedules and better-disciplined O&M practices backed by performance guarantees”

Texas needs new thinking on water infrastructure

The City: Ann Arbor, Michigan

What 4 steps did Ann Arbor Michigan do to drain storm water?

•  Ann Arbor partnered with the University of Michigan
• Coordinated development of Open Storm
• Open Storm is a package of open-source sensors, hardware and algorithms to measure and control storm water

How does this smart city system work? 

•  “sensor nodes deployed by Ann Arbor collect data on water flow and quality and transmit it via a cellular network to provide an instant snapshot of water conditions”
• student volunteers installed valves to open and close after a storm on city storm water systems
• Operators can choose to hold the water in basin for treatment or release the water based on the data

State Tech | Smart Cities Connect 2018: How Ann Arbor (Mich.) Drained Stormy Waters Smartly

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