Wyoming Republican Sen. John Barrasso has challenged Federal Energy Regulation Commission Chairman Jon Wellinghoff’s plan for recusing himself from decisions involving Stoel Rives law firm clients before he leaves FERC for a position with that firm. Echoing concerns that others have raised, Barrasso asked why the chairman has not recused himself from broader matters that could affect Stoel Rives’ current and future clients.
More: Sen. Barrasso; Greenwire
Utech New Obama Climate Adviser
Dan Utech, White House deputy energy and climate adviser since 2010, has moved up to succeed Heather Zichal, who left her climate adviser position last week. Utech is a former adviser to Sen. Hillary Clinton and aide to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
More: The Hill
‘Social Cost of Carbon’ Revisited
The Obama administration is taking new comments on its determination of the social cost of carbon, a metric it uses to assess the benefits of greenhouse gas regulations. Industry has attacked the SCC levels set in May for lacking public input. “Minor technical corrections” since then have resulted in a cost of $37/metric ton of carbon dioxide in 2015, down from $38, the White House said in inviting comment on the matter.
More: The Hill
Maryland, Illinois in ACEEE Top 10
For the first time, Illinois made it into the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s top 10 states whose policies and programs support energy efficiency. Just above Illinois is Maryland at No. 9. Of other PJM states, Ohio at No. 18 is among a handful of “most improved” states, joined by No. 46 West Virginia. Pennsylvania, at 19, was recognized for “recent concentrated efforts.”
More: ACEEE
$84 Million for CCS Projects
The Department of Energy is investing $84 million in 18 carbon capture and storage R&D projects to reduce costs and improve the efficiency of CCS. Among them are a bench-scale project at Media and Process Technology in Pittsburgh and a pilot-scale project at the Gas Technology Institute in Des Plaines, Ill. The Environmental Protection Agency has called CCS a viable technology for future coal plants to meet the agency’s greenhouse gas regulations.
Coal Has Brief Future, Study Says
Coal’s future is much shorter than the 200 years that government predicts, according to a Clean Energy Action study. The group said only 20% of remaining coal reserves will be economically recoverable. Ohio, where coal prices have risen 7.8% annually since 2004, is one of 16 states past their peak production years, according to the study.
More: Columbus Business Journal
Some See Gas Boom Petering Out Soon
Some experts are raining on the natural gas and oil production boom, saying production bonanzas from fracking are coming from only a few “sweet spots” that will play out in the next few years. Other experts disagree strongly, in part because they see technology developing fast.
More: USA Today
CO2 Strategy Can Include Co-firing with Wood
Firing wood with coal can help power producers cut their carbon dioxide emissions, but it is easier for some companies than for others, and the practice may be a bridge to future reductions instead of a permanent strategy.
More: The New York Times
Officials on Obama Climate Task Force
The governors of Maryland and Delaware and the mayors of Philadelphia and Hoboken, N.J., are among members of President Obama’s Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience. The group is charged with identifying what governments can do to advance climate-resilient investments.
More: The White House
