FERC will hold a technical conference Nov. 9 to determine what RTO rule changes may be required to accommodate electric storage. “The subject of the conference will be the utilization of electric storage resources as transmission assets compensated through transmission rates, for grid support services that are compensated in other ways, and for multiple services,” the Sept. 30 order said.
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UN Heritage Monitoring Team Eyeing BC Hydro Project
A United Nations world heritage site monitoring team is taking a closer look at a plan to build a hydro project in British Columbia, concerned about the possible impact on Wood Buffalo National Park and the Peace River in neighboring Alberta.
The team was already examining the effects of two existing dams on the Peace River at the request of the Mikisew Cree First Nation, which says the areas are under threat of development. The U.N. review will now be expanded to include the Site C hydro project, a 1,100-MW project in northeast British Columbia, near Fort St. John.
The tribe is seeking to have the Peace River region declared a world heritage site, and possibly block the dam project. “We’re looking for them to list it as endangered so Canada can really take a more proactive means in managing those impacts and activities,” said Melody Lepine, a tribe spokesperson.
More: The Canadian Press
PennEast Opponents Call for New FERC Review
News that PennEast Pipeline has 33 new changes to the proposed route of the 119-mile pipeline is spurring environmental groups to call for FERC to conduct a new environmental review of the plan.
“These 33 new modifications further demonstrate that the draft [environmental impact statement] released does not even describe, let alone analyze, the pipeline PennEast wants to build,” said Maya van Rossum of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network. “FERC needs to go back to the drawing board and issue a new DEIS and hold a new public process, one that includes real public hearings.”
A company spokeswoman said most of the changes were proposed in an attempt to minimize the environmental impact of the pipeline. “PennEast views the modifications as being responsive not only to constructive feedback provided by landowners, agencies and other stakeholders, but also to recommendations contained within FERC’s draft environmental impact statement.”
More: StateImpact
NRC Won’t Hit Entergy for False Leak Reports
Operators at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station allegedly filed two false reports relating to a hydrogen leak, but the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said their regulations don’t cover hydrogen leaks, and therefore plant owner Entergy has nothing to worry about from the commission.
A local fire chief said Pilgrim incorrectly claimed that it had notified fire officials about a hydrogen leak, and then filed another false report saying the notification was made a little while later. Plymouth Fire Chief Ed Bradley said those reports are just two more in a series of incorrect or nonexistent notifications.
But the commission said it was going to take no action against Entergy. “We have not identified any regulatory requirement on our part that they do these notifications of hydrogen releases to the fire department,” an NRC spokesman said. “As far as the NRC is concerned, that is not a regulatory issue.” Bradley said plant officials have promised the communication problem will be rectified.
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Lobbyists Prominent Among Trump Energy Advisers
Despite his complaints about Washington’s “rigged system,” Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is relying on D.C. lobbyists representing utilities and coal, oil and gas companies on his campaign and transition teams, The Washington Post reported.
The head of Trump’s energy transition team, Mike Catanzaro, is a former staffer with the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee who later handled government relations for PPL. He is now a partner at the lobbying firm CGCN, which has represented Noble Energy and Talen Energy.
Other Trump advisers include Jeffrey Wood, a partner at Balch & Bingham and a registered lobbyist for Southern Co.
More: The Washington Post
Study: Bio-Energy Creates Environmental Tradeoffs
Increased demand for bio-energy as an alternative to fossil fuels is leading to less forested land and less habitat for wildlife, according to a multiyear study by researchers at North Carolina State University and the U.S. Geological Survey.
Tradeoffs that come with bio-energy production include risks to species that rely on a single, mature habitat and exacerbation of habitat loss for species already losing ground to increased urbanization, said researcher Nathan Tarr.
“None of the biomass sources that we looked at were good or bad for all species, nor was a single mix of biomass sources consistently the best or worst for all species,” Tarr said.
More: Coastal Review Online
Report: Energy Efficiency Key to Cutting Carbon Emissions
Industrial energy efficiency could cut carbon emissions by 175 million tons nationwide in 2030, according to new research by the Alliance for Industrial Efficiency.
“Process efficiency improvements, boiler upgrades, replacing chillers, insulation, even things as simple as lighting,” said Jennifer Kefer, executive director of the group. “Our report demonstrates very clearly that one can cut carbon while saving money.”
More: Public News Service