States trying to meet their goals for the federal Clean Power Plan should be able to get two-year extensions without much trouble, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation Janet McCabe told the Environmental Council of States that meeting the requirements for the two-year extension was “not intended to be a heavy lift.”
“We understand that it may be every single state that needs to seek an extension,” McCabe said. “There’s a lot of work for states to do and a lot of different processes.”
More: Bloomberg BNA
Trudeau’s Election in Canada May Be Good News for Keystone
Canada’s new prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has said he supports the construction of the embattled Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry oil from Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast. The proposed pipeline does not have the support of the Obama administration, so environmentalists in both countries are waiting to see how hard Trudeau’s Liberal Party will push for the project.
Trudeau declined to say if he and President Obama discussed the Keystone XL project during their call after the election. “I think one of the things that has been a challenge in the relationship between Canada and the United States is it has in many cases been focused on a single point of disagreement, a single potential point of disagreement, a single pipeline,” he told reporters.
Although he is publicly in favor of pipelines as part of a national infrastructure program, Trudeau has also been an outspoken advocate for adoption of a national plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
More: The Washington Post
DOE Approves Emera CNG Exports from Florida Facility
The Department of Energy on Thursday gave its approval for Emera CNG to export a relatively small amount of U.S.-produced compressed natural gas out of a proposed terminal at the Port of Palm Beach, Fla.
Emera needed federal authorization to export to countries that do not have free trade agreements with the U.S. Emera will be allowed to export 8 million cubic feet of gas a day in trailers, tank containers and ocean-going carriers for 20 years.
More: Breaking Energy
Mass. AG Calls for FERC Scrutiny of NED Pipeline
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey has asked FERC to closely examine Tennessee Gas Pipeline’s proposed Northeast Energy Direct pipeline, questioning whether there is a need for the new pipeline in view of the number of other projects either planned or in progress.
“This proposed pipeline would have a significant impact on local residents and the energy future of Massachusetts,” Healey wrote to the commission. “FERC should fully evaluate the need for this project in conjunction with other pipeline proposals for the region.”
She urged the commission to study the results of a regional electric reliability study on the Northeast region, which is due Oct. 31. The Northeast suffered from fuel constraints during the past two cold winters, with gas supply at a premium.
More: Natural Gas Intelligence
FERC OKs Environmental Study for Dominion Pipeline in NY
FERC issued a positive environmental assessment for a natural gas pipeline in New York, spurring complaints from opponents of the project. Dominion Transmission, a subsidiary of Dominion Resources, wants to expand its 200-mile pipeline to deliver natural gas produced in the Marcellus Shale fields in Pennsylvania.
FERC ruled that there were no adverse environmental impacts, but opponents in central New York have said the assessment was rudimentary. They called for a more detailed review, as well as an analysis of the project’s possible impact on existing and future infrastructure.
More: Times Union
National Renewable Energy Laboratory Names Keller as New Director
Martin Keller, a Department of Energy veteran who headed up the Energy and Environmental Sciences Lab at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been named director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said Keller’s “track record in building links between the basic sciences and our nation’s energy challenges will help NREL reinforce its place as the world’s leading laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development.”
Along with the promotion, Martin Keller will also become president of the Alliance for Sustainable Energy.
More: MarketWired
75% of Americans Now Accept Climate Change
Three quarters of Americans now share the scientific community’s acceptance of climate change, the highest number in four years of polling by the University of Texas at Austin.
Perhaps the largest surprise in the findings is that 59% of Republicans now believe climate change is happening, up from 47% only six months ago. The Democratic acceptance level is hovering at about 90%, the university reported.
More: Bloomberg Business
$13.5 Trillion Investment Needed to Fund Climate Change Pledges
The International Energy Agency has calculated a number needed to meet the climate change action pledges submitted for the upcoming Climate Summit in Paris: $13.5 trillion.
The IEA’s World Energy Outlook estimated the energy industry will need to make a substantial investment in wind, solar, nuclear carbon capture and storage to meet the energy efficiency and low-carbon technology goals that will be introduced at the summit.
“The energy industry needs a strong and clear signal,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. “Failing to send this signal will push energy investments in the wrong direction, locking in unsustainable energy infrastructure for decades.”
More: CleanTechnica
TVA’s Watts Bar 2 Granted Operating License by NRC
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission last week granted the Tennessee Valley Authority an operating license for its Watts Bar Unit 2 reactor, the first new U.S. nuclear station in nearly 20 years. The license paves the way for fueling the reactor and to start testing. TVA says the plant, near Spring City, Tenn., will go online by December.
Construction began on Watts Bar 2 in 1973 but stopped in 1988 when TVA suspended its nuclear operations due to safety concerns. Watts Bar 1 was finished and went online in 1996. Work on Watts Bar 2 restarted in 2007.
NRC’s action “demonstrates to the people of the valley that we have taken every step possible to deliver low-cost, carbon-free electricity safely and with the highest quality,” said TVA President and CEO Bill Johnson.
More: Chattanooga Times Free Press
Environmental Groups File to Intervene in ACP Project
Sixteen environmental groups on Friday filed to intervene in the permit process of the proposed 564-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which would deliver shale gas from West Virginia through Virginia into North Carolina. Dominion Resources and Duke Energy are among the investors in the $5 billion project.
The groups, including Chesapeake Climate Action Network, the Sierra Club and Appalachian Mountain Advocates, say the pipeline would cause irreparable harm to the environment, it would “fragment the heart” of the largest tract of land in the eastern U.S. and the developers have not proven that it is needed.
The request came about a week after it was determined that the proposed route takes it through a portion of the George Washington National Forest in Virginia, which is home of the protected Cow Knob salamander.
More: News Leader
Minnesota, North Dakota Continue Clash over Coal-fired Energy
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in a case pitting Minnesota regulators against North Dakota and its utility and coal interests over a 2007 Minnesota law restricting new power generation from coal.
North Dakota successfully argued in federal district court that the law illegally regulates out-of-state utilities in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Commerce Clause. A three-judge panel of the appeals court is reviewing the decision, which enjoined Minnesota from enforcing key sections of the law.
North Dakota interests say it hampers their ability to find buyers for power from existing coal-fired generating plants or to plan for new ones. Coal-generated electricity comprises 78% of North Dakota’s electricity.
More: Star Tribune