State, Railroads Mum on Bakken Crude Shipments
State officials know when large shipments of potentially explosive Bakken crude are shipped by rail to a refinery in the state but won’t release that information to the public because of security concerns, The News Journal reported.
CSX Corp. and Norfolk Southern Corp. have begun reporting oil train shipments in compliance with an emergency order issued in May by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Delaware safety officials, however, signed confidentiality agreements to share the information only with state and local emergency management agencies. Other states, including Oklahoma and Pennsylvania, also keep quiet about crude oil shipping details.
At an investor meeting in the spring, a PBF Energy official said its Delaware City refinery receives about 102,400 barrels of crude via rail shipments daily. A Sierra Club of Delaware member has resorted to compiling a map of oil shipments in Delaware based on reports she receives from volunteer observers in order to inform the public. Last July, 47 people were killed and much of a small town in Quebec was destroyed when a train carrying crude derailed.
More: The News Journal
Newark Councilman Faults UD on Data Center Plan
A Newark city councilman said the University of Delaware could have saved everybody a lot of time and trouble had it vetted a data center and power plant plan better earlier in the process. Noting that the 279-MW power plant that was part of the data center plan was what ultimately doomed the project, Councilman Stu Markham said the university could have reached the “no” point long before the city and other groups invested so much time in investigating the plan.
A university official said the plan looked like a good fit at first, but it later became apparent that the data center, with the large power plant, didn’t fit in with the university’s plans. The site is still open for development, but any power plant built there will be smaller, university officials have said.
More: Delaware Online
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
PSC Member, Chairman Confirmed in Recent Session
The city council last week confirmed new Public Service Commission member Willie L. Phillips and reconfirmed Betty Ann Kane as chairman. The confirmations mean that for the first time since December, all three commission seats are filled.
Kane was first named to the commission in 2007 and became chairman in 2009.
Phillips, an attorney, comes to the commission with a background in utility regulation and compliance enforcement. He was previously assistant general counsel for the North American Electric Reliability Corp.
More: D.C. Public Service Commission
ILLINOIS
Alternative Suppliers Provide Savings 3 Years Running
The state Commerce Commission’s Office of Retail Market Development issued its annual report, saying that retail electric competition continues to provide savings for residential customers. The report said ComEd residential customers saved an estimated $39 million between June 2013 and May 2014. Residential switching continued in the last year, but at a slower rate than the previous two years, according to the report.
More: Illinois Commerce Commission
INDIANA
IURC Nominating Committee Gets 8 Names to Consider
The nominating committee of the state Utility Regulatory Commission has identified eight candidates to replace Commissioner James Atterholt and will interview them July 30. Nominated were: James L. Adams, Marline R. Breece, Karen E. Caswelch, Carole Sparks Drake, Eric M. Hand, Robert L. Hartley, James F. Huston and David R. Johnston. Atterholt’s seat opened up when Gov. Mike Pence tapped him as his chief of staff. Pence will be presented with three finalists following the interview.
More: Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission
KENTUCKY
Group Sues to Halt 2 Coal Plant Closings
A group of landowners and a coal industry group sued in federal court to block plans by the Tennessee Valley Authority to shutter a coal-fired generating plant. The TVA announced last year that it was going to close the two-unit Paradise Fossil Plant in Muhlenberg County and replace it with a new gas-fired generator.
This month, the Kentucky Coal Association filed suit in U.S. District Court in Owensboro arguing that the TVA didn’t follow federal rules in closing the plants. A group of landowners joined the suit, protesting the planned installation of a 24-inch natural gas pipeline to the proposed new generator. The TVA has said that it followed proper procedures, and the decision to convert to natural gas was designed to meet emissions guidelines.
More: Associated Press
MARYLAND
Somerset Wind Law Sent Back for Review
The Somerset County Commission asked county planners to review a draft ordinance aimed at regulating commercial wind farm development in anticipation of a vote by the commissioners this fall.
The draft was developed in 2012 but never voted on. Now, some landowners and others are taking a second look at it and suggesting revisions, including larger setbacks between proposed facilities and homes, schools and roads. Pioneer Green, a company with a proposal in the pipeline to develop a 50-turbine plant in the county, is urging the county to finalize the ordinance.
More: Delmarva Now
MICHIGAN
Chesapeake Energy to Go to Trial, Judge Says
A state judge ruled last week that the bid-rigging case against Chesapeake Energy will go to trial. Judge Maria Barton of Cheboygan County District Court ruled that there was enough evidence of alleged bid rigging between Chesapeake Energy and Encana Corp. at a 2010 land-lease auction. Barton cited emails between an Encana executive and a man bidding on the company’s behalf that said, in part, “This is a Chesapeake area and we will not be bidding.” Encana settled anti-trust charges against it with a $5 million civil payment to the state in May.
More: PennEnergy
NEW JERSEY
Planned Nuclear Co. Gets $260 Million in Tax Breaks
A company with plans to build nuclear reactors and related equipment at a future plant on the Camden Waterfront was given $260 million in tax credits and other economic subsidies in what is being described as the third-largest subsidy in state history. The state Economic Development Authority awarded the incentives to Holtec International based on its promises to create 235 new jobs and relocate 160 other jobs from other parts of the state.
Once the operation is set up it will get $26 million a year for 10 years. Holtec was also eyeing Charleston, S.C., as a location. It plans a 600,000-square-foot plant to build the reactors.
The award to Holtec, whose board includes Democratic powerbroker George Norcross, was decried by numerous lawmakers, with one calling it “crony capitalism.”
More: NJ.Com
OHIO
Chilicothe Prison Cells to be Warmed with Solar Heating
A $1.7 million solar-power system will heat cells and hot water in a state prison in southern Ohio, saving taxpayers about $245,000 a year. The system uses 400 panels installed on the roof of Ross Correctional Institution. Solar energy is used to heat an antifreeze-like liquid, which is then used to heat eight cell blocks at the prison, according to the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. The system also produces hot water for prisoners. Ross was opened in 1987 and holds about 2,100 inmates.
More: Columbus Dispatch
PENNSYLVANIA
Court Upholds Towns’ Rights to Regulate Drilling
A state appellate court last week upheld a ruling that gave towns the right to regulate some oil and gas development. The court threw out an argument that the state Public Utility Commission has the authority to overrule local governmental action in regulating where well sites and other facilities can be located.
With its ruling, the court upheld an earlier decision by the state Supreme Court. That decision was challenged by state regulators who saw it as a challenge to their authority. “Local zoning matters will now be determined by the procedures set forth under the [Municipalities Planning Code] and challenges to local ordinances that carry out a municipality’s constitutional environmental obligations,” President Judge Dan Pellegrini wrote in the opinion.
More: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
WEST VIRGINIA
Delegate Appeals for Fed Help Against AEP Rate-Hike Plan
State Delegate Clif Moore thinks Appalachian Power’s recent request to raise rates 17% is too much, and he is reaching out to federal officials for relief. “Please be advised this correspondence respectfully transmits my utter disdain, shock and amazement with American Electric Power in their quest to seek a 17% increase in already unaffordable electric costs,” Moore wrote. “It is, in my humble opinion, imperative for state and federal regulators to verify that current rates are within legal limits.” He has called on the Federal Trade Commission to intervene. Appalachian, an AEP subsidiary, filed the base rate request with the Public Service Commission, seeking a $226 million increase to go into effect in April 2015.
More: Energy Central