On January 29, 2010, the United States Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit (“DC Circuit”) denied a petition by state utility regulators in New England to challenge a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or the “Commission”) decision that applied a higher return on equity (“ROE”) rate for ISO New England, Inc. (“ISO-NE”) as an incentive to complete transmission projects more quickly.  [Read more →]

On January 21, 2010, FERC issued a declaratory order that Western Grid Development LLC’s (“Western Grid”) battery storage devices (“Projects”) are wholesale transmission facilities subject to FERC jurisdiction.  FERC also granted Western Grid’s request for incentive rate treatment for the Projects.  However, FERC reiterated that since energy storage devices do not fit easily into the category of traditional generation, transmission, or distribution, FERC will assess storage devices on a case-by-case basis. [Read more →]

On January 29, 2010, President Barack Obama announced that by the year 2020, the federal government will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 28 percent over 2008 levels.  [Read more →]

On Friday January 29, 2010, Energy Secretary Steven Chu revealed the members of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future.  The Blue Ribbon Commission has the task of developing a new national strategy to deal with nuclear waste as an alternative to the Yucca Mountain repository.  Additionally, the Department of Energy (“DOE”) announced that its 2011 budget will significantly increase loan guarantees for nuclear projects.  [Read more →]