Energy Policy & Legislation

Order 745: A Time Bomb for Electricity Consumers

One of the worst orders FERC has ever produced

Order 745 overcompensates demand response, unduly discriminates against wholesale suppliers, sanctions and institutionally enforces the exercise of monopsony market power, and will ultimately raise electricity prices.

Byline:

Robert Borlick

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Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

Ensuring State Emission Reduction in Clean Power Plan

Strong public policy favors giving states credit for the carbon reductions they make while the Plan’s legality is pending.

Byline:

Joshua Epel, James Tarpey, Nicholas Eaton and Jacob Rey

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Costs Fixed Depending on Timeframe

As we head towards a fixed cost electricity system

All costs are fixed. All costs are variable. How is that possible? As Albert Einstein might say, it depends on the reference of time.

Byline:

Steve Mitnick

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Getting Berned

What’s the price tag of banning fracking?

Ironically, a ban on fracking would increase coal generation, which emits carbon dioxide at twice the rate of gas generation.

Byline:

Steve Huntoon

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Tax Implications of NEM Successor Policies

Federal income tax treatment has nothing to do with pricing sale of electricity to utility or customer.

Advocates for net metering argue that if the electricity delivered by the customer to the utility is credited at the full retail rate, the amount is not taxable, but if credited at less than the full retail rate, such as under a feed-in tariff or a value of solar tariff, the IRS might count the credited amount as taxable income. A tax expert fills us in on the other side of the story.

Byline:

Alex Zakupowsky

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Chasing the Uncatchable

Why trying to fix mandatory capacity markets is like trying to win a game of Whack-A-Mole (Parts I & II)

FERC has little to show for more than a decade of tinkering with mandatory capacity markets.

Byline:

Delia D. Patterson and Harvey L. Reiter

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Illinois Approach to Regulating Distribution Utility of the Future

Annual formula rate is working to stabilize distribution ratemaking.

A lot has been said of alternative ratemaking approaches. The clearest, most direct path is what has been happening in Illinois, a success by any reasonable measure for a distribution utility.

Byline:

Ross Hemphill and Val Jensen

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The British Electricity Model: 25 Years of Experience

Should We Follow U.K.’s Lead?

British price cap regulation quickly became the international gold standard for regulation. It looked so simple. But if the purpose was to provide a dramatically different and less expensive electricity experience, it failed.

Byline:

Leonard Hyman and William Tilles

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Energy Policy Development Potential New Paradigm, and a Challenge

Towards a consensus-based outline of how technological advances can be encouraged and risk-managed.

We need to more seriously and collaboratively explore concepts across stakeholder groups, to gain a better understanding of different perspectives and priorities.

Byline:

Tom Sloan

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Federal Versus State Jurisdiction in the Electricity Business

Two back-to-back decisions by the Supreme Court in 2016 will fundamentally redefine the jurisdictional split.

If the Supreme Court holds to the principles and logic of its ruling in EPSA, it will restore states’ traditional central role in resource planning.

Byline:

Craig Roach and Vincent Musco

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Energy Policy & Legislation