Environmental

Fueling America's Economic Engine

New energy economy also relies on some old fossil friends.

It has not been public investments in sustainable fuels and modern tools that have led to the re-awakening of the U.S. economy. Rather, it’s been mostly private investment in shale gas development that has led to new capital formation, infrastructure development and jobs galore.

Coal After MATS

A strategy for completely removing mercury from environmental emissions.

Coal-fired power plants subject to EPA’s MATS rule can try a biological treatment option to remove mercury emissions from the environment.

Complying with 111(d)

Exploring the cap-and-invest option.

EPA is expected to provide states with latitude in meeting Clean Air Act GHG standards. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) demonstrates an effective and economical approach: “cap and invest.”

Putting a Price on Carbon

How EPA can establish a U.S. GHG Program for the Electricity Sector.

With the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards expected in June 2014, many states are considering their own approaches to provide flexibility in meeting compliance requirements. Experience in North America to date provides policy guidance.

Catching Fire

Climate policy heats up after the Great Recession.

GHG rules are coming soon. What happens next will depend on how states react.

A Trip to RIIO in Your Future?

Great Britain’s latest innovation in grid regulation.

Great Britain’s electric regulator takes performance-based regulation to a new, more complex level, weighing policy choices against attendant costs.

Modeling Storm Outages

New tools for enhancing utility preparedness and response.

Sandy and other major storms have raised the bar for outage management. New modeling systems help utilities predict effects and plan their response.

Energiewende

Nuclear fear and Germany’s headlong plunge into renewable energy.

On a recent trip to Germany to study the country’s energy policy, the phrase “energy transition,” or “energiewende” as the Germans say, was on everyone’s mind.

Energy Disconnect

Misguided policies threaten resource adequacy.

Resource planning is grinding to a halt. From EPA regulations to irrational markets, today’s policy missteps threaten tomorrow’s reliability.

The Growing Footprint of Climate Change

Can systems built today cope with tomorrow’s weather extremes?

Climate change – heat waves, water shortages, and reduced flexibility – poses huge risks for electric utility infrastructure.