electricity
The nation’s biggest electric capacity market needs fixing, critics say
The nation’s largest grid operator is warning that it might not have enough electric generation in the future to guarantee reliability. And it comes as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission convenes a forum on the multibillion-dollar capacity market PJM operates to ensure there’s enough power to meet demand even during grid emergencies, such as during […]
After a series of winter storms, regulators approve new standards for power plants
Two years after Winter Storm Uri, which caused a massive power failure in Texas that caused more than 200 deaths, and just two months after another storm, Elliott, forced blackouts in parts of the South, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved new extreme cold reliability standards for power plants. However, the vote last week […]
Federal-state task force grapples with grid protection
A federal task force wrestled with the costs and benefits of better shielding the nation’s tens of thousands of electric substations from a growing number of attacks, like a neo-Nazi plot the FBI says it foiled earlier this month in Maryland, another that knocked out power to thousands in North Carolina in December and more […]
A lot of hot air from the gas stove debate
Growing up in West Texas, our family tells a story about a lightning strike that either hit, or nearly hit, a billboard in our neighborhood. It said: “Gas Cooks Better Than Electricity.” In our contemporary era where anything can be an outrage, our latest political spat happens to be about whether or not Biden is […]
Affordable, reliable and sustainable: report compares utility performance
A nationwide comparison of electric utility performance by an Illinois consumer advocacy group found that customers in states that are heavily reliant on fuel oil and natural gas, as in the Northeast and South, tend to pay more than those with larger amounts of carbon-free generation, among other findings. The report by the Illinois-based Citizens […]
Governor can put Ohioans first with the right PUCO pick
Gov. Mike DeWine will soon have the opportunity to significantly impact how Ohio regulates utilities — and in doing so, help control the rising costs facing Ohioans and Ohio businesses. This opportunity comes as the result of an upcoming retirement of a longtime member of the Public Utility Commission of Ohio (PUCO) — the five-member […]
As another winter storm strains the electric grid, it’s time to fix transmission, experts say
The deadly winter storm, christened Elliott by the Weather Channel, that tore through much of the United States over the Christmas weekend placed a huge strain on the American electric grid, pushing it past the breaking point in some places. Frigid temperatures, in some places setting records, drove a surge in electric demand while also […]
Climate solutions for Great Lakes power grid include better planning, transmission
As the Great Lakes region experiences warmer and wetter weather, advocates say the time is now to prepare the electric grid for climate change. Proposed federal rules could jumpstart a formal process for doing that — if regulators decide to finalize them next year. Here’s what advocates, regulators and other grid experts say about the […]
Looking for jobs in all the wrong places: Ohio policymakers’ misguided belief in natural gas
If you’re looking for economic development that will deliver job growth, increase local commerce, and improve quality of life, you can’t do much worse than natural gas extraction, gas-fired power plants, and infrastructure. They don’t provide many jobs and they impose serious costs that discourage other kinds of job-creating economic activity. Apart from contributing to […]
He needed supplemental oxygen. FirstEnergy cut off his electricity
Months after the state government granted hundreds of millions in subsidies to FirstEnergy Corp., the company disconnected the electric service of an Ohio man relying on supplemental oxygen. The customer, David, called the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and told an intake representative that after he got home from a doctor’s appointment he discovered his […]
House committee passes ratepayer-funded energy efficiency proposal
An Ohio House committee unanimously passed legislation last week allowing electric utilities to charge customers to fund energy efficiency programs designed to reduce electricity consumption. Residential customers would have limited ability to opt out (the bill creates a three-week window to do so per five-year program cycle) of the maximum $1.50 per month utilities can […]
Consumer protection? New DeWine regulatory chief says most overcharges can’t be refunded
Gov. Mike DeWine’s latest appointee to lead Ohio’s scandal-plagued utility regulator last week raised concerns among some lawmakers and consumer watchdogs. She claimed that her agency has only a very limited ability to make electric companies refund billions in improper charges to ratepayers. There was always going to be scrutiny when Jenifer French made her […]