Tag: ferc

Federal Regulator Sounds Alarm on Declining Electric Grid Reliability

The commissioners of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) sounded the alarm on a deteriorating U.S. grid in a House hearing on June 13. At one point, Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) asked the commissioners a yes-or-no question: “Has electric reliability worsened or improved over the past three years?” The first answer came from acting FERC…


State Attorneys General Act to Stop BlackRock from Acquiring Large Stakes in US Electric Utilities

State attorneys general of 17 states filed a motion this week with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to stop BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager and an outspoken advocate for replacing fossil fuels with wind and solar power, from acquiring large shares in America’s utility companies. To protect the independence and stability of America’s…


GOP Lawmakers Renew Concerns Over Energy Commissioner’s Potential Conflicts of Interest

Reps. James Comer (R-Ky.) and Pat Fallon (R-Texas) have renewed their concerns about Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Commissioner Allison Clements allegedly not disclosing potential conflicts of interest. Comer is the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, and Fallon is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs. They cited…


Federal Agencies Investigate North American Electric Grid’s Resilience During Winter Storm Elliott

Federal regulatory agencies are investigating the North American electric grid’s resilience during Winter Storm Elliott’s arctic weather conditions over the Christmas holiday. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) announced a joint inquiry on Wednesday into how bulk-power-system (BPS) operations held up through sub-freezing temperatures brought by the…


Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Orders Study on Security of North American Power Grid

Weeks after gunfire damaged two substations that led to widespread outages in Moore County, North Carolina, a federal commission has ordered an Atlanta-based nonprofit corporation to evaluate the physical security of what some have called the “Achilles heel” of North American infrastructure: the Bulk Power System (BPS). The BPS encompasses four major electric system networks…


Manchin Objects to New Greenhouse Gas and Environmental Impact Policies on Natural Gas Pipelines

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) February policy statements on interstate natural gas projects drew strong objections from Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and the two out of the five FERC commissioners who voted against the statements. Those statements, which add consideration of greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts, including on “environmental justice communities,” for FERC to approve…


Biden Energy Officials Grilled on Proposed Pipeline Regulation, Rumored Natural Gas Export Ban

In a Jan. 19 hearing of the House Energy Subcommittee, representatives questioned two Biden administration appointees on U.S. pipeline infrastructure, energy prices, and a rumored ban on exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The hearing was occasioned by Subcommittee Chair Bobby Rush’s (D-Ill.) proposed legislation, H.R. 6084, the “Energy Product Reliability Act.” That measure would…