In the news today…
Grid:
- NPR reports that than 100,000 customers in Puerto Rico are still without power 2 weeks after Hurricane Fiona.
- Fox Weather reports that more than 700,000 customers are still without power from Florida to Pennsylvania in the wake of Hurricane Ian.
Climate:
- Washington Post reports in recent years, electric utilities across the country have announced a flurry of splashy climate commitments, vowing to embrace renewable energy and eliminate their planet-warming emissions by mid-century. But many utilities are not following through on these pledges, suggesting their commitments amount to little more than “greenwashing” — the practice of making a company seem more sustainable than it really is, according to a report released Monday.
Clean Water Act:
- E&E Greenwire reports the Supreme Court on Monday appeared reluctant to wrest wetlands permitting power from EPA in a dispute that had been expected to significantly narrow the scope of the Clean Water Act.
- Politico Pro reports Supreme Court justices questioned whether a new test is needed to define when a wetland warrants federal protections during oral arguments on Monday in a long-running legal battle over the reach of the Clean Water Act.
- Washington Post reports the Supreme Court on Monday wrestled over how to resolve a high-stakes case that could narrow the federal government’s authority to protect wetlands and waterways across the country.
Coal:
- Argus reports US coal producer Alliance Resource Partners plans to expand its mining operations in western Kentucky in response to growing demand.
Energy Markets:
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Utility Dive carries an op-ed by Todd Snitchler, president and CEO of the Electric Power Supply Association, which represents America’s competitive power suppliers. He argues that State policymakers and utility commissioners, alongside their federal counterparts at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, have saturated power markets with unworkable policies and are now openly lamenting the inability of those markets to deliver the results they expect. Note: Todd is a good friend and former colleague.