The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) has issued draft regulations to implement new electric weather-related requirements set forth in Texas Senate Bill 3, which was enacted in response to what the PUCT described as the February 1-5, 2021, “Southwest Cold Weather Event.” This Legal Update discusses the two-phase approach the PUCT has proposed.
On June 17, 2021, the United States Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an order establishing a new Joint Federal-State Task Force on Electric Transmission, calling for nominations for state commission representation on it, setting forth preliminary details of it and identifying topics for it to consider. The Legal Update at the link below provides
In the wake of the May 2021 ransomware attack on a major US oil pipeline, the Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has released a security directive (the “TSA Directive”) to better “identify, protect against, and respond to threats to critical companies in the pipeline sector.” The TSA Directive was released on May
The Texas House of Representatives and Senate are considering three similar, but not identical, legislative drafts that could impose substantial grid charges directly on renewable generation businesses. The Legal Update at the link below provides further detail.
The Polar Vortex 2021 Fallout continues to be in the news in Texas. In the Legal Update below you will see the most recent developments.
In the now obviously challenged Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) power market, a strange dance recently occurred. On February 21, 2021, the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), which oversees ERCOT, issued an order authorizing ERCOT to use its sole discretion in taking actions under the ERCOT Nodal Protocols to resolve financial obligations between
On February 22, 2021, the United States Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) announced its intention to open a new proceeding to examine the threat that climate change and extreme weather events pose to electric reliability. The proceeding will examine how grid operators prepare for and respond to extreme weather events, including, but not limited to,
The inauguration of the Biden administration will bring a plethora of policy changes focused on US electric power production, fuel, and climate change mitigation and remediation. The Biden administration’s Climate Executive Order, discussed further in this Legal Update, declares the intention to “reduce greenhouse gas emissions” and “bolster resilience to the impacts of climate change.”
At its last formal meeting during the Trump administration, the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission opened a Notice of Inquiry to determine whether to impose financial assurance requirements on hydropower licensees and, if so, what those financial assurance requirements should be.
Please read the Legal Update at the link below.
