In its recently released 76-page report, required under President Biden’s Executive Order 14017, “America’s Supply Chains,” the US Department of Energy (DOE) finds that “[t]he opportunity for US global leadership on clean energy is enormous” but the related “challenges are immense” and relate to:
On January 13, 2022, the US Department of Energy (DOE) issued a notice of intent regarding its Building a Better Grid Initiative (Initiative), an effort to encourage the modernization of the nation’s existing electric transmission grid. The Initiative is the beginning of a rulemaking process required by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Act), which
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 March 17, 2021, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.) and U.S. Representatives Marc Veasey (D-Texas) and David McKinley (R-W.Va.) introduced the Storing CO2 And Lowering Emissions (SCALE) Act. The bill is intended to help develop infrastructure buildout to transport CO2 from the capture site to be used as feedstock for the manufacture of other products, to oilfields where it is injected to enhance oil recovery, or to underground storage locations. CO2 capture projects are expensive and the EPA permitting process for storage facilities is lengthy. Thus, project financing and permitting are key drivers to determine the speed and scope at which global climate goals with respect to greenhouse gas reduction are achieved. The 45Q tax credit for carbon capture and sequestration incentivizes carbon capture but is not by itself economically sufficient to provide the necessary equipment and transportation infrastructure.
Continue Reading US – Storing CO2 And Lowering Emissions (SCALE) Act
The energy industry continues to evolve as sectors converge and as demand, supply and consumer preferences change. The global economy is shifting to lower-carbon sources of energy, coinciding with (or resulting from) a renewed focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. “Energy transition” is commonly used to describe the recent full-court press towards cleaner
