Category — Technology
FERC Issues Pilot License for New York Tidal Project
On January 23, 2012, FERC issued the first pilot project license to Verdant Power, LLC (“Verdant”) for its Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy Project No. 12611 (“RITE”). The RITE project will be a 1,050 kW tidal project located on New York’s East River, and the project will use natural tidal currents to generate power from turbines mounted on the riverbed. [Read more →]
January 31, 2012 Comments Off
FERC Technical Conference Addresses Reliability Issues and EPA Regulations
On November 29 and 30, 2011, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or the “Commission”) held a Commissioner-led Technical Conference on electric reliability issues. Of note, the Commission devoted an entire day of the conference to the impact of the EPA’s regulations on electric reliability. [Read more →]
December 5, 2011 Comments Off
Atlantic Wind Connection Project Adds Belgian Grid Firm Elia to Team
On July 22, 2011, the Atlantic Wind Connection (“AWC”), offshore transmission line project off the Mid-Atlantic coast that would bring thousands of megawatts of offshore wind capacity ashore (see the October 12, 2010 edition of the WER), announced that Belgium-based transmission company Elia has taken a minority stake in the project and will be providing consulting services to the AWC. [Read more →]
August 2, 2011 Comments Off
EPA Releases Long-Awaited Emissions Standards for Boilers and Incinerators: Some Relief for Existing Solid Fuel Sources, Less So for Others
Yesterday, EPA released a package of rules to impose new emissions standards for industrial boilers and incinerators known as “Maximum Achievable Control Technology” (MACT). The rules included emissions standards for five hazardous air pollutants or surrogates of hazardous air pollutants emitted from boilers at “major” and “area” sources and incinerators of solid waste or sewage sludge. In addition to the emissions standards themselves, EPA’s rule package included a redefinition of the term “solid waste” under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). [Read more →]
February 24, 2011 Comments Off
U.S. Launches Unfair Trade Investigation Of Alleged China Green Tech Subsidies
On October 15 the Obama Administration’s Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (“USTR”) announced it would initiate an investigation of an array of Chinese governmental policies supporting the development of green technology. The investigation is being conducted under section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 (“section 301”), which authorizes USTR to take action to break down foreign trade barriers and enforce U.S. rights under trade agreements. Since its inception, there have been over 100 Section 301 cases but none since the Clinton administration. The Bush administration declined to accept several that were filed against Chinese currency manipulation and labor rights suppression. [Read more →]
November 2, 2010 Comments Off
