E&E News covered FERC chair Chatterjee's announcement to decrease barriers to clean energy, including quotes from AEE's Jeff Dennis. Read excerpts and the entire E&E News piece here (sub. req.).

Neil Chatterjee, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, is turning his attention to breaking down barriers for distributed energy resources like rooftop solar to participate in wholesale power markets. The long-anticipated move could deliver a boost to budding energy technologies and help the industry compete as a larger-scale resource for the electric grid...

Jeff Dennis, managing director and general counsel for Advanced Energy Economy, said finalizing FERC's broader DER proposal, which has faced delays since it was introduced in 2016, would be "most welcome. With 1,300 days passed since the rule was first proposed, the time for action is now," he said.

"Finalizing this rule would also be a welcome departure from FERC's recent actions targeting state clean energy policies, which have erected new barriers to advanced energy in wholesale markets, causing states and other stakeholders to question the value of competitive wholesale markets altogether," he said...

Last week, the commission blocked proposed market changes by New York's grid operator aimed at better aligning with the state's clean energy goals. The commission also came under fire late last year when it issued an order that opponents said hamstrung renewable and nuclear energy resources' ability to compete in capacity markets run by PJM Interconnection LLC, the nation's largest grid operator.

While the commission argued that the changes were needed to ensure that competitive markets were not suppressed by any individual state's policy goals, the move prompted many states to weigh a market exit...

Read the entire E&E News piece here (sub. req.).