News

Utility Dive covered recent passage of the EV bill passed in Florida (and other states) quoting AEE's Dylan Reed. Read excerpts below and the entire UD piece here. 

Utah lawmakers on Thursday passed legislation that would allow Rocky Mountain Power to invest $50 million in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, as part of the state's effort to grow adoption of emissions-free transportation. House Bill 396 now heads to Republican Gov. Gary Herbert's desk, where advocates say he is likely to sign it. Similarly, Florida lawmakers on Wednesday passed Senate Bill 7018 which directs the state's Department of Transportation to consult with the Public Service Commission, Office of Energy and other stakeholders to develop a long-term plan for electric vehicle infrastructure expansion. And in Washington, lawmakers on March 9 passed legislation to adopt California's existing zero-emissions vehicle mandate and require the state reach 8% EV sales by 2025...

Smart Energy Decisions featured a guest column from AEE's Caitlin Marquis explaining the impact of FERC's Minimum Offer Price Rule (MOPR) on corporate renewable energy buyers. Read excerpts below and the entire Smart Energy Decisions piece here. 

The energy world is full of acronyms, and the hottest four-letter word of 2020 is, without contest, MOPR. MOPR stands for “Minimum Offer Price Rule,” and it has become a top concern of clean energy advocates, advanced energy developers, and states since December when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a much-anticipated decision on the rule. Applying to PJM Interconnection, which operates the bulk power system in all or part of 13 mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia, the FERC order poses a threat to both state clean energy policies and voluntary purchases of renewable energy in the largest U.S. energy market, and potentially all the organized wholesale markets under FERC jurisdiction, where direct corporate purchases of renewable energy are expanding.

S&P Global covered the passage of Florida's EV infrastructure bill (as part of a larger piece on uncertainty around recent oil prices) quoting AEE's Dylan Reed. Read excerpts below and the entire S&P Global piece here. 

As states such as Florida adopt electric vehicle infrastructure legislation, electric utilities face uncertainty about how much power demand could be affected, in light of the recent crash in oil prices, analysts said Thursday. On Wednesday, Florida's GOP-controlled House of Representatives approved Senate Bill 7018, "Essential State Infrastructure" for the signature of Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican. Support in both chambers was bipartisan.

Vox covered the passage of the Virginia Clean Economy Act referencing AEE's Virginia Energy Transition Report. and jobs fact sheet. Read excerpts below and the entire Vox piece here. The story was also covered by Science Times here.

Over the last decade or so, Virginia has gradually transitioned from a purple to blue state. Now it will embark on another transition, from fossil fuels to clean, carbon-free electricity. After voting for Republican presidents going back to Richard Nixon in 1972, Virginians began consistently voting for Democrats for president in 2008. And they have a long tradition of Democratic governors, the latest being pediatric neurologist and Army veteran Ralph Northam, elected in 2017.

TALLAHASSEE, March 12, 2020 — Today, national business group Advanced Energy Economy reacted to Florida House passage of SB 7018* yesterday, a bill that directs the Florida Department of Transportation, in consultation with the Florida Public Service Commission, Office of Energy, and relevant stakeholders, to develop a “Master Plan” for electric vehicle infrastructure expansion. The House vote was 97-19 and follows Senate passage late Friday, clearing the bill for the Governor's signature. 

Utility Dive reported Indiana passed a bill making it more difficult to retire coal-fired power plants, quoting AEE's Dylan Reed. Read excerpts below and the entire UD piece here. 

Indiana on Tuesday passed House Bill 1414, which will make it harder for utilities in the state to retire their coal generation. The House version of the bill was significantly altered in the Senate, drawing greater support from critical groups including the Indiana Energy Association (IEA) which represents electric and gas utilities in the state. 

Florida Politics covered the unanimous passage of SB 7018 by the Florida Senate as action moves to the House today, quoting AEE's Dylan Reed. Read excerpts below and the entire FLAPOL piece here. 

The Legislature is expected to pass legislation calling for a study on expanding the state’s electric vehicle charging grid Wednesday. That bill (SB 7018), carried through the Senate by Thonotosassa Republican Sen. Tom Lee, now looks for its final passage in the House before heading to Gov. Ron DeSantis. The measure would also allow the Department of Transportation (FDOT) to construct staging areas for emergency response, adds a “shot clock” for utility infrastructure permits, and create cases for utilities to cross rural land while protecting the environment.

Utility Dive covered passage of the Virginia Clean Economy Act quoting Virginia AEE's Harry Godfrey and highlighting AEE commissioned 5 Lakes Energy costs analysis. Read excerpts below and the entire UD piece here. 

The Virginia Clean Economy Act, which enjoyed wide support from environmental and clean energy groups, cleared both chambers and was sent to the governor's desk on Friday. The package presents a Democratic-led path to ambitious climate goals, and many clean energy advocates are lauding the effort as an example for other states. However, analysis from the State Corporation Commission has the leading utility in the state, Dominion Energy, collecting approximately $50.8 billion more from its customers due to the provisions.

Utility Dive covered Democratic U.S. senators filing amendments to the American Energy Innovation Act that would prevent FERC's (minimum price rule) MOPR, quoting AEE's Jeff Dennis and Dylan Reed. Read excerpts below and the entire UD piece here. 

"Congress is concerned about barriers to the participation of advanced energy technologies in these markets, and also concerned, I think, about the balance of state policies and federal regulation of the wholesale markets," Managing Director and General Counsel at Advanced Energy Economy Jeff Dennis told Utility Dive.

"I think the fact that we saw ... amendments on that introduced was pretty significant." Of the hundreds of amendments introduced by the Senate since the legislative package was first unveiled Feb. 28, only 18 made it into the modified version filed by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Murkowski last week. But the FERC amendments, introduced by four Democratic senators, indicate several growing frustrations around the actions of federal energy regulators, said Dennis...

TALLAHASSEE, March 6, 2020 — Today, national business group Advanced Energy Economy reacted to Florida Senate passage of SB 7018, a bill that directs the Florida Department of Transportation, in consultation with the Florida Public Service Commission, Office of Energy, and relevant stakeholders, to develop a “Master Plan” for electric vehicle infrastructure expansion. The Senate vote was 38-0.