News

There is nothing sexy about the electric grid. 

It’s a thing we don’t think about — plug in your phone charger, flip on your lights, move on with your day. 

Maybe you have a vague idea of what’s powering it, some mix of fossil fuels and clean energy. Maybe not. 

But as climate-fueled catastrophes mount and Massachusetts pushes hundreds of thousands of residents toward electric heat and electric cars, what’s powering the grid has become an increasingly urgent question. For nearly three decades, the state has been slowly nudging out coal and oil and cobbling together enough climate-friendly energy to make steady but undramatic gains. But now, with deadlines looming and its larger climate plans at stake, Massachusetts must embark on an unprecedented sprint to build enough clean energy to complete a clean grid. Success is anything but certain. 

Colorado Newsline reports on Colorado Governor Polis' signing of a utility regulation bill, quoting Emilie Olson on how the legislation will benefit ratepayers in the state.

Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday signed into law a bill that commits Colorado for the first time to a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target, along with other measures to address spiking utility rates and the state’s long-term energy future.

Flanked by Democratic lawmakers and state energy officials, Polis signed Senate Bill 23-16 at an event at the Denver Botanic Gardens. The bill, a wide-ranging package of reforms aimed at boosting clean energy efforts in a variety of industries, was approved on party-line votes by Democratic majorities in the General Assembly just before its adjournment on May 8.

Fauquier Times runs an article published by Virginia Mercury, quoting Kim Jemaine's perspective on Dominion Energy's decision to continue building power plants to meet the utility's energy needs in that area.

E&E News wrote about the POWER Act, quoting Nick Bibby on the legislation's crucial changes that will help push increase electric transmission and wind development in Maryland.

Maryland is poised to more than quadruple its offshore wind target after a key energy measure cleared the General Assembly on Monday and headed for the governor’s desk.

The bill would codify a goal of 8.5 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2031, up from the roughly 2 GW already approved by the state. Gov. Wes Moore (D) endorsed the centerpiece of the legislation in March and has said he wants the state to lead the nation in offshore wind. Clean energy groups expect that he'll sign the measure into law.

In an op-ed in Energy News Network, Samarth Medakkar joins Michigan EIBC President Laura Sherman in writing about the ways Michigan's 2024 budget is set to expand the state's EV infrastructure and how the Gov. Whitmer administration can fully realize its EV goals with that funding.

The shift to electric vehicles is firmly under way in Michigan. Across the Whitmer administration,  the legislature, local and municipal governments and the private sector, a number of initiatives have been launched to make that transition happen. But the next year or so might be the most crucial time to determine the success of those efforts.

Through fiscal year 2026, the state of Michigan is receiving about $110 million in federal funding to realize the state’s plan to build an electric vehicle (EV) charger at least every 50 miles along several highway routes that the state has nominated for the federal government to designate as Alternative Fuel Corridors. These include some of the most well-known and well-traveled routes in the state, like Petoskey to the Mackinac Bridge and Detroit to the Blue Water Bridge. This $110 million comes from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, a U.S. Department of Transportation program created by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

E&E News details new legislation in Texas that threatens to slow wind and solar development in Texas, quoting Micalah Spenrath on the the regulatory environment signaling industry investors in the state.

Texas is a sweet spot for renewable energy deployment, leading the nation in wind energy and second only to California in solar power.

But two years after the electric grid nearly collapsed during a severe winter storm, conservative lawmakers in Texas have proposed a slew of policies that could upend the Lone Star State’s status as a clean energy powerhouse and push renewable energy projects elsewhere.

PoliticoPro highlights the path forward for California to meet its transmissions needs, quoting Brian Turner on tightening coordination amongst agencies to address electrification and demand growth.

California will need to add more than $9 billion worth of new transmission infrastructure to avoid blackouts while also meeting clean energy goals, according to a new report from the state’s main grid operator. The draft report released last week by the California Independent System Operator identifies 46 new transmission lines needed to connect renewable energy projects to areas where people live.

In an op-ed to the RealClear Energy, Harrison Godfrey outlines a proposal to Congress to reform the permitting process and pair it with support for reuse and recycling of advanced energy tech.

Solar and wind are now the most affordable sources of electricity in the U.S., overtaking fossil fuels. Advances in battery storage are bringing electric vehicles (EVs) – already more cost-effective to charge and maintain – into price parity with their petroleum-fueled counterparts.

In a letter to the editor of the Chicago Sun-Times, Samarth Medakkar writes about equitable consumer protection enforcement for all utilities.

Recently, Gov. J.B. Pritzker wrote an opinion piece on the need for legislation that would make natural gas utilities more accountable to Illinoisans by increasing oversight of their spending on financially risky infrastructure projects. He’s right.

The Sacramento Bee explores the importance of expanding California's grid, quoting Amisha Rai on how California lawmakers should act quickly to work with neighboring states.

Expanding California’s electricity grid to cooperate with neighboring states would bolster reliability and affordability while reducing carbon emissions, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy concluded in a new report. The report released Monday said California would both maintain jurisdiction over energy rates and stay on track to meet its clean energy goals as nearby states such as Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington strive to meet theirs.