Tag Archives: ERCOT

Full DC Circuit Court to review Clean Power Plan

Posted on May 22, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From ThinkProgress, an update on yet another federal lawsuit involving Texas. The Clean Power Plan will get its day in court, but in September, not June — and by the full en banc D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, not the … Continue reading →

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Pity the poor utilities

Posted on April 23, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry, but low electricity prices, especially when they are aided by record amounts of wind power generation, are good news. Texas’ national lead in cheap wind power, combined with near historically low natural gas prices, mild weather, an abundant power … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS allows mercury regulations to remain in effect

Posted on March 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The U.S. Supreme Court has denied a request from Texas and 19 other states to block a landmark federal rule requiring power plants to slash emissions of mercury, acid gases and other toxic metals — a setback for Texas Attorney … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS puts Clean Power Plan on hold

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

And in doubt. In a major setback for President Obama’s climate change agenda, the Supreme Court on Tuesday temporarily blocked the administration’s effort to combat global warming by regulating emissions from coal-fired power plants. The brief order was not the … Continue reading →

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Clean Power Plan can proceed for now

Posted on January 23, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A federal appeals court has denied a request from Texas and other states to block President Obama’s Clean Power Plan, leaving the controversial climate change rules in place as a legal challenge winds through the courts. The U.S. Court … Continue reading →

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Some power companies like the Clean Power Plan

Posted on November 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not that you’d ever know it. Thad Hill, in a split with many fellow power company executives, flatly opposes the lawsuits that Texas and 25 others states have filed to block the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan. The plan, which … Continue reading →

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The inevitable latest lawsuit against the EPA

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As night follows the day. As promised, Texas is suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over President Obama’s plan to combat climate change, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Friday, just after the new regulation had been finalized. The state is … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS gives polluters a win

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Alas. t emissions of mercury and other hazardous air pollutants, but it may only be a temporary setback for regulators. The justices split 5-4 along ideological lines to rule that the Environmental Protection Agency failed to take cost into account … Continue reading →

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Georgetown goes all in on renewable energy

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From ThinkProgress. Located about 30 miles north of the Texas capital in a deeply conservative county, the city of Georgetown will be powered 100 percent by renewable energy within the next couple years. Georgetown’s residents and elected officials made the … Continue reading →

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Texas plans to sue over EPA’s latest clean air plan

Posted on May 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

So what else is new? Attorney General Ken Paxton said Tuesday that he plans to sue the Obama administration over the proposed “Clean Power Plan,” its plan to combat climate change by slashing carbon emissions from power plants. “Texas has … Continue reading →

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ERCOT acknowledges that meeting EPA clean air requirements won’t be that big a deal

Posted on December 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From Texas Clean Air Matters: Well, it didn’t take long before the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) released, at the request of Texas’ very political Public Utilities Commission, another report about the impacts of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) … Continue reading →

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EPA climate change plan would save water

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Well, what do you know? As state regulators fret about how President Obama’s effort to combat climate change would affect the Texas power grid, a new study says the rules would be simpler to adopt than those regulators suggest – … Continue reading →

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It’s OK if energy costs go up for now

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

That’s my reaction to this. As Texas regulators weigh a response to President Obama’s proposal to combat climate change, the operator of the state’s main electric grid says the plan would raise energy costs and threaten reliability – particularly in the … Continue reading →

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Would you let Reliant turn off your air conditioning?

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

In the name of conservation, of course. “Our objective is to have more and more customers participate so we can make a material difference in an event when the state needs us to make a difference,” said Elizabeth Killinger, senior … Continue reading →

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Don’t be surprised if we have brownouts

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the message I take from this. Temperatures in parts of Texas have started hitting the upper 90s, and they’re likely to stay above normal this summer, according to a forecast by federal climatologists. That means another difficult summer for the … Continue reading →

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Will we have enough power?

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe not. From the EDF. It’s understandable that no one seems to have noticed a strongly worded letter to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) last Monday demanding more action to … Continue reading →

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ERCOT hopes this summer is better than the last

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

That would be nice. Managers of the state’s primary electricity grid expect to avoid rolling blackouts this summer but not without calling on Texans to turn up their thermostats and conserve power during peak usage on the season’s hottest afternoons. … Continue reading →

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West Texas wind

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The wind energy business in Texas is going strong. BP and other energy companies are funneling millions of dollars into building and operating wind farms in West Texas, helping to transform the oil country into one of the nation’s leading … Continue reading →

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Rolling blackouts may be on the summer horizon

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Better hope the mild weather we’re getting in winter translates to mild weather for the summer, because the alternative isn’t pretty. Inadequate electric power reserves likely will force Texans to cut back this summer to avoid rolling outages if the … Continue reading →

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Wouldn’t it be nice to have solar panels on your roof right now?

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Some people do. More people should. Despite Houston’s sweltering heat, Grady Hill hasn’t paid an electric bill since 2009. He keeps his thermostat set at a comfortable 78 degrees when he’s home, but a combination of solar panels and an … Continue reading →

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Illegal electrons

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Hilarious. As Texas struggles to keep the lights on, who should come to the rescue? Mexico. That’s right, Mexico’s state electricity company on Wednesday started supplying electricity to Texas, where cold weather and power shortages forced rolling blackouts across the … Continue reading →

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