Posts from — September 2009

In a joint press conference on September 15, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and U.S. Department of Transportation (“DOT”) released details of a new national suite of automobile standards that would mandate increased corporate average fuel economy (“CAFE”) standards and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions limits. [Read more →]

On Thursday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (the “Commission”) Chairman, Jon Wellinghoff, named Thomas R. Sheets the new General Counsel. [Read more →]

On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (“ENR Committee”) was never able to reach its 12-member quorum to begin a vote on the nomination of John R. Norris as commissioner of FERC. [Read more →]

On August 31, 2009, the Climate Change Policy Partnership based at Duke University released a report, Electrical Transmission-Barriers and Policy Solutions, suggesting that real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) could provide the vehicle for creating the capital necessary to expand the national transmission grid in order to meet future electricity demands.  [Read more →]

On June 9, 2009, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a decision that upheld orders from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or the “Commission”) granting PPL Montana, LLC, PPL Colstrip LLC, and PPL Colstrip II LLC (collectively, “PPL”) market-based rate authority despite challenges by petitioners Montana Consumer Council and REC Silicon (collectively, “Montana Consumer Council” or “Petitioners”).  [Read more →]