Posts from — July 2011

On July 6, 2011, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or the “Commission”) approved the proposed merger of NSTAR and Northeast Utilities (the “Merger”).  The newly formed utility will operate under the name Northeast Utilities. [Read more →]

On July 11, 2011, FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff announced that the Commission will engage in a public effort to “reassess and streamline” their federal regulations. [Read more →]

On Friday, July 1, 2011, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (“DEC”) released its draft supplemental generic environmental impact statement (“SGEIS”), a proposal that would grant access to more than 80% of the shale formations within the state of New York.  Notably, the SGEIS would still prohibit drilling in the watersheds that serve New York City and Syracuse, any state owned lands, and all primary and principal aquifers. [Read more →]

On July 7, 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued new rules requiring power plants in 27 eastern, mid-western, and southern states to cut emissions of nitrogen oxide by 54% and sulfur dioxide by 73% from 2005 levels by the time the rules take full effect in 2014.  The “Cross-State Air Pollution Rule,” which was proposed a year ago as the Clean Air Transport Rule, sets state-specific emissions limits aimed at reducing wind-borne transport of ozone and fine particulate matter across state lines in the East and some state west of the Mississippi. [Read more →]

The EPA on July 1, 2011 issued a final rule deferring for three years application of the Clean Air Act’s Prevention of Significant Deterioration (“PSD”) and Title V permitting requirements to carbon dioxide (“CO2”) emissions from biogenic stationary sources.  EPA and the Science Advisory Board will use the three-year deferral period to conduct an analysis of the impacts of emissions from bioenergy and other biogenic stationary sources prior to a final determination of how such emissions should be regulated. [Read more →]