Category — New Legislation

On March 29, 2011, the California Assembly passed Senate Bill X1-2, approving a 33 percent renewable portfolio standard (“RPS”) for the state. [Read more →]

A bill authored by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) to permanently strip the EPA of most authority to regulate greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions passed the House Energy and Power Subcommittee by voice vote on March 10, 2011.  H.R. 910, “The Energy Tax Prevention Act,” (the “Act”) was introduced on March 3, 2011 after February hearings on the draft bill at which Troutman Sander’s D.C. partner Peter Glaser testified.  [Read more →]

On February 17, 2011, a bipartisan group of senators introduced the Electric Transmission Customer Protection Act that seeks to amend the Federal Power Act to ensure rates for power are assessed in proportion to measured reliability or economic benefit.  [Read more →]

On September 21, 2010, a bipartisan group of Senators introduced the Renewable Electricity Promotion Act, a stand alone renewable energy standard (“RES”) bill.  The bill will require utilities to acquire 3 percent of their power from renewable resources beginning in 2012, and the requirement will increase up to 15 percent by 2021.  [Read more →]

On July 22, 2010, Senate Democrats held a caucus meeting  to discuss strategies for passing energy legislation in the Senate, after which they announced that they have temporarily abandoned plans to introduce a comprehensive bill before the August recess including either cap-and-trade of carbon emissions or a renewable electricity standard.  [Read more →]