Around this time of year, back in 1859, the first oil well was drilled by Edwin Drake in north-west Pennsylvania. After a slow start – drilling initially progressed at a rate of just three feet per day – Drake struck it lucky and hit oil at a depth of 69.5 […]
Energy
By Michael Babakitis, Legal Intern Governor Chris Christie signed a bill on Monday, July 23rd, that will require New Jersey’s utilities to procure 2.05% of their electricity from solar projects in 2014 (.5% more than would have otherwise been required) and to procure 4.1% of their electricity from solar projects […]
By Sarah Goldmuntz, Intern New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced on June 13, that building owners will receive over $100 million in loans to switch to less polluting heat oil. The new funding, provided by various banks including Chase, Citi, Deutsche Bank, Hudson Valley Bank and the Community […]
By Julia Ciardullo Fellow On April 27, 2012, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) published a proposed final regulation regarding the use of forest biomass for generating energy in Massachusetts. If adopted, the regulation would be the first to set greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for determining the eligibility […]
By Adam Riedel, CCCL Associate Director With much fanfare and angst, on January 18 the Obama administration denied a permit for the hotly contested Keystone pipeline which would carry oil from the tar sands of Alberta to refineries in the Gulf Coast of the U.S. The decision over the pipeline […]
by Shelley Welton, Deputy Director & Fellow MIT released an interdisciplinary study on December 5, 2011, that examines “The Future of the Electric Grid.” Among many interesting findings, it nicely details the challenges we will face in adapting the electric grid to accommodate all the anticipated renewable resources coming on-line […]
by Shelley Welton, Deputy Director In October, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released an interesting though little-noted report on the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) energy efficiency and capital expenditures planning. The report does an excellent job of illustrating how even commendable efforts at energy efficiency can fall short if a […]
By Shelley Welton, Deputy Director An ongoing battle over the potential tensions between air quality regulations and electric grid reliability has picked up steam recently, as two EPA air pollution regulations near the implementation phase: the cross-state air-pollution rule and the mercury and air toxics standard. Congressional Republicans and many […]