Utility News

AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer:

The government proposed a pollution standard for power plants Wednesday that critics said flouts the spirit of a Supreme Court ruling on clean air enforcement.

The proposal would make it easier for utilities to expand plant operations or make other changes to produce more electricity without installing new pollution controls.

Critics said the Environmental Protection Agency was ignoring the justices’ ruling this month that said a lower court erred when it sided with a coal-burning utility in seeking a similar standard.

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Washington Post:

During an afternoon briefing, U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman announced that the networks of high-voltage power lines in two regions — the Southwest and the mid-Atlantic — are so inadequate that fixing them is a national priority.

As a result, he said, he has named the areas “national interest” corridors. That means that if state officials deny or delay power line projects, companies can appeal to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which can overrule states and force the projects through. The department will finalize the corridors after two months of public hearings and discussions.

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PR Newswire:

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission today unanimously approved a definitive merger agreement between Duquesne Light Holdings and a consortium led by Macquarie Infrastructure Partners and The DUET Group.

In February, various parties involved in the PUC review of the merger filed a settlement agreement with the Commission. Among those joining Duquesne Light Holdings and the Macquarie Consortium in signing the agreement were the state consumer advocate, the state small business advocate, a group of Duquesne Light industrial customers, the PUC office of trial staff, and various energy generation suppliers.

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OpinionJournal.com:

Wind power is global, clean and environmentally safe. Germany has 18,000 wind turbines generating electricity; Denmark has 5,300; and America has more than 20,000 wind turbines, which in 2006 produced less than 1% of our electricity–26 million megawatt-hours.

Unlike Europe, where many turbines are offshore in the ocean, our wind turbines are all on land...

But wind turbine electrical generation faces one serious challenge: inconsistent supply. Wind velocity is highly variable, and so the electricity generated by the turbines is highly variable too.

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Washington Post:

The House on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a massive water projects bill that has languished for years over its price tag and how the Army Corps of Engineers does business.

The overall cost of the bill is at least $15 billion. Supporters of the bipartisan measure, passed by a 394-25 vote, say it’s needed to fund hundreds of projects in nearly every state to improve flood protection, modernize the nation’s waterways and restore the environment.

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Greenwich Time:

Lawyers for two telephone companies urged state utility regulators on Thursday to drop their bid to investigate whether the phone companies have turned over customer records to federal authorities.

The state Department of Public Utility Control issued a draft decision last month claiming authority to investigate the possible release of the records by Verizon and AT&T. A final decision is expected Wednesday.

“This is a judgment not to be made by me, not by you, but by the nation’s senior intelligence officials,” David W. Carpenter, a Chicago-based lawyer representing AT&T, told DPUC commissioners listening to arguments on the matter. “It’s not up to a state commission to second-guess decisions by the nation’s intelligence officials.”

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Wall Street Journal (subscription):

Former Qwest Communications International Inc. Chief Executive Joseph Nacchio was found guilty of 19 counts of insider trading, marking a victory for the government in the last of a string of high-profile prosecutions of corporate brass it began earlier this decade.

The jury, after six days of deliberations, found Mr. Nacchio innocent on 23 out of 42 counts of insider trading. Mr. Nacchio, 57, could face 10 years of prison per guilty count. Mr. Nacchio will remain free until sentencing, which is tentatively scheduled for late July. He is expected to appeal the verdict.

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Water Tech Online:

HARRISBURG, PA — Gov. Edward Rendell announced that $61 million will be spent on 15 clean water projects in 13 counties throughout the state, to target drinking water, sewer and wastewater improvements, an April 17 PRNewswire press release reported.

The investment, by the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST), will be funded through low-interest loans, and $4.9 million will be from grant money, the press release said.

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USAToday:

Utility crews cut their way through downed trees Wednesday to restore service to thousands of customers still without power since the huge weekend storm battered the East Coast.

Communities from New Jersey to Maine were still coping with stream flooding caused by the storm, which dumped more than 8 inches of rain in places, along with coastal flooding brought on by astronomical high tides and heavy surf.

Seventeen deaths were blamed on the storm.

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MyRecordJournal.com:

Connecticut Light & Power customers could see some relief in their electric bills later this year.

In a filing made Tuesday with the state Department of Public Utility Control, CL&P said it wants to lower overall rates for so-called “standard service” customers by approximately 4.5 percent. There are different rate levels within that service.

The typical residential customer using 700 kilowatt hours a month would see a decrease of approximately 5.5 percent, or $7.60 per month.

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