Public Utility Commissions Archives

Public Utility Commissions

Carrots and Sticks for Utilities

Utilities control a lot of the power system. How can we get their support for the energy transition?

Investor-owned utilities supply almost three-quarters of U.S. electricity. With some notable exceptions, they’ve tended to drag their feet on the energy transition. In order to push the transition forward, we need to get them on board. This post will try to diagnose the problem and sketch some possible remedies. The proposed Clean Energy Standard is …

Continue reading “Carrots and Sticks for Utilities”

Institutional Capacity Building for the Energy Transition

State agencies will need help to deal with a fast-changing energy system.

The COVID pandemic has provided a vivid picture of what happens when ill-prepared governments are suddenly hit with huge responsibilities. Underfunded state and local public health agencies were overwhelmed, while governors and local officials found themselves struggling to obtain and distribute vital supplies, from respirators to vaccines. Efforts to accelerate the transition away from carbon, …

Continue reading “Institutional Capacity Building for the Energy Transition”

Funny, It Doesn’t Look Bluish

Strong Push for Renewables in the Land of Enchantment – But Is It a Bailout?

Although it reliably votes for Democratic Presidential candidates, has two Democratic United States Senators, and a trifecta of Democratic control in the state house, blue-state New Mexico is not usually thought of as a progressive environmental leader. The State Public Regulation Commission — one of only 13 directly elected by voters — has been plagued …

Continue reading “Funny, It Doesn’t Look Bluish”

The Politics of State Energy Deregulation: A Hypothesis

If you are interested in environmental policy, state public utility commissions might be the important agencies you’ve never heard of. PUCs determine how much power capacity there will be and even more importantly, what the mix of energy sources will generate it. Sometimes pundits will speak of “national energy policy”, but that is essentially a null set: …

Continue reading “The Politics of State Energy Deregulation: A Hypothesis”

How Can We Build Transmission Infrastructure Responsibly?

The IIJA and IRA offer a chance to speed up electricity-transmission development, but can it be done fairly?

Infill Housing & Conservationists Finally Team Up

AB 68 represents long overdue legislation on where California should and shouldn’t grow

When Is It Legal to Consider Race in Regulating?

Two upcoming Supreme Court decisions will tell us a lot about the answer.

Proposed Legislation Would Make Groundwater Adjudications More Fair

Guest Contributors Adrianne Davies, Owen McAleer, and Gabi Rosenfeld explain AB 779, a bill they worked on with State Assemblymember Lori Wilson.

Not Quite a “Windfall Tax”

SBX1-2 passes out of the California Senate… but won’t get Californians their money back.

A New Battleground in Big Oil’s War on Drilling Setbacks

Big Oil’s referendum on setbacks is the latest in a line of questionable signature-gathering campaigns. Would a new bill reform California’s referendum process?

Do Climate Change Cases Belong in Federal Court? The Biden Administration Weighs In.

In a very narrowly argued brief, the Administration calls for returning the cases to state court.

The IPCC Should Just Say 1.5 C is Dead

The big takeaway from the IPCC’s latest report is that we’re still falling behind and must do hard things to catch up. It’s time to communicate that differently.

Cleanup On Aisle NIMBY!!

The California Legislature’s new duplex bill shows that lawmakers have had it with resistance to housing.

How Should We Implement the New Federal Climate Laws?

An upcoming symposium by the Emmett Institute will explore the key climate impacts of IIJA and the IRA and unpack some of the obstacles and controversies around their implementation.

CEQA, California’s Housing Crisis & the Little Hoover Commission

State Watchdog Agency’s Scheduled CEQA Hearings Could Prompt Major Changes to California’s Most Important Environmental Law

Unraveling LA’s Hydrogen Combustion Experiment

Combusting hydrogen could keep natural gas plants online, but they won’t be “green” for years––if ever.

Stakeholder Engagement in California Offshore Wind Development

State leaders have an opportunity to forge a national example on stakeholder engagement and energy justice.

Why Can’t We All Get Along On The Colorado River?

Maybe It Is Time For the Interior Secretary To Settle The Issue — And For Newspapers To Get Rid Of Op-Eds

Critical Native American Water Rights Cases Come Before the Supreme Court: Arizona v. Navajo Nation

The Navajo Nation Has the Equities on Its Side, But the U.S. Department of the Interior May Well Have the Law in Its Favor

Climate Policy’s “Plan B”

As the initial top-down approach failed, a new approach to climate policy crystalized.

How Should We Implement the New Federal Climate Laws?

An upcoming symposium by the Emmett Institute will explore the key climate impacts of IIJA and the IRA and unpack some of the obstacles and controversies around their implementation.

Connecting New Housing to Needed Energy Service

Why is PG&E taking so long to provide energy to new homes?

Cleanup On Aisle NIMBY!!

The California Legislature’s new duplex bill shows that lawmakers have had it with resistance to housing.

Cutting 290,000 Tons of Water Pollution a Year, One Coal Plant at a Time

Coal is a dirty fuel. It’s not just air pollution or climate change.

Public Utility Commissions

Utilities control a lot of the power system. How can we get their support for the energy transition?

State agencies will need help to deal with a fast-changing energy system.

Strong Push for Renewables in the Land of Enchantment – But Is It a Bailout?

TRENDING

The IIJA and IRA offer a chance to speed up electricity-transmission development, but can it be done fairly?

AB 68 represents long overdue legislation on where California should and shouldn’t grow

Two upcoming Supreme Court decisions will tell us a lot about the answer.

Guest Contributors Adrianne Davies, Owen McAleer, and Gabi Rosenfeld explain AB 779, a bill they worked on with State Assemblymember Lori Wilson.

SBX1-2 passes out of the California Senate… but won’t get Californians their money back.

Big Oil’s referendum on setbacks is the latest in a line of questionable signature-gathering campaigns. Would a new bill reform California’s referendum process?

In a very narrowly argued brief, the Administration calls for returning the cases to state court.

The big takeaway from the IPCC’s latest report is that we’re still falling behind and must do hard things to catch up. It’s time to communicate that differently.

The California Legislature’s new duplex bill shows that lawmakers have had it with resistance to housing.

An upcoming symposium by the Emmett Institute will explore the key climate impacts of IIJA and the IRA and unpack some of the obstacles and controversies around their implementation.

State Watchdog Agency’s Scheduled CEQA Hearings Could Prompt Major Changes to California’s Most Important Environmental Law

Combusting hydrogen could keep natural gas plants online, but they won’t be “green” for years––if ever.

State leaders have an opportunity to forge a national example on stakeholder engagement and energy justice.

Maybe It Is Time For the Interior Secretary To Settle The Issue — And For Newspapers To Get Rid Of Op-Eds

The Navajo Nation Has the Equities on Its Side, But the U.S. Department of the Interior May Well Have the Law in Its Favor

As the initial top-down approach failed, a new approach to climate policy crystalized.

An upcoming symposium by the Emmett Institute will explore the key climate impacts of IIJA and the IRA and unpack some of the obstacles and controversies around their implementation.

Why is PG&E taking so long to provide energy to new homes?

The California Legislature’s new duplex bill shows that lawmakers have had it with resistance to housing.

Coal is a dirty fuel. It’s not just air pollution or climate change.