Public Utility Commissions Archives

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”

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

Just click for a short video about decision.

Extended producer responsibility law will reduce single-use waste and shift responsibility to industry

Yesterday’s decision leaves open a powerful regulatory tool.

When “All-encompassing” Isn’t

The bad and the good

The ruling in West Virginia v. EPA was about as good as we could expect given the makeup of the Court.

How can the government account for benefits that it can’t measure?

It’s complicated. But probably not.

Examining whether granting legal rights to nature could make a difference in how courts understand environmental law

Last week’s D.C. Circuit cases illustrate why environmental lawyers need to understand FERC.

The ruling in West Virginia v. EPA was about as good as we could expect given the makeup of the Court.

How “horizontal federalism” can help us understand federal power over the public lands

The bad and the good

A California court just ruled that bumblebees are fish. It’s not as crazy as it sounds.

When “All-encompassing” Isn’t

Whether to consider harms to foreign countries and future generations is controversial. So is how much weight to give harm to the poor.

Yesterday’s decision leaves open a powerful regulatory tool.

What’s Happening in the World’s Second Largest Country?

Extended producer responsibility law will reduce single-use waste and shift responsibility to industry

A New UCLA Report for Chinese Regulators and Researchers