INSIDER
Conflicting federal policies may cost residents more on flood insurance, and leave them at risk
Read full article: Conflicting federal policies may cost residents more on flood insurance, and leave them at riskAn Associated Press review has found that thousands of people may be paying more for flood insurance or remain unaware of the dangers of dam failures because of conflicting federal policies.
Panel's approval of liquefied natural gas export terminal puts more pressure on Biden to block it
Read full article: Panel's approval of liquefied natural gas export terminal puts more pressure on Biden to block itWhat would be the nation’s largest export terminal for liquefied natural gas has won approval from a federal commission.
Senate confirms new energy regulators, extending Biden's grip on panel that backs renewable energy
Read full article: Senate confirms new energy regulators, extending Biden's grip on panel that backs renewable energyPresident Joe Biden’s grip on a key federal energy commission will last beyond his first term, giving a boost to the Democrat’s push for renewable energy regardless of the election results in November.
US energy panel approves rule to expand transmission of renewable power
Read full article: US energy panel approves rule to expand transmission of renewable powerFederal energy regulators have approved a rule to expand the amount of renewable energy such as wind and solar power that is transmitted to the electric grid.
Native American tribes gain new authority to stop unwanted hydropower projects
Read full article: Native American tribes gain new authority to stop unwanted hydropower projectsThe U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has rejected several proposed hydropower projects on the largest Native American reservation in the U.S. The commission has also created a policy that essentially gives tribes early veto power over such projects.
Clock ticking for plan to keep West Virginia coal plant open
Read full article: Clock ticking for plan to keep West Virginia coal plant openMore than 500,000 homes and businesses in West Virginia would see their electricity bills increase for a year to extend the life of a coal-fired power plant on the brink of closure.
US pipeline agency pulls back plan to assess climate impacts
Read full article: US pipeline agency pulls back plan to assess climate impactsAmid pushback from industry and lawmakers in both parties, federal energy regulators are scaling back plans to consider how natural gas projects affect climate change and environmental justice.
High court rejects natural gas company's pipeline appeal
Read full article: High court rejects natural gas company's pipeline appealChief Justice John Roberts has rejected a Supreme Court appeal by the St. Louis-based natural gas company Spire Inc. to allow it to keep operating a pipeline through Illinois and Missouri.
Granholm: Normal service at gas pump likely by late Sunday
Read full article: Granholm: Normal service at gas pump likely by late SundayEnergy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says the nation is “over the hump” on gas shortages following a ransomware cyberattack that forced a shutdown of the nation’s largest gasoline pipeline.
Feds fine dam owners $15M for safety violations after 2020 mid-Michigan flooding
Read full article: Feds fine dam owners $15M for safety violations after 2020 mid-Michigan floodingHydroelectric dam owner Boyce Hydro Power, LLC has been fined millions for safety violations after dam failures caused catastrophic floods near Midland.
Crews to lower spillway connected to failed Michigan dam
Read full article: Crews to lower spillway connected to failed Michigan damIn this Wednesday, May 20, 2020, photo, people survey the flood damage to the Curtis Road Bridge in Edenville, Mich., over the Tittabawassee River. (Neil Blake/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)EDENVILLE, Mich. – Crews will begin lowering a spillway connected to a dam that failed last year and contributed to massive flooding in parts of mid-Michigan. The Edenville Dam Tobacco River spillway will be lowered by more than 20 feet (6 meters) starting Feb. 24 to help prevent future flooding, according to Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. More than 11,000 people in the Midland area had to be evacuated last May after heavy rains stressed the Edenville Dam, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) north of Detroit, and the Sanford Dam, about 7 miles (11 kilometers) downriver. The nearly century-old Edenville Dam had been the target of lengthy investigations by federal regulators.
Biden names Democrats to lead nuclear, pipeline agencies
Read full article: Biden names Democrats to lead nuclear, pipeline agencies(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON – Moving quickly to assert influence over energy issues, President Joe Biden has named two Democrats to lead regulatory agencies that oversee nuclear power, natural gas and other energy infrastructure. Christopher Hanson, the new chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and Rich Glick, leader of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, replace Republicans who led the panels under President Donald Trump. The NRC regulates commercial nuclear power plants and other uses of nuclear materials, including in medicine, while FERC regulates interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas and oil. It also reviews proposals to build liquefied natural gas terminals, interstate natural gas pipelines and hydropower projects. He also has served as a senior adviser in the Energy Department’s Office of Nuclear Energy and other department roles in the Obama administration.
Michigan dam had repeated safety violations before flooding
Read full article: Michigan dam had repeated safety violations before floodingThis photo shows a view of a dam on Wixom Lake in Edenville, Mich., Tuesday, May 19, 2020. The Edenville dam, in Michigans Gladwin and Midland counties, includes a series of earthen embankments totaling about 6,600 feet (2,012 meters) long, with a maximum height of nearly 55 feet (16.8 meters). The Edenville dam's spillway capacity was only about 50 percent of the probable maximum flood, the commission said. Among its other violations: performing unauthorized dam repairs and earth-moving and failing to file an adequate public safety plan, maintain recreation facilities or monitor water quality. The record demonstrates that there is no reason to believe that Boyce Hydro will come into compliance," the commission added.
Energy regulator warns of blackouts if gas pipeline were attacked
Read full article: Energy regulator warns of blackouts if gas pipeline were attackedNeil Chatterjee, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, warned that an attack on even a single US natural gas pipeline could cause mass blackouts. "Today, we have eight or nine generators depending on a single gas pipeline." TSA's pipeline security branch has just six full-time employeesThe Government Accountability Office has recently identified "weaknesses" in TSA's pipeline security program, including severe staffing limitations that prevented the agency from conducting security reviews. The GAO found that the pipeline security branch employed just six full-time employees last year. The GAO also found that the pipeline security branch has not updated its risk assessment on the top 100 critical pipeline systems since 2014.