Midwest Energy News recently published an interesting article discussing how different states treat hydroelectric power when it comes to renewable electricity standards. As the article explains, although hydropower is a renewable energy, it does not always count toward a state’s renewable electricity standard.

North Dakota has filed suit against Minnesota in the US District Court for the District of Minnesota, claiming Minnesota's Next Generation Energy Act of 2007, which bars utilities from buying power from new plants that would raise carbon dioxide emissions, violates the U.S. Constitution by restricting trade between states and encroaching on Congress' power to regulate interstate power sales and carbon dioxide emissions.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) on December 29, 2011, taking the first step toward establishing a competitive process for leasing public lands for solar and wind energy development. The ANPR asks for public comments to assist the BLM as it drafts a proposed rule that is meant to foster the growth of renewable energy by establishing an efficient competitive process for issuing right-of-way (ROW) leases for solar and wind energy development.

President Obama announced Wednesday that he was rejecting TransCanada Corp.’s application for a permit to build and operate the Keystone XL pipeline.

Mandated by the FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act, the EPA launched the GHG Reporting Program in October 2009, requiring the reporting of GHG data from large emission sources across a range of industry sectors, as well as suppliers of products that would emit GHGs if released or combusted. The first data reported under that rule has now been released to the public in an easy to use database.

The EPA’s online data publication tool allows users to view and sort GHG data for calendar year 2010, the first year data was collected under the mandatory rule, from over 6,700 facilities in a variety of ways—including by facility, location, industrial sector, and the type of GHG emitted. For example, the data set includes information on 136 GHG emitters in the state of Wisconsin.

You know that Nissan Leaf commercial where everything runs on gas? Every time I see it I wonder how much gas it would take to do certain things. Apparently Nissan and I are not the only people thinking about these things, as Exxon Mobile recently did the math, and figured out how many gallons of gas would it take to charge an iPhone.

The public hearings and comment deadlines for the 2017 and Later Model Year Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards issued jointly by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are approaching. Public hearings will be held on January 17, 19, and 24, 2012, and public comments are due by February 13, 2012.

The EPA finalized the 2012 percentage standards for four fuel categories that are part of the agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard program (RFS2) just in time for the new year.

The final 2012 overall volumes and standards are:

Biomass-based diesel: 1.0 billion gallons; 0.91 percent
Advanced biofuels: 2.0 billion gallons; 1.21 percent
Cellulosic biofuels: 8.65 million gallons; 0.006 percent
Total renewable fuels: 15.2 billion gallons; 9.23 percent

On December 30th, a federal appeals court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency must delay implementation of the Cross State Air Pollution Rule pending the outcome of legal challenges to the case.

Though still in flux, the Cross State Air Pollution Rule is going into effect on January 1, 2012. This post provides a brief discussion of the rule’s history, its expansion, the status of proposed modifications to state emission budgets, and an update on the main legal challenge to the rule.

Industry representatives and lawmakers say the EPA's Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS)/Utility MACT rule will force power plant shutdowns and raise electric rates, while health and environmental advocates hail the regulation as a long-overdue victory. GLLF provides a summary of the biggest stories from the Wisconsin and national media.

The EPA has finalized the court-ordered Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for power plants. Commonly called the Utility MACT (maximum achievable control technology) rules, they are the first ever standards limiting mercury, acid gases, and other toxic pollution from power plants. The standards were originally ordered to be completed by November 16, 2011, but the court-ordered deadline was extended by a month to accommodate the extended comment period and the volume of comments the EPA received on the proposed rule.

The EPA-projected total national annual cost of this rule is $9.6 billion. The EPA estimates that for every dollar spent to reduce pollution from power plants, the American public will see up to $9 in health benefits. The total health and economic benefits of this standard are estimated to be as much as $90 billion annually.

December 16th was the court-ordered deadline for EPA to issue the first ever standards limiting mercury, acid gases, and other toxic pollution from power plants, known as the Utility MACT (MACT stands for maximum achievable control technology) rules. The rules are not yet available, however, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said during an address at Duke University on December 6 that the rules would be issued within days.

Additional information about the proposed rules is available on the Great Lakes Legal Foundation Utility MACT webpage, which will be updated with the final rules as soon as they are released.

The long anticipated mining bill was released by Assembly Republicans on Thursday, Dec. 8. The 183-page bill would create new statutes to govern ferrous (iron) mining, which is currently regulated in the same manner as non-ferrous (non-iron minerals like gold or copper) mining.

This bill comes in response to Gogebic Taconite's proposal to build Wisconsin’s largest ever iron mine. Proponents of the bill point to the job creation potential of the mine, while opponents worry environmental standards will be sacrificed to gain those jobs. Proponents counter that the text of the bill is the best indication so far that it is possible to retain Wisconsin’s strong environmental standards while still taking advantage of the state’s rich natural resources.

Recent reports from various public and private sources offer conflicting views of what impacts new EPA regulations will have.

The slew of new EPA regulations coming in the next few years is causing at least one Wisconsin utility to consider laying off workers. The lay-offs would come as some generators are shut down so that the utility can comply with EPA standards.

After facing criticism from industry and lawmakers, the Obama administration on Friday, December 02, 2011, proposed easing rules aimed at reducing toxic air pollution from industrial boilers and incinerators.

The Environmental Protection Agency will develop and finalize multiple rules over the next several years that will dramatically impact the air, water, and energy regulatory climate. This unprecedented level of activity will be mirrored at the state level since each federal regulation will trigger the promulgation of state rules to implement the standards. Studies have shown these rules will have an impact on the overall economy, jobs, competitiveness, and energy costs.

Below is a brief summary of of the most recent action on the multitude of rules under promulgation as well as information on expected future actions.

The Environmental Protection Agency will partially grant the Aug. 4, 2011 petition of Earthjustice and 120 other groups, requesting that EPA issue Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) section 4 and 8 rules requiring toxicity testing and reporting of health and safety studies on oil and gas exploration and production chemicals. On Nov. 23rd the EPA announced it will partially grant the reporting portion of the petition, and will solicit public input on the design and scope of possible reporting requirements for chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing.

Wisconsin Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner is leading a two front attack on the EPA’s registration of E15 fuel. Sensenbrenner has introduced legislation requiring more studies and higher standards and has also asked the EPA to delay any action on E15.