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In May, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released regulations designed to curb methane (CH4) emissions from new, modified and reconstructed oil and natural gas sources. As part of the Obama administration’s effort to combat climate change, the rule attempts to reduce methane emissions by as much as 45% from 2012 levels by 2025. According to the EPA, methane is the second most prevalent greenhouse gas emitted by humans on a pound for pound basis. Although the atmospheric lifetime of CH4 is much shorter than carbon dioxide (CO2), methane is at least 25 times more potent at trapping heat in the… [more]
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In 2014, the U.S. residential solar industry installed 1,231 MW of capacity and installation costs fell 10 percent. While lower prices made onsite solar energy more affordable and accessible for many Americans, the upfront costs still make solar installation out of reach to low-income communities that could benefit from alternative sources of energy. Over the past few years, governments at every level have been instituting programs that support low-income access to solar energy. In 2013, California extended two provisions of the California Solar Initiative, the Single-Family Affordable Solar Homes (SASH) and Multi-Family Affordable Solar Homes (MASH) programs, by providing an… [more]
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Editor
Bloomberg's First Word Energy
After years of discussion and delay, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is set to finalize ozone standards in the coming weeks. It’s a rule long in the making: EPA’s decision during the Bush administration to set the standard at 75 parts per billion was challenged in court by health and environmental organizations as insufficient. At the beginning of the Obama administration, the EPA said it would reconsider the standard, but that initiative was tossed out by President Obama in the lead up to 2012 election. The move summed up the discord between the president and environmentalists in his first term.… [more]
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While the Clean Power Plan has attracted a great deal of attention in recent weeks, a number of Congressional initiatives may well be the focus of the fall legislative session. With both the House and Senate considering what would be the first comprehensive energy packages since 2007, energy promises to play a prominent role when the congressional session resumes in September. A few potential initiatives include: Senate Energy and Natural Resource (ENR) Committee: ENR passed the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015. The bipartisan bill includes five titles focused on Efficiency, Infrastructure, Supply, Accountability and Conservation. House Energy and Commerce… [more]
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Vice President, Research & Policy Analysis and Chief Economist
America's Natural Gas Alliance
The Obama administration recently announced forthcoming standards for methane emissions from new and modified oil and gas production sources, despite saying “voluntary efforts to reduce emissions in a comprehensive and transparent manner hold the potential to realize significant reductions in a quick, flexible, cost-effective way.” The natural gas industry has already dramatically reduced methane emissions even as production and use have soared. New regulations will take too much time and yield too few benefits, compared with a collaborative approach. Because methane is the product we sell there is great motivation to capture as much as possible. Innovations have led to… [more]
View InsightSteve Jaczko, Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), announced his resignation this week amidst unflattering reports of his leadership and congressional hearings. Jaczko spent three years as Chairman and more than 7 years on the Commission. He will step down after a successor is confirmed, or after June of 2013, when his term would have ended. His tenure was marked by efforts to address longstanding safety concerns at nuclear reactors across the U.S., although these efforts were viewed with skepticism by those in the industry, according to the New York Times. Jaczko was criticized for ending the government’s consideration… [more]
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