The Oregon Supreme court ordered that procedures adopted by the state's energy siting council for handing amendments to already approved permits (site certificates) do not properly consider public comments. The new rules which apply to thermal power plants, wind energy projects, and other large energy facilities "hid agency decisions to expand power plants from the public, unlawfully delegated important decisions to Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) staff, and illegally modified judicial review procedures for challenging council decisions," according to Friends of the Columbia Gorge and eight other conservation organizations who filed the appeal challenging the new rules. A portion of the court order is provided below. The full order can be accessed by clicking the document link(s) on this page.
Energy Policy
Oregon
The WindAction Group (www.windAction.org)
Facts, analysis, exposure to industrial wind energy's real impacts
Following severe energy shortages in Texas this winter, Texas Governor Abbott drafted this July 6th letter to the PUCT (Public Commission of Texas) calling for immediate action to improve the reliability of the state's electric system. Emphasis in Abbott's letter was on incentivizing new and existing generation for reliability purposes (natural gas, coal, and nuclear) and requiring intermittent resources including wind and solar to pay the price when they fail to deliver. The full three-member PUCT was recently appointed by the Governor. Details about the letter and the actual content of the letter can be accessed from this page.
ArcVera Renewables evaluated the financial losses associated with rolloing blackouts in Texas during the cold spell in mid-February 2021. The summary report and full report prepared by ArcVera Renewables can be downloaded from the document links on this page.
This useful paper examines a scenario where clean energy coupled with reliable generation can meet California's aggressive carbon reductions while requiring less space and thereby reducing the harmful impacts of large-scale renewables. A portion of the introduction is provided below. The full report can be accessed from the document links on this page.
This study examines the impact of operating wind turbines on climate. The authors summarize the highlights of the study as a) Wind power reduces emissions while causing climatic impacts such as warmer temperatures; b) the warming effect of operating turbines is strongest at night when temperatures increase with height; c) the nighttime warming effect was observed at 28 operational US wind farms; and d) wind’s warming can exceed avoided warming from reduced emissions for a century. The summary of the study is provided below. The full report can be accessed by clicking the links on this page.
Texas Public Policy Foundation released the paper “Texas Wind Power Story: Part 1 – How Subsidies Drive Texas Wind Power Development,” which shows that the growth of the wind industry in Texas is spurred by, and only viable because of subsidies such as the production tax credit, along with tax breaks at the state and local level. A summary of the paper is provided below. The full paper can be downloaded from the links on this page.
The United Kingdom has has taken steps to reduce the financial burden of supporting renewable energy in the country. The Government introduced its new Low Carbon Levies (LCL) framework which was designed to control the cost of supporting low carbon electricity paid by consumers on their electric bills. The plan addresses the costs of the 'Contracts for Difference' (CFD), the 'Renewable Obligation' (RO) and the 'Feed in Tariff Scheme' (FiTs). The government asserted that it will monitor the total cost of these programs and, "Until the total burden of these costs is forecast to fall in real terms over a sustained period, the Control will not allow for new low carbon electricity levies to be introduced. Based on the current forecast, ...this will rule out new levy spend until 2025." The portion of the Government document is provided below. The full report can be accessed by clicking the links on this page.
This report evaluates Minnesota’s energy policy and reaches five main findings that buttress one conclusion: Minnesota’s aspirational energy policy is a grand exercise in virtue signaling that does little to reduce either conventional pollution or greenhouse gas emissions.
The New Castle-Henry County Economic Development Corporation issued an open letter to Henry County officials Tuesday stating that the EDC will no longer pursue future wind development within the county. The letter was signed by New Castle-Henry County EDC President and Chief Executive Officer Corey Murphy and approved by the EDC’s executive board. The letter can be downloaded by clicking the document icon on this page. The full text of the letter is provided below.
This useful paper examines China's efforts to mitigate carbon emissions using wind power. The abstract of the paper along with conclusions is provided below. The full paper can be accessed by clicking the document icon on this page.
Introduction: Thirty states including the District of Columbia have adopted Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) specifying shares of electricity consumption provided by renewable energy. RPS proponents argue that these policies are needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They also argue that the construction of renewable energy facilities increase employment opportunities. Opponents assert that Renewable Portfolio Standards increase electricity generation costs and rates paid by customers, which reduces regional economic activity. The objective of this study is to provide a balanced look at the issue, weighing the costs and benefits of Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards. A portion of the study's executive summary is provided below. The full report can be accessed by clicking the link(s) on this page.
The 1889 Institute, an Oklahoma state policy think tank, published this two-page fact sheet discussing how wind energy tax incentives offered by Oklahoma are detrimental to the state’s economy. A portion of the report is provided below. The full report can be accessed by clicking the links on this page.
NYISO, the entity that manages New York's electric grid system provided important feedback on the Cuomo administration’s primary method of achieving its goal of doubling New York’s renewable energy. An excerpt of the comments is provided below where the NYISO challenges the intent to award long-term power purchase contracts to project owners at the expense of consumers. Under the plan presented by Cuomo, the NYISO the development of: (i) approximately 25,000 megawatts of solar capacity to meet the targets solely with solar resources; or (ii) approximately 15,000 megawatts of wind capacity to meet the targets solely with wind resources. The full paper can be accessed by clicking the links on this page.
This useful paper provides a detailed review of wind energy development in southern Mexico and the resulting opposition to the projects. Excerpts of the paper are provided below. The full paper can be accessed by selecting the links on this page.
This report by the Yankee Institute examines the State of Connecticut's mandate requiring electricity providers to get a certain percentage of their power from renewable energy sources. The executive summary of the report is provided below. The full report can be accessed by clicking the links on this page.
This report prepared by the global law firm, Dentons, examines the impacts on the European energy section including the US shale revolution and cost issues surrounding the aggressive move to renewables. An excerpt of the report is provided below. The full report can be accessed by clicking the link(s) on this page.
The UK wind debate assumes that wind farms operate at roughly their average output most of the time. According to this new paper by Dr. Capell Aris’, this assumption is not true. Power comes only extremely intermittently and variably and there are long periods of negligible efficiency, particularly during the long winter months when power is most needed. A 10GW wind fleet would need approximately 9.5GW of fossil capacity to guarantee its output. A summary from the report of Dr. Aris' findings is provided below. The full report can be accessed by clicking the links on this page.
This report evaluates the potential energy market impacts and energy costs of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed Clean Power Plan (CPP) to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from existing power plants. EPA proposed the CPP in June 2014 as a nationwide regulation (to be implemented by the states) under Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act.
This important report by the Texas Comptroller examines the importance of reliable, low-cost energy for the State of Texas. A portion of the report is provided below. The full report can be accessed by clicking the links on this page.
Vermont citizens filed this petition with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate deceptive trade practices of Green Mountain Power (GMP), a Vermont utility. The complaint focuses on GMP marketing of renewable energy to Vermont consumers. The petition was filed by the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic at Vermont Law School.