|
March 18, 2010: In This Issue. . .
-
Overwhelming Support for Raising Energy Efficiency Goals
The majority of comments submitted by environmental groups,
utilities, retail electric providers, and consumer groups
supported proposed rules published by the Public Utility
Commission (PUC) to raise the energy efficiency goal to one
percent of total peak demand by the end of 2014.
While virtually all of the comments supported the more aggressive
goals, there were significant differences among respondents
on whether or not utilities should be able to earn higher
performance bonuses should they exceed the goals, whether
a lost revenue adjustment should be included in the rulemaking
and what kind of cap should be implemented to keep the costs
of the energy efficiency programs from rising too sharply,
impacting residential and commercial customers. Read
the full story...
-
Compact Commission Proposes Rules Allowing for Importation of Radioactive Waste to West Texas - Comments Due April 12
On a 6-2 vote, the Texas Low-Level
Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact
Commission approved draft rules for
publication that would allow approval
of radioactive waste imports into West
Texas on a case-by-case basis as well
as exports from Texas if the currently
proposed site is unable to take the
wastes. Members of the public now have
until April 12th to submit comments
on the proposed rules to the Compact
Commission. Read the full
story...
- Judges Support
San Saba Citizens on Locating Wind
Transmission Lines
In the ongoing legal and political debate
about transmission lines intended to
bring new wind-powered electricity from
West Texas to East Texas, two Administrative
Law Judges(ALJs) found this month that
the best location for transmission lines
scheduled between the cities of Brown
and Newton for the investor-owned wire
company ONCOR would be north of the Colorado
River along proposed “Route 140.” The
Proposal for Decision (PFD) of ALJs Travis
Vickery and Hunter Burkhalter now goes
to the three commissioners of the Public
Utility Commission (PUC) for an expected
final decision on April 1st, although
appeals are still possible. Read
the full story...
- Weatherization Monies Finally Moving in Texas
At the meeting of the Board of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs on March 11, the agency staff found that the 32 weatherization service providers and 12 cities that received federal “stimulus” dollars are finally actually doing what they are supposed to – albeit slowly -- and weatherizing homes belonging to Texans at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. In addition, the TDHCA Board approved publishing new rules that will allow the agency to move money from one service provider to another if they fail to meet
targets agreed to in their plans. Finally, the Board also approved an updated plan for how they will spend both the stimulus monies that arrived in 2009 and additional grants in 2010 which should allow for even more weatherization.
Read the full story...
- Austin Approves Development Agreement for Chinese Solar Manufacturer
On a 7-0 vote, the Austin City Council last week approved a 10-year economic
development agreement with Yingli, a Chinese manufacturer of solar panels. Austin is competing with Phoenix, which is also offering a series of economic incentives to lure the manufacturer to open its first plant in the US. Yingli's parent company is the largest vertically integrated manufacturer of crystalline silicon photovoltaic panels in the word.
Read the full story...
|
