RNG NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest stories, insights, and announcements.Ryan keeps colleagues in suspense
By Cristina Marcos, The Hill.
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is signaling he’s in no hurry to end the House GOP conference’s suspense.
House Republicans are waiting on tenterhooks for Ryan to decide whether he’ll run for Speaker and fill a gaping leadership vacuum.
Ryan is under immense pressure from fellow Republicans to step up to the plate, but his spokesman signaled Monday that Ryan's colleagues shouldn't hold their breath on a decision.
House Votes to Lift 40-Year Ban on Oil Exports, Obstacles Remain
By Clifford Krauss, The New York Times.
The House of Representatives voted on Friday to reverse a 40-year-old ban on oil exports, giving major oil companies a political victory at a time when they are suffering from lower oil prices and falling profits.
The House vote of 261-159 included 26 Democrats in favor of the legislation. But even though the legislation has gained momentum in recent weeks, it continues to face a major challenge in the Senate as well as the threat of a White House veto.
Still, the House vote makes it more likely that the export ban, which was enacted in the 1970s when the American economy was threatened by international oil embargoes and falling domestic production, will become an important issue in the presidential election campaign.
Schakowsky Introduces Bill To Make Renewable Energy Tax Credit Permanent
By Progress Illinois.
U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL,9) reintroduced federal legislation Friday seeking to make the Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit (PTC) permanent.
The PTC, which supports development of renewable energies, is currently a temporary measure and requires renewal from Congress.
The "Prioritizing Energy-Efficient Renewables (PEER) Act," which Schakowsky first introduced back in 2013, would permanently extend the PTC and also end three oil and gas industry tax credits, including the "tax credit for intangible drilling costs, the domestic manufacturing tax credit for oil and gas, and the percentage depletion credit for oil and gas wells," according to the congresswoman's office.
US western utilities switch to gas amid low prices
By Argus Media.
Houston, 9 October (Argus) — US western region power generators are finding ways to take advantage of low natural gas prices even as reliance on renewable resources grows.
At current prices, Salt River Project District (SRP), the nation's third-largest public power agency serving parts of Phoenix, Arizona, has boosted its reliance on gas while paring coal use, senior marketing representative Kent Price said this week at the LDC Forum in Los Angeles.
Price said the district is backing down coal units at night to run at minimum load so that gas plants can remain online, saving fuel costs and avoiding daily start-up costs.
Paul Ryan emerges as House speaker favorite
By Stephen Dinan and Anjali Shastry, The Washington Times.
He’s been one of the GOP’s biggest backers of legalizing illegal immigrants, and his chief legislative accomplishments were deals to boost spending and give President Obama more negotiating powers in trade deals — yet Rep. Paul Ryan has become House Republicans’ consensus choice to lead them.
The wonky Wisconsin is in his ninth term, making him far more senior than the kind of candidates the new generation of House Republicans is looking for. And he was famously one of the self-dubbed “Young Guns,” GOPinsurgents along with then-Reps. Eric Cantor and Kevin McCarthy.
DTE, Consumers Energy want to halt Michigan's renewable energy mandates
By Lindsay Vanhulle, Crain's Detroit Business.
LANSING — Since Michigan's energy law was adopted in 2008, billions of dollars have been spent in the state's emerging renewable energy industry — building infrastructure, adding jobs and lowering costs.
With the help of the state's two largest utilities, which are required under state law to generate electricity from renewable sources, nearly $3 billion has been invested on wind, solar, biomass and other clean power sources across the state.
Now, the utilities want state lawmakers to end the standards that contributed to those results — mandates that governed the amount of electricity they produce from renewable sources.
Senate Dems to block energy bill as budget talks limp along
By Geof Koss, E&E Publishing.
Senate Democrats today are expected to filibuster the popular Energy and Water Development appropriations bill, as they continue to prod Republicans toward an end-of-the-year budget deal.
The upper chamber will vote today on cloture on the motion to proceed to the $35.4 billion Energy-Water measure, H.R. 2028, which is generally one of the less controversial of the 12 appropriations bills.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the ranking member on the Appropriations subcommittee that wrote the bill, said Democrats would oppose ending debate.
Gov. Cuomo declines to press Christie on cap and trade
By David Giambusso, Politico New York Beta.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday he would be working with other states to establish a North American cap and trade policy modeled after the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
But the governor isn't lobbying New Jersey governor Chris Christie, at least publicly.
Independent analyses have indicated the RGGI program has been a success in the nine states that have remained a part of the program. It is lauded by green groups and private generators as a fiscally responsible means of cutting emissions as it allows generators to sell pollution credits to other generators that may exceed the cap set by the program.
NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo pledges state action to address climate change
By Richard Schapiro and Kenneth Lovett, New York Daily News.
With former Vice President Al Gore by his side, Gov. Cuomo on Thursday pledged state action to address climate change.
“Climate change is a reality and not to address it is gross negligence by government and irresponsible as citizens,” Cuomo said during an event at Columbia University.
The governor signed a non-binding commitment to help keep the Earth’s average temperature from increasing 2 degrees Celsius by the year 2100.
Kevin McCarthy Drops Out of House Speaker Race
By Jennifer Steinhauer and David M. Herszenhorn, The New York Times.
WASHINGTON — Representative Kevin McCarthy on Thursday abruptly took himself out of the race to succeed John A. Boehner as House speaker, apparently undone by the same forces that drove Mr. Boehner to resign.
“I have the deepest respect and regard for each member of the conference and our team as a whole,” Mr. McCarthy said in a prepared statement shortly after a meeting in which he told Republicans of his decision. “It is imperative for us to unite and work together on the challenges facing our country.
“Over the last week it has become clear to me that our conference is deeply divided and needs to unite behind one leader. I have always put this conference ahead of myself. Therefore I am withdrawing my candidacy for speaker of the House. I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to help move our conference’s agenda and our country forward.”
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