Latest news with #EERC
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
La. Public Service Commission might scrap new energy efficiency program
From left, Louisiana Public Service Commissioners Mike Francis, Jean-Paul Coussan and Eric Skrmetta during a Feb. 19, 2025, PSC meeting. (Photo credit: Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator) In a surprise agenda change for Wednesday's meeting, the Louisiana Public Service Commission will consider terminating a statewide energy efficiency program it just recently hired a contractor to run after spending 14 years to create it. Commissioner Mike Francis, R-Crowley, added the agenda item Monday, two days before the LPSC meets at the Cypress Bend Resort in Many. Most of the commission's monthly meetings are held at its headquarters in Baton Rouge, but members periodically schedule hearings in different parts of the state. 'Commissioner Francis' decision to bring this vote with virtually no notice leaves little time for public input on an issue that directly impacts household budgets and statewide energy policy,' the Alliance for Affordable Energy said in a statement issued Tuesday. The proposal would end all energy efficiency programs in the state, except for municipal-owned utilities that don't fall under the LPSC's jurisdiction. The Alliance noted that residential electricity rates in Louisiana have increased roughly 45% since 2018, stressing the need for a greater emphasis on efficiency programs. 'This is the only program the commission has to help residents manage rising bills,' the group's news release said. In January 2024, the LPSC voted 3-2 on energy efficiency resources standards (EERC) that a consultant had worked on for over a decade at a cost of more than a half-million dollars. The policy requires utilities under the commission's jurisdiction — such as Entergy, Cleco and Swepco — to meet certain energy savings targets each year. For example, they can meet the standards through customer-focused upgrades such as adding new insulation to buildings or replacing inefficient heating and cooling systems. The utilities pay for it with little-noticed energy efficiency fees they've charged customers for years. Entergy Louisiana customers can find those fees on their monthly statements billed as 'Rider EECR-QS' and 'Rider EECR-PE.' Louisiana ushers in new energy efficiency policy with an uproar The energy efficiency program used in Louisiana for the past decade was voluntary, and utility companies managed them with their own staff. Energy efficiency presents a dilemma for utilities because they lead to customers using less of their product, an inherent conflict of interest for companies that profit from the sale of electricity or natural gas. The program adopted in 2024 is mandatory and uses a third-party administrator to manage and hold the utilities to the energy savings targets. The LPSC recently hired two companies, Aptim and TetraTech, to provide those services. Francis is proposing to terminate those contracts and establish a different energy efficiency policy. In a phone interview Tuesday, he said the current policy framework is too complex and believes it will cost too much money. 'You need a lawyer and a CPA to work through all of this,' Francis said. 'It's pretty complicated.' Francis initially opposed adopting the program in 2024 alongside Commissioner Eric Skrmetta, R-Metairie. Former Commissioner Craig Greene, R-Baton Rouge, provided the swing vote that passed the measure, which had support from the LPSC's two Democrats, Foster Campbell of Bossier City and Davanté Lewis of Baton Rouge. Debate on the matter at that time attracted ratepayers who filled the meeting room and chanted, demanding commissioners vote on the new program after hours of discussion. That memory wasn't lost on Francis, who admitted his latest proposal might not be popular with some members of the public. 'I'm probably making some enemies doing this,' he said. Commissioner Jean-Paul Coussan, R-Lafayette, who now sits on the commission in place of Greene, will likely be the deciding vote Wednesday. 'Sounds like there are several ideas being bandied about regarding the program,' Coussan said, offering few clues about how he intends to vote. 'I'm anxious to hear more about the proposals.' The program is the first of its kind in the Southeast run by a third-party administrator. It 'is especially important when it comes to both environmental protection and electricity system affordability,' said Joshua A. Basseches, an assistant professor of environmental studies and public policy at Tulane University. 'Scrapping it now would not only be bad public policy, but would also set a bad precedent in terms of process.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nuclear energy research gets green light in North Dakota
The Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant in Monticello, Minnesota. Used nuclear fuel rods are seen by some as a potential energy source in North Dakota. (Photo provided by Xcel Energy) The North Dakota Legislature is opening the door for nuclear energy research in the state. The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed Senate Bill 2159 to allow the Energy and Environmental Research Center in Grand Forks to study nuclear energy. The House passed the EERC bill 57-32. The bill previously passed the Senate 45-2. The bill returns to the Senate after being amended by the House. Advocates of nuclear research said North Dakota should not fall behind amid a resurgence of interest in nuclear energy. 'We need to be a part of the conversation,' said Rep. Jon Nelson, R-Rugby. Nelson represents an area where the U.S. Department of Energy proposed drilling an exploratory borehole to test the stability of the rock for nuclear waste storage. After that proposal, North Dakota lawmakers sought to clarify the law related to high-level radioactive waste storage. A group of concerned citizens pushed for language in a bill approved in 2019 that prohibits 'the placement, storage, exploration, testing, or disposal of high-level radioactive waste' in North Dakota. The EERC research bill could lead to above-ground storage. Some opponents said they feared the bill could allow unwanted radioactive nuclear waste into the state. Nelson disagreed. 'We do not want to become a dumping ground,' Nelson said. 'I think the protections are there.' The protections include an amendment that the state Industrial Commission, in consultation with the state's High-Level Radioactive Waste Advisory Council, must approve any nuclear research that EERC proposes to do. The EERC is designated as the State Energy Research Center with oversight by the Industrial Commission. EERC submitted testimony in support of the bill. The EERC research bill was sponsored by Senate Majority Leader David Hogue, R-Minot, who chaired the Energy Development and Transmission Committee that examined the possibilities for nuclear energy between legislative sessions. North Dakota eyes next-generation nuclear as replacement for coal plants Rep. Todd Porter, R-Mandan, pointed to a former coal plant in Wyoming that is being converted into a small nuclear facility as an example of competition from other states that are reusing spent nuclear fuel rods. Porter suggested that nuclear fuel rods at the nuclear power plant in Monticello, Minnesota, could be used in North Dakota, but he said the research needs to be done first. 'Allow EERC to do the job that they're supposed to be doing for the people of North Dakota … advancing the all-of-the-above energy portfolio that we asked them to do,' Porter said. The House also passed House Bill 1025 that calls for a legislative study of the potential for nuclear power plants in North Dakota. Rep. Jared Hendrix, R-Fargo, argued for waiting for results of the study before authorizing nuclear research. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
