Author: Brian Greene

10 Apr

Posted at 21:49h in Blair Powell, Eric Hurlocker, legislation, net metering, regulation, Retail Electric Competition, The GreeneHurlocker Blog, utility rate lawyer

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="205" class="zemanta-img"] The Massachusetts State-house in Boston, Massachusetts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption] This week, the Massachusetts legislature reached an end to the solar impasse that existed in the Commonwealth, when the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate struck a deal regarding the net...

26 Feb

Posted at 18:29h in Blair Powell, commission, public service commission, retail energy competition, retail energy market

On Friday, February 26, 2016, the District of Columbia Public Service Commission (the “Commission”) denied approval to Exelon’s $6.8 billion acquisition of Pepco Holdings, which would have made Exelon the largest electric utility in the United States.  Commissioners Betty Ann Kane and Joanne Dotty Ford...

23 Feb

Posted at 14:04h in Blair Powell, Department of Environmental Quality, General Assembly, Solar energy, solar energy lawyer, The GreeneHurlocker Blog

We’ve examined in detail the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (“DEQ”) changes to implement Virginia’s 2009 “Small Renewable Energy Projects” legislation (VA Code 10.1-1197.6). The statute moved authority from the State Corporation Commission (“SCC”) to DEQ over protection of natural resources (specifically wildlife and historic...

16 Feb

Posted at 20:34h in Brian Greene, commission, consumer protection, Maryland, natural gas, public service commission, regulation, retail energy competition, retail energy market, retail supplier, The GreeneHurlocker Blog, utility regulation lawyer

On February 10, 2016, the Maryland Public Service Commission approved revised consumer protection regulations governing the retail sale of electricity and natural gas. The revised rules include several substantive changes relating to how retail suppliers operate in Maryland. The changes involve additional up-front pricing disclosures...

10 Feb

Posted at 16:34h in Blair Powell, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, regulation, retail energy market, The GreeneHurlocker Blog, utility regulation lawyer

On Tuesday, February 9, 2016, the United States Supreme Court held in a five to four decision to halt enforcement of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan by the Obama administration until its legal challenges are resolved.  The challenge to the Clean Power Plan...

02 Feb

Posted at 16:46h in Brian Greene, commission, Maryland, net energy metering, net metering, public service commission, regulation, retail energy competition, retail energy market, retail supplier, The GreeneHurlocker Blog, utility regulation lawyer

The Maryland Public Service Commission has established a new Working Group to develop statewide protocols that will allow retail electricity suppliers to access their customers’ smart meter interval data from the utility on a near real-time basis. In a recent Order, the Commission established the...

01 Feb

Posted at 21:04h in Blair Powell, natural gas, public service commission, regulation, retail energy market, The GreeneHurlocker Blog

Dominion Resources Inc. (“Dominion”) announced Monday, February 1, 2016, that it plans to purchase Utah-based Questar Corporation (“Questar”), a natural gas distributor, for approximately $4.4 billion in an all-cash deal.  Purchasing Questar will expand Dominion’s customer base to customers in Western states.  With Questar’s acquisition,...

12 Jan

Posted at 20:10h in General Assembly, legislation, public service commission, regulation, retail energy market, The GreeneHurlocker Blog, utility rate lawyer, utility regulation lawyer, Virginia

A group of industrial customers of Dominion Virginia Power (“Dominion”) has recently taken steps to challenge the constitutionality of Virginia’s Electric Utility Regulation Act (“Regulation Act”) at the Supreme Court of Virginia. At issue is a 2015 amendment to the Regulation Act, Senate Bill 1349,...

07 Jan

Posted at 19:48h in Blair Powell, Certificate of Public Need, commission, regulation, renewable energy, retail energy market, Solar energy, solar energy lawyer, State Corporation Commission, The GreeneHurlocker Blog, utility regulation lawyer, Virginia

As we previously discussed here, any person or entity who wishes to participate as a respondent in Dominion Virginia Power’s (“Dominion”) application for approval and certificates of public convenience and necessity to construct and operate three utility scale solar electric generating facilities must file a...

26 Dec

Posted at 19:02h in associate, Blair Powell, renewable energy, retail energy market, Solar energy, solar energy lawyer, Uncategorized, utility regulation lawyer, Virginia

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="178" class="zemanta-img"] (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption] On December 21, 2015, Governor Terry McAuliffe announced that, as a way to continue momentum in Virginia’s solar industry, state agencies will derive eight percent (8%) of their energy from solar sources within the next three (3) years. ...