Looming court cases put FERC in the crosshairs

OVERSIGHT: The U.S. Supreme Court and federal district courts are weighing several cases this year that could significantly limit federal energy regulators’ ability to oversee climate and infrastructure policy. (E&E News)

OIL & GAS:

• The U.S. became the world’s top liquefied natural gas exporter for the first time last year. (Reuters)
• New federal methane emissions rules, the federal climate law, and major acquisitions and mergers are likely to reshape the oil and gas industry this year. (E&E News)
• The Tennessee Valley Authority activates three new natural gas-fired units totaling 750 MW on the Kentucky site of a coal-fired power plant that was shut down three years ago. (WBIR)
• A $25 million federal grant allowed Michigan to plug 200 orphaned oil and gas wells in 2023, nearly half of all known orphaned wells in the state. (MLive)

POLITICS: The Biden administration and its supporters are expected to emphasize the president’s progress on climate change as the 2024 election approaches, and will likely hustle to finalize major environmental rules if he loses re-election. (E&E News)

GRID:

• 2024 could be a make-or-break year for lawmakers, regulators and utilities to push through major federal grid reforms to speed up the pace of transmission construction. (Canary Media)
• Engineers say upgrading inverters on the U.S. power grid is crucial to support the anticipated growth in variable power sources from wind and solar. (Utility Dive)

WIND:

• Federal analysts say Montana’s wind power generation capacity is likely to surpass the state’s coal capacity after two projects under construction come online later this year. (Montana Free Press)
• Vineyard Wind didn’t transmit any electricity to the grid last year, breaking a pledge made by its developers, who have yet to provide a new timeline for power delivery. (State House News Service)

CARBON CAPTURE: A direct-air carbon capture facility proposed for Wyoming would rely on small modular nuclear reactors — another unproven technology — for power. (E&E News)

PIPELINES:

• The companies behind the Mountain Valley Pipeline announce a new plan to shorten a proposed spur into North Carolina in hopes of avoiding building a new compressor station that’s been blocked by Virginia regulators. (NC Newsline, Virginia Mercury)
• Upcoming decisions on the Summit Carbon Solutions carbon pipeline and the Dakota Access pipeline loom large for North Dakota’s energy sector in 2024. (North Dakota Monitor)

UTILITIES: Avangrid terminates its bid to acquire PNM, New Mexico’s largest electric utility, citing a lack of ​“clear timing” on a court review of regulators’ 2021 rejection of the proposed merger. (Utility Dive)

POLICY: Vermont lawmakers plan to strengthen the state’s renewable energy standard during this legislative session; the majority of a related working group recently recommended increasing it to 100% by 2030. (VT Digger)