SC senators want outside report on failed nuclear project | The State

SC senators want outside report on failed nuclear project | The State: "That analysis, by the Bechtel Corp., found problems at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station and made recommendations, said Leighton Lord, chairman of the state-owned Santee Cooper utility.

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Federal court upholds state's right to stop natural gas pipeline under the Clean Water Act | masslive.com

Federal court upholds state's right to stop natural gas pipeline under the Clean Water Act | masslive.com: "The New York Department of Environmental Conservation acted properly in 2016 when it denied Constitution Pipeline a Section 401 certificate under the U.S. Clean Water Act, effectively vetoing the project, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled.

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Pay-as-you-save: Arkansas cooperative harnesses innovative financing to fund efficiency | Utility Dive

Pay-as-you-save: Arkansas cooperative harnesses innovative financing to fund efficiency | Utility Dive: "Ouachita has embraced an energy efficiency financing method known as Pay As You Save (PAYS), which uses an innovative method to fund retrofits. Rather than loan the money to pay for an improvement, and saddle the customer with debt, the PAYS method uses an on-bill tariff that is tied to the the home's meter. There are some specific metrics that must be present, including payoff length and whether a member co-pay is needed, but the end result is instant on-bill savings for the customer and decreased load for the cooperative.

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Santee Cooper scraps plans to charge more for nuclear project | The State

Santee Cooper scraps plans to charge more for nuclear project | The State: "The unanimous decision by the state-owned utility’s board on Friday means the 2 million S.C. residents who rely on Santee Cooper for power will be spared rate hikes for at least two years. The utility had planned to increase its retail rates by 3.9 percent in 2018 and 3.5 percent in 2019.

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DC Circuit extends delay on Clean Power Plan litigation | Utility Dive

DC Circuit extends delay on Clean Power Plan litigation | Utility Dive: "In another blow for environmental groups and the Obama administration, the D.C. Circuit court has continued the delay in Clean Power Plan litigation and enforcement. But the court's order, in addition to requiring monthly reports from the federal government, included a stark reminder that the Trump administration will need to replace the rule — not simply rescind it.

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McMaster talking to Duke, Southern and Dominion about nuclear project | The State

McMaster talking to Duke, Southern and Dominion about nuclear project | The State: "McMaster is talking to Duke Energy of North Carolina, Southern Co. of Georgia, Dominion Energy of Virginia and other companies about getting involved in the project, his office confirmed Wednesday.

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SCE&G nuclear law could cost SC ratepayers much more | The State

SCE&G nuclear law could cost SC ratepayers much more | The State:

To help me sort it all out, I turned to the person who probably knows more about S.C. utility law than anyone not on SCE&G’s payroll — and maybe more than the people who are: Dukes Scott. Mr. Scott is executive director of the state’s Office of Regulatory Staff, which has the dual duty of looking out for the interests of the ratepayers and the solvency of the regulated utilities; he’s too pro-utility to suit some environmentalists, but I’ve always found him to be fair-minded and straightforward about where he’s coming from. He previously served as a member of the Public Service Commission, which decides whether to approve SCE&G’s rate requests, and before that spent a career in several top-level staff positions at the agency.

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Leatherman names panel to review utility issues | Local News | scnow.com

Leatherman names panel to review utility issues | Local News | scnow.com: "Sens. Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, and Nikki Setzler, D-Lexington, will be co-chairmen of the committee. Massey and Setzler are the leaders of the Senate Republican and Democratic caucuses.

Also on the committee are Thomas Alexander, R-Oconee; Sean Bennett, R-Dorchester; Paul Campbell, R-Berkeley; Mike Fanning, D-Fairfield; Stephen Goldfinch, R-Georgetown; Greg Gregory, R-Lancaster; Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg; Luke Rankin, R-Horry; Ronnie Sabb, D-Williamsburg; and John Scott, D-Richland.

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The House has now moved to create a committee to review VC Summe - wistv.com - Columbia, South Carolina

The House has now moved to create a committee to review VC Summe - wistv.com - Columbia, South Carolina: "Eighteen House members were selected to join the committee: Carl Anderson (District 103-Georgetown), Nathan Ballentine (District 71-Richland), Bart Blackwell (District 81-Aiken), Micah Caskey (District 89-Lexington), Heather Crawford (District 68-Horry), Bill Crosby (District 117-Charleston), Sylleste Davis (District 100-Berkeley), Kirkman Finlay (District 75-Richland), Mike Forrester (District 34-Spartanburg), Wendell Gillard (District 111-Charleston), Kevin Hardee (District 105-Horry), Pat Henegan (District 54-Marlboro), Bill Hixon (District 83-Aiken), David Mack (District 109-Charleston), Russell Ott (District 93-Calhoun), Speaker Pro Tempore Tommy Pope (District 47-York), Todd Rutherford (District 74-Richland), James Smith (District 72-Richland). Chairman Bill Sandifer (District 2-Oconee).

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Report: McMaster considering Santee Cooper sale to help pay for nuclear project | Business | postandcourier.com

Report: McMaster considering Santee Cooper sale to help pay for nuclear project | Business | postandcourier.com: "The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that McMaster is "pursuing several options" to raise the money needed to finish the project, which Santee Cooper and South Carolina Electric & Gas abandoned last week in the face of rising costs and the bankruptcy of lead contractor Westinghouse Electric.

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Senate leaders seek special session to block rate hikes following nuke project shutdown > Columbia Business Report

Senate leaders seek special session to block rate hikes following nuke project shutdown > Columbia Business Report: "Reacting to Monday’s announcement that the companies abandoned the unfinished reactor project at V.C. Summer Nuclear Station, GOP Majority Leader Shane Massey and Democratic Minority Leader Nikki Setzler, asked that the General Assembly consider a joint resolution suspending the authority to Santee Cooper and the Public Service Commission “to act on the V.C. Summer project or authorize electricity rate increases.”

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FCC Commits to Expanded Rural Deployment | Broadcasting & Cable

FCC Commits to Expanded Rural Deployment | Broadcasting & Cable: "The commission gave the go-ahead for the next phase of the "Connect America Fund," which is intended to support $2 billion for rural broadband and voice services. It proposed a rulemaking that would improve broadband data collection and eliminate "unnecessary and burdensome requirements," and it initiated a notice of inquiry to evaluate use of "midband" spectrum, including shared use of the C-band, which has been widely used for rural satellite video services.

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Duke Energy prepares for solar eclipse that will knock out several hundred solar farms in NC | News & Observer

Duke Energy prepares for solar eclipse that will knock out several hundred solar farms in NC | News & Observer: "North Carolina has the nation’s second-highest power capacity in solar farms, exceeding 3,000 megawatts. With that amount of solar energy going dark, a total eclipse will be comparable to several nuclear reactors rapidly shutting down. This abrupt drop-off in electricity could cause a major disruption to the power grid, creating a surge in demand for backup power, with the potential for local power outages. But a Duke spokeswoman says the utility’s customers should see no interruption of power.

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