Natalie Karas: Energy Exchange
FERC, not the Supreme Court, is the right place to fix the Spire pipeline mess
2 years 6 months ago
After the D.C. Circuit court vacated Spire STL’s unlawful certificate to operate a 66-mile natural gas pipeline running between Illinois and Missouri in June, Spire last week asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the vacatur decision and hand the company back its permission slip. Not only should the Supreme Court not grant the stay, […]
Natalie Karas
4 opportunities for gas utilities to accelerate the energy transition today
2 years 11 months ago
A troubling story recently emerged about a group of gas utilities whose mission is to fight electrification. While the leaked materials alone don’t explain the full extent of the group’s efforts, it was unsettling to see baseless, fear-driven tactics such as “take advantage of power outage fear,” to make people wary of electrification. Instead of […]
Natalie Karas
What our climate goals mean for natural gas, and what states should do about it
3 years 3 months ago
The transition to a low-carbon economy will have a big impact on the way we think about natural gas: how we produce, use and transport it. One area where this challenge is particularly acute is the state regulatory frameworks governing gas utilities across the country, and in particular, how those rules line up against the […]
Natalie Karas
Federal regulators should reevaluate the incentive model for gas pipelines
4 years 9 months ago
The energy industry is in the midst of a massive transformation. Natural gas fired power plants are now the dominant source of electric power in the U.S., and according to numerous studies, natural gas will continue to have a role in our future energy system — even in stringent greenhouse gas reduction scenarios. For the […]
Natalie Karas
Gas utility planning is behind the times. Rhode Island has a plan to fix it.
4 years 10 months ago
When it comes to how utilities plan for future gas needs and use, challenges abound: Pipelines are built before state regulators have an opportunity to assess whether it is prudent for a gas utility to take service from that pipeline; decisions are made behind closed doors with little opportunity for stakeholder input; and planning efforts […]
Natalie Karas
FERC approves pipeline despite concern over controversial business arrangement
5 years 8 months ago
Last week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the proposed Spire STL Pipeline. Blessings for the controversial 66-mile project come even though St. Louis already enjoys excess capacity from other pipelines, and despite the fact that the only customer of the pipeline, Spire Missouri, does not actually have any growth in customer demand. It […]
Natalie Karas
Resilience proceeding gives FERC a chance to advance gas-electric coordination
5 years 11 months ago
Last September, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) started a conversation on resilience, asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to provide new revenues and guaranteed profits to the owners of old, inefficient coal and nuclear power plants to compensate these resources for certain reliability and (undefined) resilience attributes. FERC swiftly disposed of that proposal […]
Natalie Karas
DOE’s compensation scheme for coal and nuclear is dead – Now what?
6 years 3 months ago
In a January 8 Order, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) swiftly dismissed the Department of Energy’s (DOE) proposed out-of-market compensation scheme for coal and nuclear units. DOE’s proposal would have provided guaranteed profits to coal and nuclear plants, despite the fact that these aging units are losing out to more efficient and […]
Natalie Karas
Stopping the self-deal: Preventing pipeline investors from offloading risk on ratepayers
6 years 6 months ago
A recent report published by Oil Change International highlights the failure of regulators to protect ratepayers against utility affiliate-backed contracts for new pipeline capacity -in other words, when a regulated utility acts as both the developer and customer for a new pipeline. It’s a widespread and growing issue. Case in point: Con Ed’s investment in […]
Natalie Karas
It’s time to harmonize New York’s natural gas and climate policies
6 years 8 months ago
New York is a national leader on energy and climate. The state’s Clean Energy Standard provides that half its electricity will come from renewables by 2030. The state has also committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% below 2005 levels by 2050. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s new plan to reduce methane pollution directs state agencies to […]
Natalie Karas
Greater Flexibility, Efficiency in Gas Markets Requires New Standards
7 years ago
Markets for electricity and natural gas in the U.S. grew up independently of one another. The rules in one do not always align with the rules in the other, creating challenges for both operators and regulators. Cumbersome inefficiencies are becoming more evident with the rapid evolution of the electric system. With more gas-fired power plants […]
Natalie Karas
Warning: Unnecessary Pipelines Could Leave Consumers Holding the Bag
7 years 4 months ago
New oil pipelines are very much in the national spotlight. There’s been less attention on big pipes to transport natural gas. So far, debates over gas pipelines have been mostly local and regional affairs, even though there are dozens of gas pipeline applications pending before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The traditional concerns with […]
Natalie Karas
Checked
3 hours 18 minutes ago
Accelerating the clean energy revolution
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