Former legislator Brad Tschida confirmed Friday he is in discussions with the Montana Public Service Commission about taking a job as its next executive director.
Across the country, states are inking agreements with neighbors or striking out on their own to pursue billions in federal funding to set up “hydrogen hubs,” clustered centers for production, storage and use of the gas that many see as a crucial piece of the puzzle for decarbonizing the U.S. economy.
Robert Zullo
(States Newsroom) Less than two weeks after gunfire damaged two Duke Energy substations in Moore County, North Carolina, knocking out power to about 45,000 people, federal regulators ordered a review of security standards at electric transmission facilities and control centers.
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Its latest Dirty Truth report analyzed decarbonization plans and awarded grades to 77 of the country’s biggest electric utilities, including Portland General Electric, or PGE, Idaho Power and PacifiCorp, which owns Pacific Power, operating in Oregon and California.
The Environmental Integrity Project said the 72 civil enforcement cases closed in court during the fiscal year that ended in September under President Joe Biden’s administration was the “lowest number in at least 22 years.”
A Montana lawmaker who planned to restrict the ability of the state’s utility consumer advocate to testify to the legislature said Wednesday he plans to reverse course.
Christina Lords
(Idaho Capital Sun) In an effort to lower energy costs, expand access to clean energy and combat climate change, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will provide funding for 12 renewable energy projects in Idaho, said USDA Rural Development Idaho State Director Rudy Soto in a press release.
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Terry Minow writes, "In recent years, NorthWestern has been aggressively trying to get out from under the financial burden of their remaining coal plants in eastern Montana. Their latest effort is to get the cost of these old, expensive plants rolled into consumers’ electric bills."
Oregon’s Environmental Quality Commission voted unanimously to require auto manufacturers to begin producing and delivering a growing number of zero-emission vehicles to Oregon beginning in 2026, so that they make up 100% of new vehicles sold in the state by 2035.
Looking to make progress on its quest to achieve carbon neutrality, the Missoula City Council this week approved an energy contract to begin implementing several projects intended to shave energy use and improve efficiency.