Dan McKay's Blog (1,007)

The FY 2019 Budget Request advances energy dominance by investing in America’s leadership in energy innovation. The FY 2019 Request provides $2.5B for energy and related programs, $1.9B below FY 2017 Enacted, and continues the Administration’s prioritization of the early-stage R&D that takes place at the National Laboratories. Highlights include:

$696M for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, $1.3B below FY 2017 Enacted, focusing on early stage R&D on energy…

LD 1810 (HP 1255)

"An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Expedited Permitting for Wind Energy Development"

(Emergency)

(Governor's Bill)

Sponsored by Representative Joel Stetkis

Reference Committee

Energy, Utilities and Technology

Last House Action

2/6/2018 - Speaker laid before the House

On motion of Representative HERBIG of Belfast, the Bill was REFERRED to the Committee on ENERGY, UTILITIES AND TECHNOLOGY.

Sent for concurrence. ORDERED…

In all, 132 MW of wind and 86 MW of solar facilities cleared FCA #12 (most photovoltaic resources in New England are on the distribution system and don’t participate in the wholesale markets). Those totals include 1 megawatt of new wind and 21 megawatts of new solar facilities

Wind Power More than 1,300 MW of wind power is operational in the region. Developers are proposing nearly 8,600 MW of additional wind power, primarily in northern New England and offshore in southern New…

In a "what goes around comes around " potentially, ironic situation, could former Governor Baldacci, the one time Champion of Maine Wind Energy actually become an unwitting participant in it's demise ?

Baldacci is now an employee of Avangrid, a worldwide leader in service, innovation and investment in the U.S. energy industry.

More specifically, he is Vice Chair of the Board at Avangrid.

Avangrid owns CMP, an electrical transmission and distribution company…

Start with commodity allocation dependent on customer choice on price. The Electric Restructuring Act of 2000 was enacted to place electric generation in a competitive market giving customers choice on price. At that time, electric generation resources selected to meet demand were based on timely costs to provide the lowest price possible to retail sellers, and, subsequently, to customers

.

Obviously, policy makers considered the word "Restructuring " meant the market was subject to…

John Madigan, Representative for District 115 - Roxbury, Rumford, Sumner and Woodstock, plus the unorganized territory of Milton Township wants to cover the Western Maine Mountains with wind turbines.

Siding with fellow democrats, while throwing his constituents under the bus, Madigan voted against bring LD 1810 to public hearing . "An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Expedited Permitting for Wind Energy Development"

He is the only Rep. from Western Maine to vote this…

We know now that Senator A. King is aware of the detrimental natural gas situation in New England. The question is does he consider it a victory derived from his policy input during his State Governing days in addition to his private profiteering days of wind development in Maine ?

" Maine Senator Angus King discussed with van Welie( ISO-NE CEO ) the impact of constraints on the natural gas pipelines coming into New England. And van Welie noted the issues surrounding the…

https://mpuc-cms.maine.gov/CQM.Public.WebUI/Common/CaseMaster.aspx?CaseNumber=2010-00235

January 17, 2018

"ISO New England today released its Operational Fuel-Security Analysis, a study assessing whether possible future resource combinations would have enough fuel to ensure bulk power system reliability throughout an entire winter. THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT MAINTAINING RELIABILITY IS LIKELY TO BECOME MORE CHALLENGING, ESPECIALLY IF CURRENT POWER SYSTEM TRENDS CONTINUE.""

Most likely an Emergency, but Maine lawmakers feel a dribble of subsidized solar energy and…

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/energy/iso-study-warns-precarious-energy-future/

The politics that created The Wind Act continues to live on in the EUT Committee

http://www.mainefirstmedia.com/maine-energy-committee-chairs-shocking-power-trip/

An Act To Amend the Laws Regarding Distributed Energy Generation and To Eliminate Gross Metering
(EMERGENCY)

Thursday, January 11, 2018 1:00 PM,Cross Building, Room 211

This bill opens the 2018 version of the Augusta Feed-In Trough .

If you are a ratepayer who thinks you shouldn't have to pay for a University Research Project with a jacked-up electricity bill, your public  comments can be made part of this PUC case:
https://mpuc-cms.maine.gov/CQM.Public.WebUI/Comments/CaseNumberSearch.aspx

case number 2010-00235

From The ISO-NE Newswire January 8, 2018 :

"Over the past decade, the New England states have sought to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet climate goals through various mechanisms outside of the ISOadministered competitive wholesale markets. These mechanisms include mandates that state-regulated utilities enter into long-term contracts with renewable resource developers.4 These out-of-market actions could have adverse consequences for FCM. Specifically, resources that…

.This bill comes up every session and has been carried over by the house and senate from last session

LD 532, HP 376,

128th Legislature

An Act To Remove the 100-megawatt Limit on Hydroelectric Generators under the Renewable Resources Laws

http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/display_ps.asp?ld=532&PID=1456&snum=128

This is ISO-NE…

Two Illinois nuclear plants were in jeopardy of closing because even at a low cost of five cents or so per kWh, they were losing a combined $100 million per year because they could not compete with cheap natural gas and wind energy that is subsidized at 2.3¢/kWh. Illinois taxpayers subsidize solar energy at 21¢/kWh. This bill provides these nuclear plants with just 1¢/kWh, and only until market conditions change.

New York’s new Clean Energy Standard includes the…

Remember when the 100 megawatt cap on hydro law was challenged every year in the Maine Legislature ?

Remember how the wind and solar zombie representatives said it would wash out all the opportunities for wind and solar, so they refused to remove the cap ?

Well, the people in charge of reliability of New England Electrical Generation have something to say:

Winter Alert - ISO-NE- 2017-2018

NATURAL-GAS-FIRED GENERATION AT RISK OF NOT BEING ABLE TO GET FUEL WHEN…

The safety setbacks from property lines have been increased from the existing standard of 1 ½ times the distance to the tip of the fully extended blade, to 1 ½ times the hub height plus rotor diameter.

The applicant must provide evidence of the project’s effect on electrical rates directly attributable to the project. The impact of any single generation source on electrical rates in Maine is a complex undertaking that requires sophisticated modeling and assumptions about future operation of the electrical grid, future energy mix and prices in the region, and a myriad of other factors. Importantly, in enacting the Wind Energy Act the Legislature made specific findings on the positive effect…