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(Reuters) - A U.S. court on Friday upheld rules from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission calling on utilities to take various actions, including increased planning of large transmission projects.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit affirmed FERC's "Order 1000," a series of measures from 2011 that requires large-scale regional planning of the nation's electric grid designed in part to create greater access to renewable energy.
I had been following this case for some time. Among those opposed to the FERC order was the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which crafted legislation in a number of states that outlawed people from sending their excess solar or wind energy to the grid, and which also passed laws taxing solar and wind generation by citizens who installed wind and / or solar on their own property, which purpose was to create more profit for the oil, gas, and coal industries, at the expense of everyone else. This roadblock has now been removed, in addition to the planning requirement, which was the main thrust of the rule, with the result that we will burning less coal in the future, and also will take another step towards independence from Middle East oil. I fully support this decision. After all, Germany is only the size of Texas, and is not in a great zone for either solar or wind, but has more than 10 times the renewable energy of the entire United States. This is ridiculous...... Well, maybe not so ridiculous a few years from now, when we surpass them.
Article is here.
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