Energy In-depth: Honorable’s FERC Approval Triggers Next Moves
by December 19, 2014 9:41 am 81 views
Editor’s note: Each Friday, Talk Business & Politics provides “Energy In-depth,” a round-up of energy and regulatory news in our email newsletter, which you can sign up to receive daily for free here.
HONORABLE’S FERC APPROVAL TRIGGERS NEXT MOVES
Arkansas Public Service Commission chairwoman Colette Honorable cleared her final hurdle to become a member of the powerful five-person Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) this week. Honorable, who received bipartisan praise throughout her confirmation process, cleared the full Senate on a voice vote on Tuesday night (Dec. 16) and will serve a term until June 2017.
Her ascension to the FERC board now triggers a series of details that will play into Gov. Mike Beebe appointing a replacement for Honorable on the state regulatory panel.
Honorable’s term on the Arkansas PSC is through January 2017, so her successor would serve for the next two years conceivably. Speculation has centered that Beebe deputy chief of staff Lamar Davis may be a prime candidate for the appointment. Beebe’s office said they are working through details related to Honorable’s transition before any announcement will be made.
STATE REGULATORS POSTPONE STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS ON GREENHOUSE GAS UNTIL JUNE
A state Department of Environmental Quality official said no additional stakeholders’ meetings will be held to decide how Arkansas will meet the president’s stringent air pollution guidelines until federal officials write final rules for the controversial regulations.
According to the EPA’s timeline on President Obama’s Clean Power Plan, the EPA is supposed to submit final rules from the new regulations by June 2015. However, EPA officials are already behind on the first part of the president’s far-reaching climate plan that is to be completed by Jan. 8, 2015. Those guidelines, which were first unveiled in April 2012 and deal mainly with greenhouse gas emissions at future power plants, have not yet been submitted to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review, a process that usually takes two to three months.
What do stakeholders on all sides of the rule have to say about the holding pattern? Read their thoughts here.
ASTA FUNDS UALR NANO RESEARCHER LOOKING AT BIOENERGY BOOST
The Arkansas Science and Technology Authority (ASTA) has approved grant funding of $37,000 for a UALR biology professor who says nanomaterials could increase the germination rate and biomass yield of bioenergy crops.
Dr. Mariya Khodakovskaya, associate professor in the UALR Department of Biology, says the establishment of an effective system for the production of bioenergy crops in the U.S. could have significant positive economic and energy implications. Her research suggests that commercially available nanomaterials could provide a good alternative to genetic engineering or breeding.
“Near and mid-term goals for advancing biomass bioenergy include improvements to cropping practices to maximize total annual production per unit area,” Khodakovskaya said. “And, because certain types of nanomaterials in low doses can reduce the time needed for seed germination, researchers expect to get more plants in a shorter time and to overcome some of the problems associated with weather conditions.”
Additionally, nanomaterials could promote the vegetative growth of bioenergy crops, according to Khodakovskaya who said the project could lead to collaborations with biotechnological companies focusing on improvements to bioenergy crops.
BOOZMAN, COTTON GET SENATE COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
With a solid majority in the U.S. Senate, Arkansas’ two senators have received their committee assignments. U.S. Sen.-elect Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, has been named to the Armed Services Committee; Select Committee on Aging; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee; Select Committee on Intelligence; and Joint Economic Committee. Cotton, who defeated incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor, is an Iraqi and Afghanistan veteran. He will take office in January in the 114th Congress.
Senior U.S. Senator John Boozman, R-Arkansas, will serve on the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee; Appropriations Committee; Environment and Public Works Committee; Senate Rules and Administration Committee; and Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Boozman has said he will seek re-election to the Senate in 2016.