Energy In-depth: Clean Power Group Proposes Plan For States That Don’t Comply With EPA’s Carbon Emission Rules

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CLEAN POWER GROUP PROPOSES PLAN FOR STATES THAT DON’T COMPLY WITH EPA’S CARBON EMISSION RULES
States that don’t comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) backstop plan to craft their own strategies to comply with President Obama’s proposed Clean Power Plan can make full and effective use of energy efficiency, renewable energy and other advanced energy technologies to lower the costs of reducing carbon emissions, said the Washington, D.C.-based Advanced Energy Economy trade association.

In a white paper published Thursday, AEE lays out design principles for a proposed federal plan to implement the EPA’s proposed guidelines in states that do not submit a satisfactory state plan. To date, Arkansas regulators have not submitted a plan to the EPA, but Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge has intervened in a federal lawsuit against the EPA’s proposed 111(d) rule that is now before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

EPA will release for public comment a draft Federal Plan this summer, along with the final Clean Power Plan. AEE’s report is available here.

CONSUMER GROUP CLAIMS WEST COAST REFINERY OUTAGES PART OF ‘MARKET MANIPULATION’ TO DRIVE UP PUMP PRICES
Consumer Watchdog called on California’s U.S. Attorneys to investigate the unprecedented refinery outages driving California gasoline price spikes. In a letter, the nonprofit group presented circumstantial evidence that oil refiners may be manipulating gasoline supplies through shutdowns to drive pump prices and profits higher.

“Since the beginning of February, California’s fourteen oil refineries have suffered ten serious slowdowns or shutdowns, many due to questionable causes or timing,” Consumer Watchdog’s letter said. “The timing of these overlapping outages raises questions about their true necessity, and about whether some refinery capacity may have been taken off line in order to drive up prices and profits for oil refiners at a time when some of their crude operations have been yielding less profits.”

According to the watchdog group’s analysis, Californians paid $2.4 billion more for their gasoline than drivers nationally between February and April based on the gap in pump prices. Southern California gas now costs$1.30 more than the nationwide average — the widest gap ever recorded.

Last week, GasBuddy.com issued a warning to California motorists to fill up their tanks because of expected spikes in gas prices ahead of Memorial Day weekend due to the West Coast refinery outages.

Click here to view Talk Business & Politics’ analysis on Memorial Day pump prices and travel forecast. Read the letter from the consumer group to Justice Department officials here.

NEW REPORT SAYS RENEWABLE ENERGY EMPLOYS 7.7 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE
More than 7.7 million people worldwide are now employed by the renewable energy industry, with solar photovoltaic (PV) being the largest renewable energy employer with 2.5 million jobs worldwide, according to a new report released Wednesday by the New York-based International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

PICASOLAR EXPANDS WITH SOLAR CELL TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED AT UA
Picasolar Inc., a solar start-up company affiliated with the University of Arkansas, dedicated its new headquarters on Wednesday (May 20) at the Arkansas Research and Technology Park.

The 2,300-square-foot space in the Enterprise Center at the technology park allows Picasolar to shorten the time it takes to produce its patent-pending product. That product, called a hydrogen super emitter, improves solar cell efficiency and reduces the amount of silver needed in the manufacture of solar panels, making them more marketable and affordable.