The California legislature recently took a step forward in the fight against climate change by voting to boost the state’s renewable energy portfolio standard to 50% by 2030. But before our legislators start congratulating each other for their leadership in advance of the Paris climate negotiations, it’s important to note … [continued]
Your local power company pays big bucks to buy political influence at the state and federal level. Its interests do not always align with yours, but in almost every state, utilities are a major political force to be reckoned with. Beyond their own lobbying efforts, they often pay even more to have … [continued]
In a recent blog, I looked into two bills currently circling the halls of Washington state government that could effectively kill solar leasing and neuter the state’s successful net metering program. The article must have struck a nerve, because the author and sponsors of the bills responded with incredulity, spin, … [continued]
Washington has long been regarded as one of the bluest of blue states, a laboratory of progressive policy. A little more than two years ago, voters in the state approved a ballot measure to make it one of only two to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes. But a bill recently … [continued]
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once famously declared: “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.” Mr. Churchill had his tongue firmly planted in cheek, but that doesn’t make his statement any less true. Just like any form of government, democracy is prone to corruption, manipulation, … [continued]
We may be entering the Year of the Goat, but for monopoly utilities, it’s more like the Year of the Snake. These behemoths have suffered a series of beatdowns over the past two years in their efforts to kill policies that protect consumers and our environment by encouraging the expansion … [continued]
A so-called consumer advocacy group from Houston, Texas, with ties to the fossil fuel-loving Koch brothers, recently submitted 2,500 signatures from Wisconsin ratepayers to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission in support of across-the-board rate hikes from utilities Madison Gas & Electric and We Energies. The We Energies’ proposal also included … [continued]
In the battle for our energy future, we’ve seen some pretty devious attacks on rooftop solar, and the latest salvos from Wisconsin’s We Energies are in the running for top honors. If you followed recent attacks on net metering in Arizona, you have an inkling of what’s going down in … [continued]
While the solar industry and big utilities are — for the most part — finding common ground in neighboring Massachusetts, word on the streets from Hartford to New Haven has it that Connecticut Light and Power is about to launch a sneak attack on rooftop solar customers taking advantage of … [continued]
The state that made political flip-flops famous has just claimed another victim. But this time the guilty party isn’t a Presidential candidate. It’s one of the largest energy behemoths in the country. Exelon Corporation (which owns utilities in three states and is asking regulators to allow it to buy a … [continued]
