Fri 23 Apr, 2010 / by Cable Huston / General
Although the fights over the allocation and pricing of BPA power roll on unabated, one issue that all stakeholders in the industry can agree on is that the capital markets are not doing well. These capital markets are, of course, essential for the significant investment that is needed to maintain, improve, and expand our region’s electricity generation and transmission infrastructure. This article offers a quick look at some of the legal tools that may be …
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Fri 23 Apr, 2010 / by Cable Huston / General
It has already been thoroughly reported that on February 18, 2010, more than 30 parties met in Salem, Ore., to sign two agreements concerning the future of the Klamath River Basin. At the signing ceremony, Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar called these agreements….. Read More
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Mon 22 Mar, 2010 / by Cable Huston / General
Some changes to the nation’s energy policy enacted by Congress as part of the 2005 Energy Policy Act (2005 EPAct) are only just now starting to have a real impact on consumer-owned utilities. In part as a response to a regional-scale blackout in 2003, Congress used the 2005 EPAct to allow the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to impose mandatory reliability standards on all owners, operators and users of the bulk power system. As “users” …
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Wed 24 Feb, 2010 / by Cable Huston / General
In 2003, the United States Treasury Department released new regulations implementing Section 141(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that enable consumer-owned utilities to enter into prepaid contracts for electricity financed through the issuance of tax-exempt bonds. Although pre-paid transactions for electricity have generated a lot of buzz, the reality is that there have only been a small handful of deals completed on that basis….. Read More
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