HUD and USDA announced and seek comment on a preliminary determination regarding energy efficiency standards for new construction of HUD- and USDA-financed housing as a first step to require compliance with these standards in HUD and USDA housing covered by the Energy Independence and Security Act.
The Rural Utilities Service solicited letters of interest for loan applications to finance power generation projects for renewable energy resource (RER) systems or energy storage systems that support RER Projects, announced the application process for those loans, and provided deadlines for applications from eligible entities under the Powering Affordable Clean Energy Program.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed to implement §307 of the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act and amend Regulation Z to address how the Truth in Lending Act applies to Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) transactions to account for the unique nature of PACE.
The U.S. Geological Survey announced that it, in collaboration with Environment and Climate Change Canada and Mexico’s La Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad, will undertake a two-year regional assessment of biodiversity and climate change, culminating in the first-ever assessment report addressing these two challenges together for the United States, Canada, Mexico, U.S. territories, and Freely Associated States.
NRC issued Revision 2 to Regulatory Guide 1.89, “Environmental Qualification of Certain Electric Equipment Important to Safety for Nuclear Power Plants,” which provides guidance that the staff of NRC considers acceptable to meet regulatory requirements for environmental qualification of certain electric equipment important to safety.
As population growth and increased electrification rapidly raise demand for power, U.S. electric grids are struggling to keep pace, and the need for more transmission capacity is pressing. The U.S. Congress has delegated its interstate commerce authority to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to regulate interstate transmission rates. Meanwhile, states regulate intrastate transmission rates. What is perhaps surprising, though, is the fact that states generally have authority over the siting and construction of interstate transmission lines.
DOE seeks comment regarding the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management’s methane mitigation technologies and point source carbon capture research and development activities and regulation of natural gas imports and exports; specifically, the Department seeks information on strategies and technologies that natural gas and liquefied natural gas companies are deploying or could deploy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management seeks comment on possible commercial wind energy leasing on the outer continental shelf in the Gulf of Maine.
The National Credit Union Administration seeks public input on current and future climate and natural disaster risks to federally insured credit unions (FICUs), related entities, their members, and the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund, and on the development of potential future guidance, regulation, reporting requirements, and/or supervisory approaches for FICUs’ management of climate-related financial risks.
DOE announced the establishment of the 21st Century Energy Workforce Advisory Board, pursuant to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.