2010 may be a cataclysmic year for the tax system. Virtually all the important tax cuts enacted in the Bush Administration expire at the end of this year. In addition, the pending health care reform legislation contains several significant revenue provisions. How will Congress deal with this fundamental shift? Further, the 1603 grant program will
Renewable
SEC Issues Interpretive Guidance on Greenhouse Gases
My partner Tom Wood circulated this preliminary alert this afternoon:
"Earlier today the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) approved interpretive guidance intended to inform public companies how climate change must be taken into account when applying existing disclosure requirements. Specifically, the SEC’s interpretative guidance highlights the following areas as examples of where climate change …
Stoel Rives Clients Receive Huge Tax Credit Awards
Stoel Rives would like to congratulate REC Silicon and SolarWorld on their awards of tax credits by the IRS and DOE. These two companies, combined, received over 10 percent of all the tax credits awarded nationwide under section 48C of the tax code.
On Friday, January 8, the Department of Energy awarded to 183 companies…
Upcoming Webinar: Impact of State RPS’s and the Prospect of a Federal RPS on What Utilities are Doing in Terms of Purchasing the Output of Wind Farms – January 27, 2010
With 3/5 of the States having Renewable Portfolio Standard in place and the prospect of a Federal RPS, many utilities are seeking to become first time purchasers of the output from wind projects. And utilities with a history of purchasing wind are seeking additional resources. In 2009, the presenters collectively worked on over 40 wind…
GEA’s Geothermal Energy Finance Forum hits New York
On January 14, the Geothermal Energy Association will host a one-day Geothermal Energy Finance Forum in New York. Almost 30 speakers are confirmed for the Forum, including heavy hitters from investment groups and banks, geothermal energy developers, and the DOE and Treasury. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) will deliver the keynote address. My colleague, John McKinsey…
U.S. Supreme Court Rules that Third-Parties Challenging Energy Contract Rates Must Clear the Mobile-Sierra Hurdle
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an important ruling clarifying how the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) must apply the Mobile-Sierra doctrine. The Mobile-Sierra doctrine informs how FERC should evaluate whether a contract rate for energy is just and reasonable, and the doctrine provides that FERC’s sole concern should be whether the contract rates being challenged…
February 9 Breakfast Seminar on Developing, Permitting and Financing Biomass Facilities
During the WORLD AG EXPO in Tulare, CA on February 9, Stoel Rives will be hosting a Breakfast Seminar on Developing, Permiting and Financing Biomass Facilities. The seminar will take place in the Sequoia Room of the Hampton Inn and Suites, 1100 N. Cherry Street, which is near the Expo Site. The Seminar will…
Secretary Chu Announces $80M for Biofuels
DOE Secretary Chu’s announcement today regarding $80 million of ARRA funding for biofuels is potentially a positive development for the long-term development of the biofuels industry. What is worriesome from a practical perspective is the division of funding.
Continue Reading Secretary Chu Announces $80M for Biofuels
XCEL Plans New Wind Solicitation In Connection With Anson Plant
In a January 8 letter to the Minnesota Public Service Commission, Xcel Energy informed the Commission that it intends to conduct competitive negotiations with wind projects that are able to interconnect at Xcel’s Angus Anson generating station in Sioux Falls.
The Angus Anson plant is a gas-fired peaking facility that has firm transmission to deliver its output. Xcel…
CPUC Proposed Decision on TRECs–Comments Due January 19
The California Public Utilities Commission ("CPUC") issued a proposed decision on December 23, 2009 that would, if adopted, allow California investor-owned utilities, energy service providers, and community choice aggregators to purchase renewable energy credits alone, without the associated energy (sometimes referred to as "unbundled renewable energy credits ("RECs)" or "tradable RECs"), to satisfy their obligations…