16 Jul
Federal regulators proposed updating dam safety requirements in response to the 2017 failure of the spillway at the Oroville Dam and two recent collapses in Michigan. The partial crumbling of Oroville’s spillway, the nation’s highest dam, forced the evacuation of 180,000 people. The California Department of Water Resources is responsible for the spillway. The Federal […]
19 Nov
During a Nov. 19 workshop on reducing the energy use of the water and wastewater industries, providing conveyors and wastewater treatment operators real time energy use data was called critical. The water and wastewater industries use about 20 percent of the electricity in the state and about 30 percent of the natural gas use for […]
13 Apr
Consideration of a ballot measure to mandate that San Diego Gas & Electric serve only green energy to the City of San Diego if it wants a renewed franchise agreement was sent back to go. Leading gubernatorial Republican candidates challenge the recently enacted gas tax hike and the bullet train. Democratic governor hopefuls want to […]
11 Apr
The California Energy Commission approved “drought-proofing” a desert power plant and modifying efficiency regulations for portable electric spas and battery chargers. It also okayed a handful of multi-million-dollar grants and loans at its April 11 business meeting. The Commission approved changes to the conditions of certification for soil and water resources for the 830 MW […]
21 Mar
The controversy over the 20-year utility contract for the coastal Puente power plant near Ventura is the tip of California’s excess gas power plant iceberg. Take a look at the California Energy Commission’s recent analysis highlighting how infrequently the power plants along the coast have been used. Last year, several facilities seldom ran. California’s overloaded […]
5 Jan
In an effort to turn over a new leaf in the new year, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti Jan. 3 unveiled a customer bill of rights for the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power. (more…)
7 Apr
Over the last nine months, urban water agencies cut their water by just an overall 24 percent below 2013 levels, or 1.19 million acre feet, which is just short of Gov. Jerry Brown’s 25 percent reduction mandate. However, conservation in February dropped to 12 percent, meeting less than half of Brown’s mandate, which does not […]
31 Jul
Next week, the owners and operators of ocean-cooled power plants are expected to be allowed to pay a temporary mitigation fee starting in October to offset the loss of marine life caused by their facility’s sucking in large quantities of seawater. (more…)
2 Jul
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission July 1 reopened the scoping process for relicensing the Diablo Canyon Power Plant after suspending work on Pacific Gas & Electric’s application to extend the right to operate the nuclear facility in 2011. At that time, the agency stopped working on the application in order to provide time for additional seismic […]
CA Current