In today’s AUSenergy News Update: Cambridge, Massachusetts joins list of cities requiring benchmarking, FERC divided on call for reliability impact analysis of EPA carbon rule, and 12 states suing the EPA over carbon emission rule.

Cambridge, Massachusetts joins list of cities requiring benchmarking

Summary: Cambridge, Massachusetts now requires benchmarking and disclosure of building energy performance for large commercial, institutional and multifamily buildings. The ordinance will be phased in for the various building types, with municipal buildings reporting their data by the end of 2014.
AUS Comment: Research shows that building owners who benchmark their buildings are more likely to make energy efficiency improvements. Energy benchmarking is an important first step towards improving building energy management and reducing energy costs.

FERC divided on call for reliability impact analysis of EPA carbon rule

Summary: The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee summoned the Federal Energy Regulatory Commision’s (FERC) four sitting commissioners and future chair, Norman Bay, to testify on grid reliability challenges posed by the EPA’s Clean Power Plan. Commissioner Philip Moeller renewed his call for a reliability analysis on the impact of expected coal-plant shutdowns. Moeller noted that the EPA has identified 180 GW of coal-fired generation expected to be shuttered as a result of the EPA’s carbon rule as well as the Mercury and Air Toxics rule.
AUS Comment: Those on the commission who object to a reliability analysis at this time believe that such a study could be more speculative than informative, due to the uncertainty over the requirements of the final rule and how it will be implemented by the states. However, many of Commissioner Moeller’s concerns are worthy of deeper investigation.

12 states suing the EPA over carbon emission rule

Summary: A dozen states that rely primarily on coal, have sued the EPA to try and derail the proposed rules intended to reduce greenhouse gases from existing coal-fired power plants. The states that have filed suit in the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia are Alabama, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, South Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming.
AUS Comment: The EPA is expected to ask the court to dismiss the suit. Many supporters of the EPA Clean Power Plan are calling West Virginia vs. EPA, 14-1146 a “laughable” lawsuit. This brief article by David Doniger explains the primary reasons why the lawsuit is likely to be quickly dismissed.