Based on its preliminary findings in an investigation looking into the storm preparation and response practices of two energy utilities following widespread service disruptions after a windstorm last March, the commission ordered the two to show cause why they should not be fined for violating the terms of their own emergency response plans.

In a proceeding it described as among the most “complex litigations” to come before it in the last 20 years, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission has adopted a settlement under which an electric and natural gas utility was awarded a small measure of rate relief for its electric operations, but the additional revenues are earmarked for moving up the timeline for decommissioning and remediating four coal-fired generating facilities located in Montana.

In a docket revolving around RG&E and NYSEG, the commission deemed reasonable their joint proposal to offer municipal customers the option of having the companies install utilityowned light-emitting diode (LED) street lighting systems.

A solar power project developer has maintained its track record of being unable to prevail in court when prosecuting a complaint about eligibility for purchased power contracts at an avoided-cost rate pursuant to the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA).

A federal appellate court has sustained a 2014 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ruling that addressed the sharing of “legacy” facility costs among participants in the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), a regional transmission organization (RTO) that prior to 2014 encompassed eight states in the lower Midwest section of the country, with the RTO overseeing approximately 50,000 miles of electric transmission lines.