DOE

A Dynamic Mission: Protecting Utility Assets

State public service commissions are insisting that utilities adopt risk management programs, and are allowing less pass-through for those that don't.

Many electric utilities have been on high alert since Sept. 11 to protect the assets within their systems from cyber and physical attack. For instance, 21 U.S. nuclear reactors are located within five miles of an airport, but 96 percent of all U.S. reactors were designed without regard for the potential for impact from even a small aircraft.

Vote Yes on Yucca Mountain

Congress needs to uphold the president's designation for a nuclear waste disposal site.

In the interest of security, economics, and common sense, it is important that Congress votes to uphold Yucca Mountain as the nation's central nuclear waste disposal facility.

Moving Gas to Generate Power: An Encore for Hrehor/Sytsma

While responsive to the operational requirements of the particular systems, several new pipeline services enable generators to react more promptly to spiking electric demand.

Putting flesh on the gas-power vision, pipeline efforts to formulate services for generators, and FERC orders governing those efforts now assume a discernible shape. This is a reasonable time to take stock.

People (April 15, 2002)

Stephen P. Reynolds succeeds William S. Weaver as president and CEO for Puget Energy. NERC elected Bruce A. Scherr to its independent board of trustees. Jim Wise, chairman and CEO of Neostar Group Inc., has joined the volunteer leadership team of the Resource Alliance Group of Houston. And others ...

Bush's Cloudy Skies?

Experts debate whether Bush’s Clear Skies plan on power plant emissions clears the way for better emissions technologies.

The Bush administration has yet to deliver a detailed plan of its Clear Skies program-no legislation has been introduced. Even without many details, there's plenty to argue about. At the top of the list is whether a cap-and-trade program will truly reduce emissions more than the current command-and-control regime.

People (April 1, 2002)

Edward F. Godfrey has been named to the Unitil board of directors. CH Energy Group appointed Steven V. Lant COO. Susan Glasmann and Alan Allred were named senior vice presidents for Questar Regulated Services, a subsidiary of Questar Corp. And others ...

Let's Be Rational About Hydrogen as a Vehicular Fuel

A response to “Forgetting Someone, Mr. Secretary?” Frontlines, Feb 1, 2002.

Mr. Stavros seems to fall into the same trap as so many of the major car manufacturers in assuming the need for a prohibitively costly infrastructure to supply this hydrogen when one already exists that offers by far the cheapest and environmentally vastly superior option—the natural gas transmission and distribution system.

FERC At 25

A leaner bureaucracy sharpens its market-monitoring tools.

FERC turns 25 this year. With Enron’s collapse and California’s unraveled electric restructuring scheme, the silver anniversary reminiscing may be slightly muted.

People (Feb 15, 2002)

Dan Boverman has been appointed vice president and CFO for Celerity Energy. SEMCO Energy appointed John E. Schneider as CFO. Constellation Energy has announced several personnel changes. And others ...