Search Results for keywords:"St. Lawrence

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a final rule extending the effective removal date of the 1-psi gasoline volatility waiver for Ohio and nine counties in South Dakota by one year, from April 28, 2025, to April 28, 2026. This decision comes in response to petitions from the governors of Ohio and South Dakota citing concerns over insufficient gasoline supply without the extension. Factors influencing this decision include infrastructure challenges in Ohio and a recent explosion at a key refinery in Wyoming affecting supply to South Dakota. The EPA's action ensures that gasoline remains available during the summer of 2025 while necessary adjustments are made.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has updated its regulations under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978. This final rule expands the definition of qualifying cogeneration facilities to include fuel cell systems that use waste heat in a process to produce hydrogen, covering systems beyond just solid oxide fuel cells. The aim is to recognize technological advancements and promote efficient energy generation using fuel cells with integrated steam hydrocarbon reformation processes. This change encourages more efficient energy production and supports the evolving energy landscape while complying with existing environmental and energy conservation laws.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has introduced the 2024 Public Access Policy, which enhances public access to scholarly publications resulting from NIH-funded research. This policy mandates that authors submit their accepted manuscripts to PubMed Central, a digital archive, making them freely accessible without an embargo period starting December 31, 2025. The aim is to foster transparency, encourage collaboration, and ensure the public can engage with the latest scientific findings. The policy is grounded in feedback and is consistent with federal expectations for open access to taxpayer-funded research.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued a final rule to update its regulations by incorporating the latest standards (Version 004) for business practices and communication protocols for public utilities. These standards, developed by the North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB), aim to enhance consistency in utility operations and bolster cybersecurity. FERC requires utilities to make compliance filings by June 27, 2025, and to implement cybersecurity standards by February 27, 2026, with the remaining standards by August 27, 2026. The rule ensures public utilities adhere to updated practices that support reliable and secure energy systems.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a final rule to revise civil penalty amounts for violations of various transportation regulations, effective December 30, 2024. These adjustments are required by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act and are meant to ensure that penalties maintain their deterrent effect by accounting for inflation. The rule covers a wide array of areas including aviation, hazardous materials, and vehicle safety, among others. The adjustments apply prospectively, meaning they will only affect violations occurring after the rule takes effect.

The Western Area Power Administration (WAPA), under the Department of Energy, has issued a notice confirming and approving new Provisional Formula Rates for various services associated with the Central Valley Project. These rates, effective from March 25, 2021, to December 2024, cover Energy Imbalance Market (EIM) Services, Sale of Surplus Products, and updates to existing Energy Imbalance and Generator Imbalance services. The new rates aim to align WAPA’s practices with broader energy markets, manage costs efficiently, and ensure fair pricing for energy services in the Sierra Nevada Region.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has finalized amendments to improve financial disclosure requirements under Regulation S-K. These changes remove the need for companies to provide Selected Financial Data and streamline the need to disclose Supplementary Financial Information. Additionally, they update the Management's Discussion & Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A) rules to make financial statements more transparent and less repetitive. The goal is to help investors by making disclosures clearer and to reduce compliance difficulties for companies.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disapproved a proposed rule change by The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC concerning increased fees for certain market data and connectivity products. Nasdaq suggested increasing fees for firms that do not meet a minimum average daily displayed volume while maintaining lower fees for those who do. The SEC found that Nasdaq did not provide sufficient evidence that the proposed fees would be reasonable or fair, or that they would not harm competition. Additionally, the SEC was concerned that the pricing structure could unfairly disadvantage market participants who choose to trade on other exchanges.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a new rule regarding California's Regional Haze State Implementation Plan (SIP) for the second implementation period. The EPA plans to partially approve and partially disapprove the SIP submitted by California. While the plan addresses some standards, such as monitoring and emission inventories, it falls short in areas like setting proper long-term strategies and progress goals related to visibility improvement. This proposed rule opens a discussion about the elements of the SIP that meet federal requirements and those that need further improvement.

The U.S. Department of Energy has decided to update energy conservation standards for gas-fired instantaneous water heaters. These changes aim to make the heaters more energy-efficient, leading to significant energy savings while being both technologically feasible and economically justified. Starting December 26, 2029, manufacturers will need to comply with these new standards, which are calculated to save energy and money over the lifetime of the heaters and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, despite potential minor increases in electricity use. The overall benefits include costs savings for consumers and emissions reductions, though there will be conversion costs for manufacturers to meet these standards.