Acid rain compliance and coordination of state and federal utility regulation
- Van Ness, Feldman, and Curtis, P.C., Washington, DC (United States)
The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA) impose new controls on emissions by electric utilities of the two major precursors of acid rain: sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen. Utilities, and the utility holding company systems and power pools of which they are members, will be subject to extensive and costly compliance obligations under the new stature. Most of these utilities, utility systems, and power pools are regulated by more than one utility regulatory authority. Utility regulators will need to coordinate their policies for ratemaking and for review of acid rain compliance strategies if least-cost solutions are to be implemented without imposing on rate payers and utility shareholders the costs and risks of inconsistent regulatory determinations. This article outlines the scope of the coordination problem and spells out possible approaches that utility regulators may take in dealing with it. Topics covered include the following: the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments; acid rain (SO2); acid rain (NOx); costs of compliance; implications for utility regulation - federal and state utility regulatory framework; potential jurisdictional conflicts under existing state/federal utility regulatory scheme - single utility, holding companies, power pools; Utility regulatory issues under the 1990 amendments - planning conflicts, operational conflicts; methods for dealing with potential jurisdictional conflicts; coordination mechanisms - informal consultation, rulemaking,coordination of adjudicatory proceedings, FERC rate filings.
- Research Organization:
- National Regulatory Research Inst., Columbus, OH (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 75501
- Report Number(s):
- NRRI-93-8; CONF-9205161-Exc.; CONF-9204302-Exc.; CONF-930334-Exc.; ON: DE95008741; TRN: 95:004730-0008
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Regulatory policy issues and the clean air workshop, St. Louis, MO (United States); Charlotte, NC (United States); Oxford (United Kingdom), 7-8 May 1992; Apr 1992; 29-31 Mar 1993; Other Information: PBD: Jul 1993; Related Information: Is Part Of Regulatory policy issues and the Clean Air Act: Issues and papers from the state implementation workshops; Rose, K. [ed.]; Burns, R.E.; PB: 217 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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