Acid rain compliance: Coordination of state and federal regulation

Journal Article · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1992 · Energy Law Journal; (United States)

OSTI ID:6918946

Nordhaus, R R

The Clean Air Act (CAA) Amendments of 1990 impose new controls on emissions by electric utilities of the two major precursors of acid rain: sulfur dioxide (SO2) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). 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 statute. Most of these utilities, utility systems, and power pools are regulated by more than one utility regulatory authority. Some utilities are regulated by several states, some by a single state and by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and some by multiple states, by the FERC, and by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Utility regulators will need to coordinate their policies for ratemaking and for reviewing acid rain compliance strategies if least cost solutions are to be implemented without imposing on ratepayers and utility shareholders the costs and risks of inconsistent regulatory determinations. This article outlines the scope of the coordination problem and addresses possible approaches that utility regulators may take to deal with this problem.

• OSTI ID: 6918946
• Journal Information: Energy Law Journal; (United States), Journal Name: Energy Law Journal; (United States) Vol. 13:2; ISSN 0270-9163; ISSN ELJOEA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290300* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
293000 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Policy
Legislation
& Regulation
ACID RAIN
AMENDMENTS
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CHALCOGENIDES
COMPLIANCE
CONTROL
ELECTRIC POWER INDUSTRY
ELECTRIC UTILITIES
INDUSTRY
LAWS
LEGAL ASPECTS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION LAWS
PUBLIC UTILITIES
RAIN
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR DIOXIDE
SULFUR OXIDES
US CLEAN AIR ACT
US DOE
US FERC
US ORGANIZATIONS