Category: Regulations, Gov’t Oversight
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Putting Easements to the Test
As gas and electric companies propose dozens of pipeline and transmission-line projects in Virginia, landowners are finding their conservation easements don’t provide as much protection as they thought.
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The Politics of Big Data
by James A. Bacon Yesterday I blogged about the All-Payer Claims Database, which has the potential to provide unprecedented insight into medical outcomes and charges in Virginia. By consolidating medical claims data for hundreds of millions of health claims, the database will enable employers, insurers and hospitals to conduct analytical studies that were impossible previously. There is…
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If You Like Wind and Solar, You’d Better Like Transmission Lines, Too
by James A. Bacon Wind and solar power are becoming increasingly competitive with fossil fuels and nuclear as an electric power source. As Virginia integrates more renewable energy sources into its electric generation mix, a big question is how much can the power grid handle before the intermittent nature of blowing winds and sunny skies threatens…
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The Virginia Way
Eva Teig Hardy, former Virginia health secretary, on the endless debate over Certificate of Public Need regulations of Virginia hospitals, as quoted in the Richmond Times-Dispatch: I think we need to go somewhere with this. Otherwise we are making changes that are just very superficial to the process but not to the substance of COPN.…
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“Cultural Attachment” the Latest Barrier to Infrastructure Projects?
by James A. Bacon Landowner and environmentalist groups have advanced a number of arguments against building more gas pipelines (see previous post), but among the more novel is the idea that the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) will disrupt the “cultural attachment” rural landowners feel for the land that would be traversed. What foes are contending here is…
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Pipeline Foes Appeal to FERC
by James A. Bacon A coalition of pipeline opponents has called upon the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to conduct a comprehensive review of the need for four natural gas pipelines running through Virginia rather than reviewing them on their individual merits. The coalition, which includes numerous environmental and landowner groups, was joined by two Virginia state…
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Virginia GOP Flunks the ABC Test
by Justin Trent With the Virginia Department of Alcohol Beverages Control in the news again, residents of Virginia have another opportunity to ask their elected officials why the Commonwealth of Virginia holds a monopoly over an entire industry. In addition, small government conservatives should consider whether the continued existence of Virginia ABC proves that the…
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How the Feds Run Virginia’s Colleges and Universities Now
by James A. Bacon A new Vanderbilt University study sheds light on the relentless increase in costs at U.S. colleges and universities: government regulation. In a detailed study of 13 institutions, Vanderbilt and the Boston Consulting Group found that compliance with federal regulations ranges between 3% and 11%, depending upon the institution, with a median cost…
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SCC Says Dominion Must Seek Third-Party Solar Alternatives
The State Corporation Commission has nixed Dominion Virginia Power’s proposal to construct a 20-megawatt solar projects near its Remington Power Station in Fauquier County, stating that the power company must first see third-party alternatives. In its final order, the Commission said, “As a ‘small renewable’ solar project, the Remington Solar Facility is one type of…
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A Sign of the Coming Grid Wars
It happened in Nevada first, but it could come to Virginia eventually — the effort by major electricity consumers to bypass their local utilities and purchase power from wholesale electric markets. Three big casino companies — Wynn Resorts, MGM Resorts International and Las Vegas Sands — say they could slash millions of dollars from their electric bills…
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An Intractable Dilemma
When Dominion shuts down the Yorktown Power Station, Virginia’s Peninsula will need another source of electric power. Dominion says a 500 kV transmission line over the historic James River is the the best. Conservationists disagree.
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The SCC's Last Crack at Dominion before the Rate Freeze
by James A. Bacon The State Corporation Commission is conducting a two-week hearing to determine whether or not Dominion Virginia Power should rebate $66 million in excess profits to ratepayers, as calculated by the SCC staff. This review of Dominion’s base electric rates (which cover operating costs, not fuel or rate adjustment clauses) will be…
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The SCC’s Last Crack at Dominion before the Rate Freeze
by James A. Bacon The State Corporation Commission is conducting a two-week hearing to determine whether or not Dominion Virginia Power should rebate $66 million in excess profits to ratepayers, as calculated by the SCC staff. This review of Dominion’s base electric rates (which cover operating costs, not fuel or rate adjustment clauses) will be…
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Understanding Your Electric Bill
by James A. Bacon In 2009 Virginia enacted a law providing for the re-regulation of the electric power industry. There was a flurry of publicity surrounding the legislative process, then the media promptly forgot about it. Only with the sweeping mandates of the Environmental Protection Agency, which is compelling a massive re-engineering of Virginia’s electric…
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Student Debt and the Decline of New Business Formation
by James A. Bacon Many are the ways in which burgeoning student debt — $1.2 trillion and rising — cripple the economy. On this blog we’ve discussed how debt delays family formation, housing purchases and consumer spending. Recent research from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Board also suggests that student debt dampens new business formation, an…