Natural Gas News – December 21, 2017

Gas Under Threat? California Regulators Target PG&E Natural Gas Plants With Energy Storage

Green Tech Media reported: California has already postponed and even canceled plans to build new natural-gas-fired power plants in favor of distributed energy. But it hasn’t proposed to replace an existing power plant with them — until now. Early this month, the California Public Utilities Commission issued a resolution that would direct utility Pacific Gas & Electric to open competitive solicitations for DERs — energystorage mostly, but with room for other carbon-neutral “preferred resources” like demand response — to cover the grid capacity and voltage needs now being served by three Northern California natural-gas-fired power plants. Choosing which power plants are vital to keep the transmission grid running is the domain of the California Independent System Operator, not the CPUC. For more visit greeentechmedia.com or click http://bit.ly/2BS4kMV

Big Crowd Leads to Continuance of Natural-Gas Pipeline Hearing in Hancock

Herald Mail Media reported: HANCOCK — More than 200 people attended Tuesday’s public hearing on the proposed natural-gas pipeline TransCanada plans to build through Washington County and under the Potomac River to West Virginia. More than 70 signed up to speak at the hearing, which stretched from 7 to 10 p.m. at Hancock Middle/High School. Supporters said the pipeline would be safe and that the fuel is needed to spur continued economic development in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Opponents cited a range of environmental concerns, from river pollution to contamination of private wells, and said the focus should be on renewable energy, not fossil fuels. At 10 p.m., presiding official Denise Keehner, administrator of the wetlands and waterways program for the Maryland Department of the Environment, called a time out. For more information and stories heraldmailmedia.com or click http://bit.ly/2BgQS1h