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Articles by Bernard McNamee
Utilities not to blame for rising electric bills
OPINION: Another day, another claim that greedy electric companies are driving up power bills. Yet facts are stubborn things, and any serious review of rising electricity prices shows that utilities are not the cause. To understand why power bills are rising, it is important to know that increases in electric bills are not uniform throughout the country, and the causes differ by region.
FERC Announces Intent to Act on Rulemaking Proceeding to Facilitate Electric Service to AI Data Centers, Other Large Loads
During its April 2026 open meeting, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an order in its Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANOPR) proceeding relating to large load interconnections informing participants of its intent to issue an order in the docket by the end of June 2026.
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This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Bernard McNamee is a former commissioner on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, former deputy general counsel for energy policy at the U.S. Department of Energy, and served four state attorneys general in Virginia and Texas. Growing affordability concerns often take aim at electric bills.
FERC Establishes Proceeding to Consider DOE Directive on Large Load Transmission Interconnection Rulemaking | JD Supra
On Oct. 23, 2025, the Department of Energy (DOE) sent the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) a proposed Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANOPR) related to the interconnection of large loads and directed FERC to take final action no later than April 30, 2026. On Oct. 28, FERC established a new docket to consider DOE’s ANOPR and issued a “Notice Inviting Comments” (Docket No. RM26-4-000). In the notice, FERC set an initial comment date of Nov. 14 and a reply comment deadline of Nov. 28.
SCOTUS Allows Private Company’s License for Stand-Alone Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility | JD Supra
On June 18, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Nuclear Regulatory Commission, et al. v. Texas, et al., reinstated a license originally issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), permitting the storage of depleted nuclear reactor fuel at a facility that does not house a nuclear power plant.
Trump’s First-Day Executive Orders a Mixed Bag for Energy Sectors | JD Supra
In his first days in office, President Donald Trump issued several executive orders and presidential memoranda related to the energy industry. Some of the executive orders work to promote certain energy sectors, but others reflect a desire to limit continued growth in the renewable energy space, including through potential reductions in grants and other incentives that facilitate renewable energy projects. Below is a summary of each order and possible implications.
Legislation on Small Modular Reactor Development Advances Virginia’s Shift to Clean Energy | JD Supra
Virginia has taken a significant further step to promote clean energy. The General Assembly recently passed legislation promoting the development of small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) electric-generating facilities. Under the legislation, investor-owned electric utilities may accelerate the recovery of costs they incur when developing one or more SMRs at a single site, facilitating the investment required to advance this type of resource. Each SMR can be up to 500 megawatts.
Capital Corner: Wind Energy Issues: The answer, my friend, may not be blowing in the wind
The issue of wind energy and wind farms has attracted quite a bit of discussion in my district as Chickasaw County has set their windmill regulations in place and Floyd County is working on theirs. There is also much discussion across the state in other counties as this is an issue elsewhere in Iowa too. But a number of rural landowners are opposing this effort.
Electric transmission buildout could cost Americans trillions of dollars
By Bernard L. McNamee Real Clear Wire Though windmills and solar panels get the headlines, the big energy topic in Washington is electric transmission.
Electric Transmission Buildout Could Cost Americans Trillions of Dollars — THE MILLENNIAL PRESS
Though windmills and solar panels get the headlines, the big energy topic in Washington is electric transmission.
TRILLIONS! The cost of America's electric transmission buildout — THE MILLENNIAL PRESS
[Editor’s note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Wire.] By Bernard L. McNamee Real Clear Wire Though windmills and solar panels get the headlines, the big energy topic in Washington is electric transmission.
Electric Transmission Buildout Could Cost Americans Trillions of Dollars
Though windmills and solar panels get the headlines, the big energy topic in Washington is electric transmission.
ERCOT Issues RFP To Procure 3,000 MW Of Capacity To Alleviate 2023-2024 Winter Concerns
On Oct. 2, 2023, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) issued a request for proposals to stakeholders to procure up to 3,000 MW of generation or demand response capacity to meet load and reserve requirements during the winter 2023-24 peak load season (Dec. 1, 2023, through Feb. 29, 2024).
FERC Implements Generator Interconnection Process Reforms: Compliance Filings Due December 2023
On September 6, 2023, the Federal Register published the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) Order No. 2023, 'Improvements to Generator Interconnection Procedures and Agreements,' a 1,000+ page Final Rule adopting reforms to generator interconnection procedures and amending the pro forma Large Generator Interconnection Procedures (LGIP), the pro forma Large Generator Interconnection Agreement (LGIA), the Small Generator Interconnection Procedures (SGIP) and the Small Generator...
FERC Implements Generator Interconnection Process Reforms: Compliance Filings Due December 2023
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PUCT Winter Storm Uri Orders Reversed and Remanded by Texas Court of Appeals
On March 17, 2023, the Texas Court of Appeals for the Third District issued an opinion reversing two winter storm Uri orders by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) that had raised power prices in ERCOT to $9,000/MWh. ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, manages the electric grid for most, but not all, of Texas and serves approximately 26 million customers. The decision by the Court of Appeals in Luminant Energy Company LLC v.
On March 25, 2022, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) issued a notice regarding a new interim large load interconnection process that is effective immediately. The interim process applies to load interconnection requests — usually large, flexible loads with accelerated timelines, such as crypto-miners — that have not been modeled and studied in a completed ERCOT planning assessment (e.g., regional transmission plan, full interconnection study or regional planning group review).
Why Marginal Pricing in Wholesale Electric Markets May Need Reform
As the United States attempts to integrate more renewables into its electric system to achieve a zero-emissions grid, it’s time to ask why more of the financial benefits of low-cost renewable resources are not being passed on to customers.
DOE Bans China-Connected Transactions in BPS Equipment Serving Critical Defense Facilities | JD Supra
On Dec. 17, 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a prohibition order, in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order 13920 of May 3, 2020 (EO). The prohibition order bars electric utilities from acquiring, importing, transferring or installing certain electric equipment with a nexus to China that will then serve designated defense facilities.
This Earth Day, let's accept the critical role that fossil fuel plays in energy needs
Since its inception in 1970, Earth Day (April 22) has been a strange mix — a celebration of springtime and the great outdoors, combined with doom-and-gloom prophecies of destruction, centering on overpopulation, pollution and capitalism. But because Earth Day is an opportunity for reflection about our planet and the people who inhabit it, we should consider how man’s use of natural resources has affected the environment and the human condition.
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