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EPA Announces Proposed Rule Action to Revise ELG's and Support Reliable, Affordable Coal-fired Power Plants

LCG, May 14, 2026--The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it is proposing a rule to revise wastewater limits, known as effluent limitations guidelines (ELG), for steam electric power plants that will help improve grid reliability and lower electricity prices while continuing to support clean and safe water resources. If finalized, the EPA's proposal is estimated to reduce electricity generation costs by as much as $1.1 billion annually, which could provide cost-savings to American consumers.

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DOE Awards $94 Million to Eight American Companies to Accelerate SMR Deployments and Develop Supply Chain

LCG, May 14, 2026--The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the selection of eight companies to support the near-term deployment of advanced light-water small modular reactors (SMRs) in the United States. The DOE states that awardees will collectively receive more than $94 million in Federal cost-shared funding to spur additional Gen III+ SMR deployments by addressing key gaps that have hindered the domestic nuclear industry in licensing, supply chain, and site preparation.

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Industry News

FERC Asked to Ease Caps on Northwest Power Prices

LCG, Aug. 31, 2001--A power planning group formed by the governors of four states in the Pacific Northwest has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to relax their price caps on electricity because of concern that the controls could restrict power supplies this winter.

The Northwest Power Planning Council says FERC's pricing formula, imposed in June on 11 states in the West, is based solely on the cost of producing power in California, which has little relevance for Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

In California, peak demand occurs during the summer when air conditioners are fighting a hot climate and drops during the clement winters. The situation is just the opposite in the Northwest, where many homes are heated by electricity and the winters are cold.

The council fears that FERC's pricing formula could keep prices artificially low in the Northwest and deter power producers from selling electricity into the regional market, just when it's needed most.

The council recommended several changes to FERC's rule, including one that would base power prices on the cost of production, and voted 6-2 to file the petition with FERC.

Another of the recommendations would require power producers in California to sell electricity into the four Northwestern states -- the reverse of Clinton administration rulings when the Department of Energy ordered Northwestern power producers to sell power to California during that state's energy emergencies last fall.

Those sales resulted in power shortages in the Northwest and higher prices for consumers in the four states.

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