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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

Rates Up, But Dereg Working, Massachusetts Officials Say

LCG, Jan. 26, 2001Massachusetts electric customers are seeing two bumps in their bills this month that increase the cost of power to the average customer by 15 percent to 20 percent, but state and utility officials say deregulation is working the way it's supposed to.

One of the increases is for sharply higher fuel costs for power plants, which will cost the average householder $6.61, while another $2.00 brings the utilities up to date for fuel costs they were not allowed to pass through to consumers for the first three years of deregulation in Massachusetts.

State officials say that the higher prices are one reason deregulation is working in Massachusetts and not in California.

David O'Connor, head of the Massachusetts Division of Energy Resources, said "Everyone is grumpy, but the lights are still on here. We're taking care of our problems as they come up."

The Massachusetts Public Interest Group's Rob Sargent thinks backers of electric deregulation are looking at their handiwork from the wrong angle. "Their yardstick seems to be that it's not as bad as California, therefore it must be working," he said.

But regulators say they would rather have the utilities keep abreast of their costs, rather than be forced into insolvency, as has happened in California. They point out that the fuel costs would have been passed through to ratepayers, deregulation or not.

Also, they point out, Massachusetts is allowing new power plant construction, another sharp difference with California. O'Connor said nine new plants have been built in the past three years and eight more are scheduled to begin operation over the next few years.

"There's almost no way we will continue to see the wholesale prices we're seeing with those plants coming online," he said. "The prices have got to come down."

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