Appeal of SCE&G Nuclear Order Will be Heard Next Tuesday

SCJD Appellate Roster

Oral arguments on the South Carolina Energy Users Committee's appeal of the Public Service Commission's Base Load Review Order approving the construction and financing of two nuclear generation units at the VC Summer Facility in Jenkinsville will be hear on Tuesday, April 6, 2010
10:00 am. The Court's summary of the appeal is as follows:
"In this case, we determine whether the South Carolina Public Service Commission ("Commission") lacked the authority under the Base Load Review Act ("Act") to approve capital cost contingencies and include them in the forecast of the anticipated capital costs."
South Carolina Energy Users Committee v. The South Carolina Public Service Commission

National Public Internet?

CNSNews.com - FCC Calls on Congress to Spend More Money to Push PBS-Style Government-Sponsored Journalism Onto Internet to Compete With Privately Funded Internet Journalism: "(CNSNews.com) –

Tuesday, March 30, 2010
By Matt Cover, Staff Writer

The Federal Communications Commission’s National Broadband Plan calls for Congress to spend more tax dollars than it currently does on public broadcasting in order to push PBS-style government-funded journalism onto the Internet to compete with private-sector Internet journalism."

Post Tech - FCC begins rollout of national broadband policies

Post Tech
- FCC begins rollout of national broadband policies:

Cecilia Kang, Washington Post

"The Federal Communications Commission will begin the long process of creating regulations out of its national broadband plan, starting with a half-dozen policy inquiries and proposed rules to be announced at its April 21 meeting."

Governor Signs Law to Allow On Bill Financing of Energy Efficiency Improvements

Columbia Regional Business Report | Columbia, SC:

"A bill Gov. Mark Sanford is signing today will allow customers to pay for energy efficiency home improvements on their utility bills.

The allowed improvements will include more efficient appliances or basic work such as better insulation. The projects must be performed by a contractor approved by the utility and checked by a follow-up energy audit afterward.

The cost will be listed separately on bills, and interest rates are limited. The program is limited to existing structures, not new construction, and utilities are not required to participate."

How Google Plays the Angles in Washington

How Google Plays the Angles in Washington:

By David Goldman, CNN staff writer

"Last year, among the 16 bills that Google lobbied Congress on were a proposal to create an investment fund for clean energy and another to publicly detail who is using radio spectrum. Google also advocated for the Federal Communications Commission to support 'Net neutrality' -- an unfiltered, and equally accessed Internet.

This year, the company's Washington office has been chiefly focused on freedom of speech on the Internet, particularly because of its highly publicized battles with the Chinese government. Last week, Google's policy chief Al Davidson urged lawmakers to adopt policies that assure a neutral and open Internet at home and put pressure on foreign governments that censor the Web."

Offshore Drilling on the SC Coast

Obama to Open Offshore Areas to Oil Drilling for First Time - NYTimes.com:

By JOHN M. BRODER

Published: March 30, 2010

 "The proposal — a compromise that will please oil companies and domestic drilling advocates but anger some residents of affected states and many environmental organizations — would end a longstanding moratorium on oil exploration along the East Coast from the northern tip of Delaware to the central coast of Florida, covering 167 million acres of ocean."

Santee Cooper receives national awards for reliability, safety

Columbia Regional Business Report | Columbia, SC:

"The Reliable Public Power Provider award places Santee Cooper among the top 5% of public power utilities nationwide in reliability. That means the utility is one of 94 designated as an RP3 provider among the nation’s more than 2,000 public power utilities.

In 2009, Santee Cooper’s reliability on its distribution system was 99.9972%, and its transmission system’s reliability was 99.9989%."

Fires Force PEG Nuke Plant to Shut Down

2 electrical fires cause shutdown of SC nuke plant - Wire - North Carolina - NewsObserver.com:

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

"HARTSVILLE, S.C. -- Two fires in an electrical room have forced Progress Energy to shut down its South Carolina nuclear plant.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says no workers were injured in the fires Sunday night at the H. B. Robinson site, and the people living around the plant near Hartsville were not in danger"

Graham wants Congress, not EPA, to regulate greenhouse gases - S.C. Politics - TheState.com

Graham wants Congress, not EPA, to regulate greenhouse gases - S.C. Politics - TheState.com:

By SAMMY FRETWELL, sfretwell@thestate.com

"'Anybody that produces carbon, from a small farmer to a church, is potentially affected,' Graham said. 'And I believe the way to regulate carbon - and it should be regulated by the way - is through Congress, not through the EPA.'"

Duke Energy Appoints Catherine Heigel South Carolina President - Nuclear Power Industry News

Duke Energy Appoints Catherine Heigel South Carolina President - Nuclear Power Industry News:

- Edited by April Murelio -

"Duke Energy has named Catherine Heigel to the newly created position of president of its South Carolina service region. In this capacity, she will be responsible for advancing the company's rate and regulatory initiatives and managing state and local regulatory and governmental relations, economic development and community affairs."

Woman's story highlights struggles for energy relief | GoUpstate.com

Woman's story highlights struggles for energy relief | GoUpstate.com:

By Lynne P. Shackleford
lynne.shackleford@shj.com

"The program would allow members of South Carolina's 20 electric cooperatives to weatherize and tighten their homes -- dramatically reducing utility costs -- through low-interest loans tied to their electric bills. The proposal would use two-thirds of the homeowner's savings to pay the loans. For instance, if a power bill decreased by $90 monthly, the amount due would actually drop $30 and the remaining $60 would pay the loan. The state Legislature approved the program last week, and it heads to the governor this week."