Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure

In Part I of our series on the Transportation Climate Initiative TCI, we provided an overview of this innovative program. Here in Part II, we will delve into how the initiative will work. As a regional policy, TCI will provide a framework for each state jurisdiction to implement in its own way. The recently released Framework for a Draft Regional Policy Proposal provides important insights into the way that the TCI could be structured in each state.

Read about new energy legislation in Congress, the extension of various federal energy tax provisions, and the swearing in of the new Secretary of Energy.

Read about Greentech Capital Advisors, a global investment bank focused on sustainable technology and infrastructure, and its plan to merge with Asia-headquartered financial services group Nomura.

Read about recent M&A activity in the energy and sustainability space.

On December 17, 2019, the United States House of Representatives voted to pass a $1.4 trillion spending package as an amendment to the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (H.R. 1865). The Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Relief Act of 2019 amendment, which included several energy-related tax provisions and extensions, was added to the end of the bill and unveiled just days before Congress was set to adjourn for the year.

On December 17, 2019, thirteen jurisdictions in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States officially issued an ambitious plan to combat climate change by reducing carbon emissions and investing in sustainable transportation infrastructure. The plan, entitled the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI), which has taken nearly a year to be drafted, is the first inter-state initiative of its kind and, if implemented, would drastically change the face of transportation along the East Coast.

In this first installment of a four-part series on the TCI, we will provide a comprehensive overview of the initiative and explain its aims. Subsequent installments will cover the initiative’s structure, the plan for Massachusetts, and potential challenges to implementation.

Learn about this month’s exciting energy industry events, including SUSTAINATOPIA-STI in Sunnyvale, California and SEIA’s Solar and Energy Storage New York in Albany, New York.

This issue covers news about XL Fleet — a provider of sustainable electrification solutions to the commercial fleet market — recent M&A activity, energy policy developments in DC, and more.

Read about XL Fleet — a provider of sustainable electrification solutions to the commercial fleet market — its acquisition of Quantum Fuel Systems' electrification division and its new CEO, Dimitri Kazarinoff.

Read about recent M&A activity in the energy and sustainability space.

Congress returns to Washington the week of December 2 for a short work period of two weeks, although additional legislative days may be added to the calendar as the House and Senate work to conclude several matters before the end of the year. Items on the agenda include Fiscal Year 2020 appropriations, the annual National Defense Authorization Act, and a potential year-end omnibus legislative package that would include various bills.

New York’s utility regulator has approved construction on a 316-megawatt battery storage plant, a facility that, if built, would provide emissions-free power to New York City and the surrounding region while replacing a significant portion of the city’s fossil-fueled energy. Known as the Ravenswood Development, the project aims to provide 2,528 MWh of power and would operate during peak hours, with enough storage capacity to discharge 8 hours of power during the hours of highest demand.

On November 5, 2019, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and GE Renewable Energy together announced the arrival of a powerful offshore wind turbine blade in Boston.

Don’t miss this month’s exciting events, including Greentech Media’s Energy Storage Summit in Denver, Colorado, and SEBANE’s Clean Peak Standard & Energy Storage Forum hosted by Mintz in the Boston office.

This month, we are pleased to feature Energetic Insurance, a company that facilitates solar project financing for developers, investors, and energy service providers. Serving as a Managing General Underwriter (MGU), the insurance company helps to evaluate risks and sell and bind policies for large insurance carriers.

Read the latest round of M&A activity in the energy and sustainability space.

This issue covers news about Energetic Insurance, regulatory issues related to blockchain in the energy industry, recent M&A activity, energy policy developments in DC, and upcoming energy events.

On September 20, 2019, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) filed a Notice of Public Review of the proposed 225 CMR 21.00, the Clean Peak Energy Portfolio Standard regulation. DOER seeks public comment on the proposed regulation. Originally part of An Act to Advance Clean Energy, which was signed into law in 2018, the Clean Peak Energy Portfolio Standard, or Clean Peak Standard (CPS), is designed to reduce demand at peak times and to shift energy use at these times to clean energy source.

November opens on Capitol Hill with the Senate in session the first week while the House is in a district work period. Both chambers are in session the weeks of November 11 and November 18, before breaking for the week of Thanksgiving. There are only 16 remaining legislative days in the year where both the House and Senate will be in session at the same time.

Mintz is excited to sponsor Horizon18, a new global event for the clean energy economy taking place October 10-11 in Boston.