ICYMI over the holiday weekend, Utility Drive sat down with state regulators to see what they thought of the current efforts at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to make changes to the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA). Check it out:
The 1978 law is facing a potential major shift, and though most regulators agree the rule should be changed, they disagree with some of FERC's mechanisms.
The ongoing process of reforming the landmark 1978 alternative generation law, long considered one of the main vehicles for spurring small solar development, has triggered strong feelings from advocates across the renewables, markets and utilities spectrums.
Federal regulators in September proposed changes to the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) largely intended to give states more flexibility in how they implement the law.
Solar groups argue the proposed changes benefit utilities at the expense of small solar. Utility groups say the proposed rule will give states more regulatory flexibility and save utilities millions annually.
The Republican majority of FERC defends the changes as good for competition.
"I think renewables can compete in today's energy market without subsidies, without regulations," FERC Chair Neil Chatterjee said after the rule was proposed. But the commission's sole Democrat, Commissioner Richard Glick called the move "an attempt to administratively gut" the federal law.
So what do state regulators, the very group the law's changes are supposed to benefit, think about the proposed changes?
Read the full story in Utility Drive.