• FERC: Norris steps down, Court upholds Order 1000, two-year hydro licensing pilot approved ...
• Energy and Environment: EPA’s 111(d) "Clean Power Plan" gets hearing in House, states file an early suit, and Senators ask for additional time to comment...
• Grid Security: Senate Passes Info-Sharing, Non-controversial bills pass House...

On Aug. 7, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Commissioner John Norris submitted a letter of resignation, effective Aug. 20, from a term not scheduled to expire until June 30, 2017. The resignation is a disappointment to many in public power who welcomed Norris’s concern for consumers and a reasonable approach to many issues that came before the Commission.

Norris has been passed over twice for chair and publicly blamed Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) for scuttling his chances in the belief that Norris was too "pro-coal." Norris is set to become the minister-counselor for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Rome.

To read the complete legislative update including the following topics, click the links below:

U.S. Court Upholds FERC rules on Electric Grid Planning