Renewable energy mandate bill revived
WASHINGTON DC - Senators are making another push at requiring utilities to use more renewable energy such as wind, solar and geothermal.
The Senate energy committee chairman, New Mexico Democrat Jeff Bingaman, and other senators are now hoping to pass a bill that would mandate utilities get 15 percent of their energy from such sources by 2021. They will try to get the legislation passed in a lame duck session after the election.
The move comes after an Associated Press story that efforts for such a mandate, known as a renewable electricity standard, had stalled in the Senate.
Nevada Democrat Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, did not include the mandate in his energy bill despite a big lobbying push by environmental groups, renewable energy providers, more than half the nation's governors and even some utilities.
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SC nuclear plant on the mend after a leak shut down production for weeks
COLUMBIA, SC - The V.C. Summer nuclear power plant, which has been shut down since early November because of a pipe leak, is expected to begin producing energy in a few days.
Dominion Energy says it has fixed the small leak in a pipe valve that allowed radioactive water to drip out. The company declined to say when the plant would be fully operational, but spokesman Ken Holt said that can take several days.
The plant was at 17 percent power Wednesday, he said.
Holt, who said Dominion is still investigating the cause, said water that leaked was part of the reactor cooling system.…
