On May 29, 2020, Shell Energy North America (US), L.P. (“Shell”) filed a petition asking FERC to interpret PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.’s (“PJM’s”) Tariff provisions regarding bilateral transfers of Financial Transmission Rights (“FTRs”). Shell’s petition stems from a pending breach of contract claim brought by GreenHat Energy, LLC (“GreenHat”) against Shell in Texas. Shell’s petition asks FERC to assert primary jurisdiction over GreenHat’s contract claim to allow Shell to seek dismissal of GreenHat’s suit.

On June 4, 2020, President Trump issued an Executive Order directing federal agencies to take all reasonable measures to speed infrastructure investments and requiring the heads of all federal agencies to identify projects that can be exempted from the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”), Endangered Species Act (“ESA”), or the Clean Water Act (“CWA”), pursuant to the emergency procedures within each act, among other requirements.

In an order issued June 9, 2020, FERC accepted a proposal from the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. (“MISO”) to require certain solar generating facilities to respond to real-time dispatch signals by registering as Dispatchable Intermittent Resources (“DIRs”). Through MISO’s proposal, all solar resources entering commercial operation on or after March 15, 2020 must register as DIRs and become dispatchable by March 15, 2022, whereas solar resources in operation before March 15, 2020 have the option, but are not required, to obtain DIR registration. In accepting the proposal, FERC rejected arguments from one protestor that the proposal unduly burdened solar projects in late-stage development, finding that MISO’s proposed two-year transition period for such resources was reasonable.

On June 9, 2020, FERC ordered amendments to its regulations to prohibit natural gas projects authorized under Sections 3 and 7 of the Natural Gas Act (“NGA”) from commencing construction activities until after (i) the deadline for filing a request for rehearing has lapsed without a request being filed, or (ii) FERC has acted upon the merits of any timely-filed request for rehearing (“Order No. 871”). The new regulation will become effective, without any opportunity to file comments, 30 days after the Final Rule is published in the Federal Register. Because FERC’s orders on rehearing sometimes take several months, and in some cases more than a year to be issued, both liquefied natural gas (“LNG”) and natural gas pipeline projects approved by FERC could be significantly delayed from commencing construction as a result of Order No. 871.

On May 29, 2020, FERC accepted PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.’s (“PJM”) and PJM Settlement, Inc.’s (“PJM Settlement”) proposed revisions to its Open Access Transmission Tariff (“Tariff”) and the Amended and Restated Operating Agreement establishing updated credit risk evaluation criteria and processes for market participants in PJM. These revisions, which enhance PJM’s rules for evaluating and managing the posed credit risk of current and potential PJM market participants, were developed in response to GreenHat Energy LLC’s (“GreenHat”) 2018 default on a large portfolio of Financial Transmission Rights (“FTRs”). The proposed revisions went into effect on June 1, 2020, as requested. Commissioners James Danly and Richard Glick issued concurring opinions.

On May 29, 2020, FERC accepted the California Independent System Operator Corporation’s (“CAISO”) proposed update to its capacity procurement mechanism (“CPM”) compensation for offers above the soft offer cap, where a participating resource will be compensated at the resource’s going-forward fixed costs plus a 20 percent adder. The new CPM compensation formula will go into effect June 1, 2020. Commissioner Richard Glick dissented, stating that while he agreed that CPM compensation should be determined by a resource’s going-forward fixed costs, CAISO had failed to show that the 20 percent adder was just and reasonable.

On June 1, 2020, FERC issued an order on remand from the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (the “D.C. Circuit”) directing the Bonneville Power Administration (“Bonneville”) to return to Chehalis Power Generating, L.P. (“Chehalis”) refunded payments for reactive power supplied to Bonneville from August 1, 2005 through September 30, 2005. While FERC declined to require Bonneville to return the entire refund amount requested by Chehalis, it did provide interest calculated according to FERC’s interest regulation.

On May 21, 2020, FERC denied two 2017 complaints alleging that PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.’s (“PJM’s”) capacity procurement rules are unjust and unreasonable as applied to seasonal resources. FERC concluded complainants failed to show that PJM’s single annual capacity product is unjust and unreasonable, and rejected arguments that the rules discriminate against seasonal resources. Commissioner Richard Glick filed a separate concurring statement.

On May 20, 2020, FERC issued a notice that it will convene a Commissioner-led technical conference on Wednesday and Thursday, July 8–9, 2020 from approximately 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time each day “to consider the ongoing, serious impacts that the emergency conditions caused by COVID-19 are having on various segments of the United States’ energy industry.” The notice stated that the technical conference will explore potential long-term impacts on FERC-regulated entities to ensure the continued efficient functioning of energy markets, electric transmission, transportation of natural gas and oil, and reliable operation of energy infrastructure, while also protecting consumers.