May 10, 2026 to May 16, 2026

This is Queen Street Analytics' weekly digest of regulatory developments, legislative discussions, political announcements, and other government-related news concerning power generation and transmission, wind and solar, utilities, midstream companies, batteries and energy storage, LNG, biofuels, as well as nuclear. Once a week, we break down the most important updates in this space in under five minutes.

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📋 In This Week's Newsletter

• 🏛️ This Week's Congressional Calendar
• 🇺🇸 Federal Government News
• 📜 Legislative Updates
• 📚 What We're Reading This Week

This Week's Congressional Calendar

• Senate hearing on nuclear legislation: Build Nuclear with Local Materials Act, RECHARGE Act, Enrichment Licensing Modernization Act: The Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Innovation and Safety will hold hearings May 20 on proposed nuclear-related legislation in Dirksen 406.
• House hearing on cyber resilience for water systems: The House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Environment will convene May 21 in Rayburn 2318 to examine science-based approaches for securing US water infrastructure against cyber threats.

Federal Government News

President signs FERC hydropower deadline extension bill

On May 11, the President signed S. 1020, authorizing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to extend construction deadlines for certain hydropower projects by up to six years. Separately, S. 98, Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025, was also signed, requiring FCC vetting for broadband network applicants.

Sources: www.whitehouse.gov

NRC issues final guidance on combined license review performance and reporting

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission published Regulatory Issue Summary 2026-04, spelling out performance and reporting requirements for combined license applications under the ADVANCE Act of 2024. The summary, available as of May 12, details applicant review processes and reference materials accessible through ADAMS and the NRC's website.

Sources: www.federalregister.gov

FERC opens environmental scoping for WBI Energy Transmission Line Section 32 Expansion Project

FERC is soliciting public comment through June 10 for the proposed WBI Energy Transmission Line Section 32 Expansion Project in Williams and McKenzie Counties, North Dakota. The project would add a 17-mile interstate natural gas pipeline and upgrade an interconnection to provide incremental gas service to Basin Electric's new Bison Generation Station.

Sources: www.federalregister.gov

Environmental scoping underway for Texas Gas Transmission Longwall Mining Panel project

Texas Gas Transmission, LP seeks approval to excavate, elevate, and reroute existing pipelines in Greene County, Pennsylvania to accommodate subsurface longwall mining activities, including abandonment by removal of a non-operational segment. FERC is accepting comments on environmental issues until June 11, as part of its NEPA process.

Sources: www.federalregister.gov

FERC’s information collection activities: operational planning for electric-gas coordination and environmental review requirements

FERC issued notices requesting public comment on the extension of information collections for operational communications between natural gas pipelines and electric transmission operators (FERC-923), and for environmental review and compliance documentation (FERC-577). The notices provide revised burden tables, reporting estimates, and instructions for comment submission.

Sources: www.federalregister.gov

Legislative Updates

SECURE Grid Act

Bill 7257, the SECURE Grid Act, focused on grid security enhancements, was placed on the Union Calendar, No. 561, and awaits further House action.

Sources: www.congress.gov

Energy Threat Analysis Center Act of 2026

Bill 7305 was placed on the Union Calendar, No. 563. It aims to establish an Energy Threat Analysis Center for coordinated energy sector threat analysis and response.

Sources: www.congress.gov

Energy Emergency Leadership Act

Bill 7258 reached the Union Calendar, No. 562. The bill addresses leadership structure for energy emergency management within the Department of Energy.

Sources: www.congress.gov

Brownfields Revitalization for a Better Tomorrow Act

Bill 8739, referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, proposes new measures for site remediation and redevelopment.

Sources: www.congress.gov

CHARGE Act

Bill 8768, the CHARGE Act, was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The bill addresses electric vehicle charging infrastructure policy.

Sources: www.congress.gov

What We're Reading This Week

• European renewable projects with batteries set to grow more than 450% by 2030: Battery-aided renewable projects in Europe are projected to expand fivefold by 2030 amid energy sector diversification.
• Santa Marta talks focused minds on exit from fossil fuels. Now the hard part begins: Energy sector leaders at Santa Marta initiated discussions on transitioning away from fossil fuels, signaling difficult implementation ahead.
• Canada plans to double capacity of electricity grid by 2050: Canadian federal officials announced plans to double the national electricity grid's capacity by mid-century for reliability and growth.
• Canada Aims to Double Power-Grid Capacity By 2050: Canadian government strategy outlines doubling power grid capacity by 2050 amid rising demand and decarbonization targets.
• US considers financing billions of dollars for nuclear plant parts, industry group says: US authorities are weighing significant financing for long-lead parts in nuclear plant construction, according to industry sources.
• A Start-Up Aiming to Make Geothermal Energy Mainstream Goes Public: Fervo Energy completed an IPO in pursuit of mainstream geothermal power deployment across North America.
• US EPA moves to speed clean air permits for power plants, industry: The US EPA announced steps to accelerate approval of air permits for power plants and related industries.
• Blackstone, Halliburton to invest $1 billion in energy startup VoltaGrid: Investment firms Blackstone and Halliburton plan a joint $1 billion investment in US energy infrastructure platform VoltaGrid.
• EU weighs extending carbon market to flights beyond Europe: European officials are considering expanding the carbon market's reach to non-European flights to enhance emission reduction strategies.
• Serbia to submit final proposal on NIS to Hungary's MOL, energy minister says: Serbia is preparing to deliver a final proposal for energy company NIS to Hungary’s MOL, according to the country's energy minister.

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