FERC to examine carbon pricing, as climate pressure ramps up - HoustonChronicle.com

FERC to examine carbon pricing, as climate pressure ramps up - HoustonChronicle.com: WASHINGTON - The nation’s top energy regulator is looking into what role it might play in state efforts to set a price on greenhouse gas emissions, stepping into a politically fraught arena as the federal government comes under increasing pressure to address climate change. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which oversees the nation’s power and natural gas markets, has set up a conference in September to discuss legal and regulatory issues around carbon pricing mechanisms that charge power plants, factories facilities and other large emitters for their emissions. While the commission has offered no guidance on what if any action it will take, the move signals a potential advance in federal climate policy even as President Donald Trump downplays the threat and Congress shows little appetite for imposing charges on carbon emissions. Neil Chatterjee, the Republican chairman of FERC and a former top staffer to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, said he hoped to hear from experts and determine whether FERC has legal authority to regulate carbon markets. “I don’t want to prejudge where the discussion is headed, but I’m pleased we’re having it,” he said in a press conference