"Supreme Court Rules Against State Power Plant Subsidies"

"The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that Maryland overstepped its authority when it implemented a program to subsidize construction of natural-gas-fired power plants.

The court unanimously ruled that by requiring companies building such subsidized plants to set rates for certain electricity sales, Maryland improperly interfered in markets that are the sole responsibility of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

“We agree with the Fourth Circuit’s judgment that Maryland’s program sets an interstate wholesale rate, contravening the FPA’s division of authority between state and federal regulators,” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote for the court."

Timothy Cama reports for The Hill April 19, 2016.

Source: The Hill, 04/20/2016