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64-675: The majority of the basin is within the Piedmont geographical area of the United States, and South Carolina, and parts of the Appalachian Mountains , in North Carolina. It is part of the larger South Atlantic–Gulf Water Resource Region . The watershed starts in the northwestern corner of North Carolina near Blowing Rock (protruding only slightly into Carroll and Patrick counties of Virginia ) and extends south by southeast, crossing

128-475: A default cost-sharing plan to deliver to state regulators. It "provides for cost-effective expansion of transmission that is being replaced, when needed, known as 'right-sizing' transmission facilities", and it allows states more opportunities to cooperate with utility companies and energy project developers, while preventing states that benefit from regional transmission projects from not paying for them. FERC Order No. 1920-A, an amendment to it passed unanimously

192-652: A number of geographical areas, starting at the Appalachian Mountains and the North Carolina Foothills continuing through the central Piedmont area, into the Sandhills region and Coastal Plains before finally exiting into the Atlantic Ocean at Winyah Bay . The watershed is home to a number of unique geological features, such as Pilot Mountain , a 2,421 ft metamorphic quartzite monadnock , which

256-406: A separate decision, the D.C. Circuit later sustained the commission's conduct of separate environmental assessments when it clarified that the "critical" factor was that all of the pipeline's projects were either under construction or pending before FERC for environmental review at the same time, noting that the projects lacked temporal overlap. Furthermore, in another case, the D.C. Circuit sustained

320-618: A separate independent regulatory body be retained, and the FPC was renamed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), preserving its independent status within the department. Its most basic mandate was to "determine whether wholesale electricity prices were unjust and unreasonable and, if so, to regulate pricing and order refunds for overcharges to ratepayers." FERC was also given added responsibility to hear appeals of DOE oil price control determinations and to conduct all "on

384-673: A situation here." FERC's decisions in those cases are often upheld by the courts. In a July 1, 2014, decision, No Gas Pipeline v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission , the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit) said that pipeline applicants are not likely to pursue many certificates that are hopeless. "The fact that they generally succeed in choosing to expend their resources on applications that serve their own financial interests does not mean that an agency which recognizes merit in such applications

448-432: A third party. FERC has promoted voluntary formation of regional transmission organizations (RTOs) and Independent System Operators (ISOs) to eliminate the potential for undue discrimination in access to the electric grid ; it has made key decisions expanding its own power in regional and interregional transmission planning and cost allocation through the landmark Order Nos. 1000, 1920, 1977, and 2023. FERC investigated

512-445: Is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates the interstate transmission and wholesale sale of electricity and natural gas and regulates the prices of interstate transport of petroleum by pipeline . FERC also reviews proposals to build interstate natural gas pipelines, natural gas storage projects, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, in addition to licensing non-federal hydropower projects. FERC

576-682: Is authorized to raise revenue to reimburse the United States Treasury for its appropriations, through annual charges to the natural gas, oil, and electric industries it regulates. FERC is independent of the Department of Energy political structure because FERC activities "shall not be subject to further view by the Secretary [of Energy] or any officer or employee of the Department". The Department of Energy can, however, participate in FERC proceedings as

640-425: Is biased," the court said. Others have directly disputed FERC's critics by pointing out, "FERC is a creature of law. It follows a careful administrative path to regulate only a portion of natural gas such as interstate pipelines and LNG import and export terminals. That regulation includes extensive environmental review, driven by many federal laws enacted by Congress, signed by the president, and reviewed and upheld by

704-592: Is by participating in the related proceeding by submitting comments and participating in public comment sessions, site visits and scoping meetings, since FERC decisions can be appealed up to the Supreme Court. There are regions of the country where the state public utility commission and the FERC regulated Regional Transmission Organization operate in identical footprints (such as in New York State ). Where this occurs, state policy makers and FERC frequently clash as to

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768-652: Is its southern boundary.) The fall line, where the land rises abruptly from the coastal plain, marks the limit of navigability on many major rivers, so inland ports sprang up along it. Within the Piedmont region itself, there are several areas of urban concentration, the largest being the Atlanta metropolitan area in Georgia. The Piedmont cuts Maryland in half, covering the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area . In Virginia ,

832-575: Is the only hydroelectric project in North Carolina that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . A number of large rivers flow within the Yadkin–Pee Dee watershed, totaling 5,946 linear river miles. In South Carolina, these include the Lynches River , Great Pee Dee River , Little Pee Dee River , Black River and Waccamaw River , while in North Carolina, the major rivers include

896-992: The Greater Richmond metropolitan area is the largest urban concentration. In North Carolina, the Piedmont Crescent includes several metropolitan clusters such as Charlotte metropolitan area , the Piedmont Triad , and the Research Triangle . Other notable areas include the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Combined Statistical Area in South Carolina, and the Philadelphia metropolitan area in Pennsylvania. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ( FERC )

960-601: The Interstate Commerce Commission to FERC. However, the FERC lost some jurisdiction over the imports and exports of gas and electricity. In 1978, FERC was given additional responsibilities for harmonizing the regulation of wellhead gas sales in both the intrastate and interstate markets. FERC also administered a program to foster new cogeneration and small power production under the Public Utilities Regulatory Policy Act of 1978 , which

1024-637: The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), and the Independent Sysoperator New England (ISO-NE) were early adopters. California, with the backing of its state and Congressional policymakers, sought approval of a controversial scheme to set up its ISO, called California ISO, based near Sacramento, CA. FERC approved it without changes because California had warned that it would not accept any changes. Enron charged one of its policy analysts to figure out how to make

1088-728: The Yadkin River , South Yadkin River , Abbotts Creek , Roaring River , Uwharrie River and Rocky River . There are a number of water quality issues within the basins. In an average water basin, between 5 and 58 tons per square mile per year (t/mi/yr) of fine-grained sediment are removed from the surrounding land in surface runoff but the Yadkin–Pee Dee River Basin sees 300 t/mi/yr in runoff due to rapid population growth and agricultural practices that leave bare soil exposed to erosion. As of 2010, thirty-nine percent of rivers within

1152-578: The 50,000 acre Uwharrie National Forest . The Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge , an 8,443-acre wildlife preserve for waterfowl, lies completely within the confines of the watershed. Over half of the total land area is forested, including the Uwharrie National Forest. There are 38 aquatic rare species within the basin, including the Shortnose sturgeon and Carolina heelsplitter , which are listed as federally endangered . Bald eagles can be found in

1216-635: The Appalachians. The width of the Piedmont varies, being quite narrow above the Delaware River but nearly 300 miles (475 km) wide in North Carolina . The Piedmont's area is approximately 80,000 square miles (210,000 km ). The French word Piedmont comes from the Italian : Piemonte , meaning " foothill ", ultimately from Latin "pedemontium", meaning "at the foot of the mountains", similar to

1280-663: The Commission..., Plaintiffs' recourse lies with their legislative representatives." In New Jersey, the FERC approval of the PennEast Pipeline was met with widespread criticism by environmental groups, which called the decision highly partisan. "FERC has once again demonstrated its tremendous bias for, and partnership with, the pipeline industry," said Maya van Rossum, leader of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network. Doug O'Malley, president of Environment New Jersey, called

1344-478: The D.C. Circuit has provided additional guidance concerning Commission procedures, stating that in one case FERC failed to consider the cumulative environmental impact of four projects that had been separately proposed by the same pipeline. The D.C. Circuit held that the projects were not financially independent and were "a single pipeline" that was "linear and physically interdependent," so the cumulative environmental impacts should have been considered concurrently. In

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1408-407: The Delaware Riverkeeper Network and Maya Van Rossum's claim that FERC has an incentive to award pipeline certificates because it collects its operating expenses from regulated parties. Upholding a lower court ruling, the D.C. Circuit also rejected the Delaware Riverkeeper Network's challenge to FERC's use of tolling orders to meet its statutory deadlines for acting on rehearing applications. However,

1472-439: The FERC approval of the pipeline a "disaster." David Pringle, state campaign director of Clean Water Action and 2018 Congressional candidate, suggested the FERC was serving a partisan interest over the interests of the people of New Jersey, suggesting "The FERC needs to remember it works for the people of the United States not PennEast." These criticisms were unfounded as the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on July 10, 2018, rejected

1536-589: The North Carolina section of the basin fail to meet the state water quality standards and are listed as "impaired". Citations Bibliography Piedmont (United States) The Piedmont / ˈ p iː d m ɒ n t / is a plateau region located in the Eastern United States . It is situated between the Atlantic Plain and the Blue Ridge Mountains , stretching from New York in

1600-510: The Piedmont is the remnant of several ancient mountain chains that have since been eroded. Geologists have identified at least five separate events which have led to sediment deposition, including the Grenville orogeny (the collision of continents that created the supercontinent Rodinia ) and the Appalachian orogeny during the formation of Pangaea . The last major event in the history of

1664-459: The Piedmont was the break-up of Pangaea, when North America and Africa began to separate. Large basins formed from the rifting and were filled by the sediments shed from the surrounding higher ground. The series of Mesozoic basins is almost entirely located inside the Piedmont region. Piedmont soils are generally clay -like ( Ultisols ) and moderately fertile. In some areas they have suffered from erosion and over-cropping, particularly in

1728-558: The RTO, when a state public utility commission asserts that its retail ratepayers (under state regulation) will be impacted by wholesale-market stakeholder decisions and reforms (under federal-level regulation). In contrast, prior to the formation of the NYISO in 1999 in New York, wholesale energy prices were set within a utility's state rate case proceeding. Examples of contentious issues in New York include

1792-539: The South where cotton was historically the chief crop. In the central Piedmont region of North Carolina and Virginia , tobacco is the main crop, while in the north region there is more diversity, including orchards , dairying , and general farming . The portion of the Piedmont region in the Southern United States is closely associated with the Piedmont blues , a style of blues music that originated there in

1856-626: The U.S. It is largely responsible for permitting construction of a large network of interstate natural gas pipelines. FERC also works closely with the United States Coast Guard to review the safety, security, and environmental impacts of proposed LNG terminals and associated shipping. FERC is composed of up to five commissioners who are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate to staggered five-year terms. The President appoints one of

1920-589: The U.S. Supreme Court. If the agency were to adopt the path [suggested by these critics], FERC's decisions would routinely be overturned by the federal courts." The United States District Court for the District of Columbia also dismissed a case involving allegations of structural bias on the part of FERC. The plaintiffs contended that the Omnibus Budget Act of 1986 funding mechanism requires the commission to recover its budget through proportional charges on regulated entities, therefore making FERC biased in favor of

1984-451: The agency had the authority to regulate demand response transactions. On July 28, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued Order No. 2023, which regulates the interconnection process that ties renewables projects into the large-scale grid. Among other provisions, the rule requires transmission planners to consolidate projects into 'clusters' for regulatory approval purposes on a 'first-ready, first-served' basis that prioritizes

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2048-673: The alleged manipulation of electricity market by Enron and other energy companies, and their role in the California electricity crisis . FERC has collected more than $ 6.3 billion from California electric market participants through settlements. Since passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 , FERC has imposed, through settlements and orders, more than $ 1 billion in civil penalties and disgorgement of unjust profits to address violations of its anti- market manipulation and other rules. FERC regulates approximately 1,600 hydroelectric projects in

2112-421: The commission's use of a separate environmental assessment when it reasoned that the projects in dispute were "unrelated" and did not depend on one another for their justification. This guidance has allowed FERC to address additional claims of improper segmentation. FERC's leaders have stressed many times since the onset of the increased activism that the proper way to oppose a proposed new infrastructure project

2176-421: The commissioners to be the chairman of FERC, the administrative head of the agency. FERC is a bipartisan body; no more than three commissioners may be of the same political party. Commissioners may continue in office past the end of their term if a successor has not yet been confirmed, up to the end of the current session of Congress. The commissioners are: The Federal Power Commission (FPC), which preceded FERC,

2240-542: The country facing transmission constraints." In 2010, FERC issued Order No. 1000, which required RTOs to create regional transmission plans and identify transmission needs based on public policy. Cost allocation reforms were included, possibly to reduce barriers faced by non incumbent transmission developers. In February 2018, FERC issued Order No. 841, which required wholesale markets to open up to individual storage installations, regardless of interconnection point (transmission, distribution or behind-the-meter). The Order

2304-626: The creation of regional transmission organizations in the United States. This would impact existing electric power pools by rebranding themselves as independent transmission operators. Electric utilities in some regions began to spin off their generation units as separate companies that would compete in a wholesale electric market administered by the RTOs. Once FERC had created the framework for Regional Transmission Organizations with Order No. 888, several such RTOs were approved. The pre-existing multi-state power pool called PJM (Pennsylvania, Jersey, Maryland),

2368-637: The distribution level or behind-the-meter. A United States courts of appeals court (the D.C. Circuit) issued an order in July 2020 that upheld Order 841 and dismissed the petitioners' complaints. FERC issued Order No. 2222 on September 17, 2020, enabling distributed energy resources such as batteries and demand response to participate in regional wholesale electricity markets. Market operators submitted initial compliance plans by early 2022. The Supreme Court had ruled in 2016 in FERC v. Electric Power Supply Ass'n that

2432-407: The electricity and natural gas markets. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 also gave FERC additional responsibilities and authority. Among the many provisions of the law, FERC was given what is known as "backstop" siting authority which allows FERC to overrule any denial of transmission projects by a state within established corridors of transmission congestion "to expand transmission in limited regions of

2496-532: The entities it regulates creates bias in favor of the issuance of pipeline certificates. Some of the critics have disrupted several regular open meetings of the Commission and staged a couple of week-long blockades of FERC's headquarters in Washington, D.C., to make their points. "Pipelines are facing unprecedented opposition," Commissioner LaFleur remarked to the National Press Club in a 2015 speech. "We have

2560-430: The extent of federal power and influence within the state. The planning and siting of public policy and renewable power plants and merchant transmission lines can be contentious, because the planning process must proceed through both entities. For example, in New York State, any large (more than 20 MW for the NYISO or 2 MW for the state Siting Committee) generation or merchant transmission facility must proceed through both

2624-697: The following November, allows state regulators even more opportunities to provide input on interstate grid projects, adds six months to the cost allocation negotiating process, and gives utilities more leeway to forecast additional needs scenarios. The latter order affirms FERC's siting authority in National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors if a state regulatory agency denies any of its own siting responsibility thereof. The order creates an Applicant Code of Conduct to encourage proper landowner outreach, and adds air quality, environmental justice and tribal engagement reports to

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2688-465: The following: FERC is a large independent regulatory agency , within the United States Department of Energy , that participates in business oversight. The President and Congress do not generally review FERC decisions, but the decisions are reviewable by the federal courts . FERC is self-funding, in that Congress sets its budget through annual and supplemental appropriations and FERC

2752-447: The industry from which it gets its funding. But in an order issued March 22, 2017, the court said the plain language of the statute indicates that FERC does not have control over its own budget. "The Commission's budget cannot be increased by approving pipelines; rather, [the statute] requires the Commission to make adjustments to 'eliminate any overrecovery or underrecovery.' If Plaintiffs are unhappy with Congress's chosen appropriations to

2816-426: The issue ended with the 2005 Energy Bill ( Energy Policy Act of 2005 ) which was passed with approval of Democrats and Republicans. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 expanded FERC's authority to protect the reliability and cybersecurity of the bulk power system through the establishment and enforcement of mandatory standards, as well as greatly expanding FERC authority to impose civil penalties on entities that manipulate

2880-571: The late 19th century. According to the Piedmont Blues Preservation Society, most Piedmont blues musicians came from Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. During the Great Migration , African Americans migrated to the Piedmont. With the Appalachian Mountains to the west, those who might otherwise have spread into rural areas stayed in cities and were thus exposed to a broader mixture of music than those in, for example,

2944-406: The list of requirements for project applicants. FERC has been subject to criticism and increasing activism by people from communities affected by its decisions approving pipeline and related projects. They contend that FERC "blithely greenlights too many pipelines, export terminals and other gas infrastructure" and that FERC's structure in which it recovers its annual operating costs directly from

3008-558: The locality of Badin Lake . The bald eagle sightings were so common in the area that Alcoa's subsidiary, Yadkin, Inc., developed a Bald Eagle Management Plan. The eagles migrate through, but do not generally nest in the area. In North Carolina, 42 percent of the state's dairy cattle are raised in the basin (half of that number in the South Yadkin Subbasin alone). Also 36 percent of the poultry population (approximately 66 million birds) in

3072-550: The major lakes except the W. Kerr Scott Reservoir generate hydroelectric power for the " Yadkin Project " which is under the control of the aluminium producing company Alcoa , and licensed to operate by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The combined Yadkin Project has a total generating capacity of almost 215 megawatts of electricity. The Narrows Dam and powerhouse development at Badin Lake

3136-597: The most of the flawed rules put in place for the California electricity market. Enron had success with its fraudulent market transactions. In 2001, the George W. Bush administration sought to give the authority of eminent domain to FERC to circumvent state and local bureaucratic processes which often slowed the siting of new transmission projects. This expansion of power was most fiercely opposed by Bush's own Republican party as being an expansion of federal power. Legal battles over

3200-534: The most well-studied and fully financed projects, forecast advanced technologies, and allow for multiple projects to share a new single interconnection point. It also "imposes firm deadlines and penalties if transmission providers fail to complete interconnection studies on time". On May 13, 2024, FERC issued Order Nos. 1920 and 1977. The former order requires utilities to plan 20 years in advance to anticipate future regional (though not interregional) transmission needs, with five-year updates, and to cooperate in creating

3264-446: The name of the Italian region of Piedmont ( Piemonte ), abutting the Alps . The surface relief of the Piedmont is characterized by relatively low, rolling hills with heights above sea level between 200 feet (50 m) and 800 feet to 1,000 feet (250 m to 300 m). Its geology is complex, with numerous rock formations of different materials and ages intermingled with one another. Essentially,

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3328-595: The north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont Province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands physiographic division and consists of the Piedmont Upland, and the Piedmont Lowlands sections. The Atlantic Seaboard Fall Line marks the Piedmont's eastern boundary with the Coastal Plain. To the west, it is mostly bounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains , the easternmost range of

3392-537: The planning process of the NYISO, which operates on a two-year cycle at minimum with an inclusive class year pool of new projects evaluated simultaneously, and the siting process of the state Board on Electric Siting and the Environment. Prior to the formation of the NYISO, the planning process was determined mostly by the state siting board (although the utilities' power pool might have had its own closed door planning session) and large generation projects were developed by

3456-413: The record" hearings for DOE. As a result, DOE does not have any administrative law judges . As a further protection, when the Department of Energy proposes a rule, it must refer the proposal to FERC, and FERC can take over the proceeding if FERC determines that the rulemaking "may significantly affect" matters in its jurisdiction. The DOE Act also transferred the regulation of interstate oil pipelines from

3520-466: The rural Mississippi delta. Thus, Piedmont blues was influenced by many types of music, such as ragtime , country, and popular songs — styles that had comparatively less influence on blues music in other regions. Many major cities are located on the Atlantic Seaboard fall line , the eastern boundary of the Piedmont. (In Georgia and Alabama, where the Piedmont runs mostly east to west, the fall line

3584-529: The south central border into South Carolina, with slightly more than half of the watershed in North Carolina. It is the second largest in the state. The basin covers an area approximately 433 miles long and includes 5,862 miles of streams and rivers , 22,988 acres of lakes and has an area of about 7,221 square miles. Over 22,988 acres of the basin is covered by lakes. The basin is home to 93 separate municipalities , in 21 counties with an estimated population of 1,463,535 (2000 U.S. Census ). The basin covers

3648-446: The state. Hog farming has been a contentious issue in many parts of North Carolina, but the river basin only supports 2 percent of North Carolina's swine population. Crop lands decreased by 46 percent between 1982 and 1992, while urban development increased by 38 percent. There are 22,988 acres of lakes and 5,863 miles of watercourses in the basin. Five major lakes exist within the watershed, all in North Carolina, including: All

3712-422: The utilities themselves. The dual planning process provides an opportunity for other market participants to drag out the process legally, not including the other state and/or federal environmental, trade (if an international connection with Canada is requested), and local certification and regulation processes that need to be met. The controversy similarly applies to various electric wholesale-market issues within

3776-577: Was challenged in court by the state public utility commissions via the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) , the American Public Power Association , and others who claimed that FERC overstepped its jurisdiction by regulating how local electric distribution and behind-the-meter facilities are administered, i.e., in not providing an opt out of wholesale market access for energy storage facilities located at

3840-438: Was created by the U.S. Congress in 1977 in the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis . FERC is an independent agency, despite being part of the U.S. Department of Energy . It is headed by five commissioners who are nominated by the U.S. president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate . There may be no more than three commissioners of one political party serving on the commission at any given time. The responsibilities of FERC include

3904-635: Was established by Congress in 1920 to allow cabinet members to coordinate federal hydropower development. In 1935, the FPC was transformed into an independent regulatory agency with five members nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate . The FPC was authorized to regulate both hydropower and interstate electricity. In 1938, the Natural Gas Act gave FPC jurisdiction over interstate natural gas pipelines and wholesale sales. In 1942, this jurisdiction

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3968-507: Was expanded to cover the licensing of more natural gas facilities. In 1954, the Supreme Court decision in Phillips Petroleum Co. v. Wisconsin extended FPC jurisdiction over all wellhead sales of natural gas in interstate commerce. In response to the 1973 oil crisis, Congress passed the Department of Energy Organization Act in 1977 , to consolidate various energy-related agencies into a Department of Energy . Congress insisted that

4032-657: Was passed as part of the National Energy Act of 1978 . The National Energy Act included the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 , which reduced the scope of federal price regulation, to bring greater competition to both the natural gas and electric industry. In 1989, Congress ended federal regulation of wellhead natural gas prices, with the passage of the Natural Gas Wellhead Decontrol Act of 1989 . In 1996, FERC issued Order No. 888, which spurred

4096-496: Was the original inspiration for "Mount Pilot" in the 1960s television show The Andy Griffith Show . This is near Mount Airy, North Carolina , the basis for the city of Mayberry . Additionally, the region is home to a number of national and state parks and other natural wonders including Blowing Rock , parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway , Tanglewood Park , the 45,000 acre Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge and

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