16Aug

EPA’s UnINiformed Decisions

Who exactly did the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) consult about grid reliability when constructing its so-called Clean Power Plan 2.0? Formal comments on the rule have made it rather clear who EPA didn’t consult: the very folks tasked with keeping the lights on have made it abundantly clear the rule is a grave danger […]
09Aug

No Energy Transition Without a Reliable Electric Power Grid

Via TheMessenger.com July 2023 was the hottest month on record, both for the United States and the entire planet.  What is more, according to climatologists, we’re likely to witness elevated average temperatures for the foreseeable future. Surprisingly, the three American power grids — the Eastern Interconnect, the Western Interconnect, and Texas’s ERCOT — have held […]
09Aug

Unworkable and Unlawful

With the U.S. power grid hanging on by a thread, and coal and natural gas plants working overtime to meet soaring power demand this summer, all eyes are on the fate of the so-called Clean Power Plan 2.0 and the threat posed by the rule to the nation’s grid reliability. Last week, 39 senators wrote […]
25Jul

U.S. Miners Make American Life Possible

As the U.S. labor market cools and employment gains slow, the mining industry continues to provide extraordinary career opportunities about which most Americans know very little. When asked to describe a day in the life of a miner, most think of pickaxes and canaries instead of the remotely-operated machinery, artificial intelligence and other innovations that […]
19Jul

Meeting Global Demand

How important is American coal to the global energy mix? Consider that in 2022 U.S. coal exports went to 71 countries and U.S. coal played a critical role in helping Europe pivot away from Russian energy, filling yawning supply gaps during the worst energy crisis since the 1970s. The U.S. exported 84.8 million short tons […]
12Jul

China Doubles down on Renewables and Coal

What can the U.S. learn from China in managing the energy transition? More than you might think. China is charting its own course that is a clear rejection of the West’s emissions reduction first, grid reliability last approach. China has watched Europe’s energy crisis, along with our unfolding grid reliability crisis, and seen enough of the challenges […]
11Jul

America faces chronic electricity shortages in push for renewable energy

Via Tuscon.com Whether you live in the summer-scorched South, the winter-frozen North or along one of our nation’s coasts, electricity is central to your life. Yet the Biden administration — ignoring reality — continues to push policies forcing the shutdown of coal-burning power plants before reliable replacement power from renewable energy becomes available. From the […]
05Jul

The latest Biden energy crisis

Via The Washington Examiner: When it comes to the nation’s supply of energy, the United States has an unfortunate tendency of stumbling from one crisis to another. Just as we turn the corner on energy-driven inflation and the shock of a global energy crisis, there is a new crisis now on the horizon: the rapidly eroding reliability of the […]
28Jun

Federal Coal Leasing is a Success Story

As the Department of the Interior considers the future of the federal coal leasing program, it’s worth noting what a success the program has been, how important it remains to mining states and communities and how essential coal remains in the nation’s energy mix. The federal coal leasing program has provided hundreds of millions of […]
21Jun

The Electricity Demand Elephant in the Room

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is occupying an alternate universe where soaring electricity demand from electrification and big data isn’t a concern. In EPA’s world – or the one they present in justifying their blitz of rules targeting fossil fuel generation – rapid electrification of transportation, heating and heavy industry, and surging electricity demand […]