09Mar

Coal, Steel Play Important Roles in US

Via the Duluth News Tribune: We need coal. When the ore or taconite leaves the Iron Range, it goes to the steel mills. At the mills, ore (iron oxide) is put into the blast furnace along with coke and limestone. Coke is processed from coal to remove impurities. When heated in the blast furnace, a […]
08Mar

Build it Back with Appalachian coal

Via The West Virginia State Journal: Tens of millions of Americans are now vaccinated, and millions more will be very soon. The U.S. appears to be turning the corner on the pandemic, and as we shift from just trying to hold the economy together to rebuilding and recovery, Appalachian miners are poised to take center […]
03Mar

Dispatchable Fuel Diversity is Invaluable 

Does fuel diversity matter? Or, to put a finer point on it, does dispatchable fuel diversity matter? If February taught us anything, the answer is a resounding yes. Along with the Texas grid disaster, there were two neighboring grids pushed to the brink by the same unrelenting cold but both fared much better. The Southwest […]
03Mar

In the Wake of the Texas Power Crisis, Voters Want the U.S. to Maintain Fuel Diversity to Support Reliability

The National Mining Association (NMA) today released polling that shows seven in 10 voters – including a majority of Democrats, Republicans and Independents – support maintaining baseload, on-demand power plants, such as coal plants, to support the reliable supply of electricity. The polling was conducted by Morning Consult, Feb. 25-27, 2021, of 1,980 registered voters and carries […]
25Feb

We Need Innovation and Reliable Energy

Via The Anchorage Daily News: Anchorage IBEW business manager Dave Reaves recently declared that because of climate change, Alaska needs to move away from using many traditional energy resources that it has relied on for decades. Interestingly, Reaves said little about the economic devastation this would cause in Alaska and throughout the nation. President Joe Biden’s decision […]
24Feb

The Texas Grid Crisis is a National Crisis

Think the Texas electricity crisis can’t happen where you live? Think again. Up and down the country, electricity markets – with very different designs – have fielded warnings that the right storm, with the right conditions could cause the same chaos or worse. Much of the blame in Texas has fallen on the Electric Reliability […]
23Feb

Texas Power Crisis Puts Spotlight on Reliable Electricity

Via Inside Sources: The nation is watching Texas with great concern. Some four million Texas households went without electricity in sub-zero temperatures on Tuesday. Ordinarily, such winter power outages come when snowstorms knock down trees and power lines. In this case, however, the problems actually stem from an overwhelmed electricity grid that hasn’t been able to keep up […]
22Feb

Blackouts Reveal Endemic Problems in the Texas Power Market

Via DallasNews.com: Now that the Texas deep freeze is receding and electric power is being restored, the blame game is heating up. Gov. Greg Abbott has called for an investigation and resignations at the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, known as ERCOT, the state’s electric grid operator. Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan has asked two […]
18Feb

The Texas Electricity Crisis is No Anomaly

Via The Washington Times: Only in a crisis do most Americans pay attention to the reliability of the nation’s electricity grid. But as millions suffer through blackouts in frigid temperatures from Texas to the Dakotas, this reliability crisis has come at an incredibly consequential fork in the energy road. The electricity grid is in transition […]
17Feb

Closing Coal Plants Is Becoming Big Business and a Disaster for Consumers

Via Inside Sources: If you think the accelerating pivot to renewable energy is all about cleaning up, think again. An increasing number of utilities are under mounting pressure from Wall Street and their shareholders to spend and pass the costs of new wind turbines, solar farms, and transmission infrastructure off to their ratepayers. New projects […]