13Feb

Markets Must Better Value Flexible, Dispatchable Coal Power

How valuable is a kilowatt hour of electricity? That, of course, depends greatly on when that electricity is produced and just how much it’s needed. Consider the gulf in value of excess electricity generated by solar power midday and the electricity produced by a coal plant when demand is spiking and intermittent sources of power […]
13Feb

Coal Must Remain in Energy Mix

Via The Grand Forks Herald: In an era of fracking for oil and natural gas and growth in solar and wind power, who knew the plain old coal plant could have value in a carbon-constrained world? And yet, coal generation has turned out to be a surprising bright spot in energy tech’s universe of late. […]
31Jan

Coal Competitors Have Unfair Advantage

Via The Wheeling Intelligencer: West Virginia has long been a coal state. And there are understandable reasons why many in the state view the rise of alternative sources of power with concern. The loss of much of the nation’s coal fleet has at times been met with frustration and confusion. Are renewable sources of power […]
30Jan

A Failure to Connect the Dots

The U.S. has a growing energy infrastructure problem. More precisely, major transmission lines needed to move wind and solar power from regions of production to centers of demand aren’t being built at nearly the pace needed. Natural gas pipeline additions are also failing to keep up with gas demand. One infrastructure project after another is […]
27Jan

Pumping the Brakes on Power Grid Jenga

Indiana is right to be concerned. Coal has been indispensable in providing the low-cost, reliable power that has fueled industry in one of the nation’s leading manufacturing states. The sudden and accelerating loss of coal power in Indiana, and in surrounding states – without a plan to reliably replace it – has lawmakers and energy […]
16Jan

FERC’s MOPR Decision Bolsters US Energy Security

Via RealClearPolitics: “What was apparent during this weather event was the continued reliance on baseload generation,” Bruce Walker, Assistant U.S. Energy Secretary, January 2018, after the Winter Bomb Cyclone FERC’s recent minimum offer price rule (MOPR) decision was about preserving U.S. energy security and restoring competition to PJM Interconnection’s capacity market. That’s because the purpose of a capacity […]
14Jan

What They Are Saying: CEQ Issues Proposed Rule to Modernize its NEPA Regulations

Thursday, January 9, President Trump announced a proposed rule to modernize and accelerate environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), so infrastructure can be built in a timely, efficient and more affordable manner. “The purpose of NEPA is noble; its application, however, has gone off the rails. The action by the Council on […]
09Jan

Proposed NEPA Changes Provide a Positive First Step in Addressing Permitting Inefficiencies

The National Mining Association (NMA) today applauded the Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ) long-awaited proposed changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) governing regulations. “The mining industry is all too familiar with the project delays and escalating costs associated with NEPA compliance,” said Rich Nolan, NMA president and CEO. “Our permitting process is broken, […]
09Jan

An Update 40 Years in the Making

Almost untouched since its inception in the late 1970s, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is finally getting a desperately needed update. Over the years, NEPA has become an albatross around the necks of infrastructure and energy projects of all stripes. Instead of encouraging smart environmental analysis and transparency in decision making, it has been […]