25Apr

When It Isn’t the Ships but the Fleet that Sinks

There’s a sudden change in the wind, and it isn’t spring. In the space of a week, far-sighted officials at FERC, at the Department of Energy and in Congress have shifted attention away from saving First Energy’s plants to saving the grid’s reliability. Under assault is the lazy assumption held by the “do-nothing” faction that […]
24Apr

Winning Victories for Coal Under Trump

Via The Hill:  Few American business sectors get as strong a defense from President Trump as the coal industry, both in his rhetoric and his policy. As a presidential nominee, he repeatedly pledged to work to revive coal’s fortunes, presenting himself as the “last shot for the miners.” “They want to be miners, but their jobs […]
20Apr

U.S. Coal Exports Increased by 61% in 2017

Via U.S. Energy Information Administration: Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Quarterly Coal Report, and U.S. Census Bureau The United States exported 97.0 million short tons (MMst) of coal in 2017, a 61% (36.7 MMst) increase from the 2016 level. Exports to Asia more than doubled from 15.7 MMst in 2016 to 32.8 MMst in 2017, although Europe […]
19Apr

As Coal Goes Global, US Should Encourage Advanced Technologies

Via The Charleston Gazette-Mail: It’s no secret that the Sierra Club and Greenpeace oppose coal-fired power plants. And in their newest report they happily cite a gradual decline in global coal plant construction. But a funny thing about their new report—they’ve inadvertently confirmed the futility of trying to regulate coal-generated electricity out of existence. In a […]
18Apr

Reduce Coal Emissions? “No” Say NGOs, “Yes” Say Voters

It’s too soon to be alarmed, but there may be an outbreak of common sense upon us.  Unless stopped by doctrinaire ideologues, recent signs of rare agreement on the energy front just might lead to actual progress. We refer first to the bipartisan support for “45Q” fossil energy technology tax credits. Then last week’s Senate […]
16Apr

Majority of US Voters Support Upgrading Coal Fleet

Via World Coal: A majority of US voters – 55% – believe the US government should take action to upgrade the ageing coal and nuclear fleet, according to a poll conducted by Morning Consult for the National Mining Association (NMA). Separately, when asked about high efficiency, low emission (HELE) technologies that are being used in new […]
16Apr

Letter: Only Coal Provides Reliable Power

Via The Virginian-Pilot: TO MANY SKEPTICS, particularly those on the political left, the shutdown of coal plants has demonstrated the industry’s shaky future. With more than 400 units — more than one-third of the entire U.S. coal fleet — already shut down or due to close in the next few years, few places in the country […]
11Apr

RFF Sees the Heat But Not the Blast

Did ancient Pompeii decline because of the heat? Well, yes, heat had much to do with its evisceration. But if you don’t consider the role of Vesuvius you wouldn’t appreciate what happened to Nero’s favorite metropolis. That’s the problem we have with the findings of a report last week from Resources for the Future. In […]
10Apr

New England Faces ‘Horror Story’ of Expensive Power

Via The Washington Examiner: New England is struggling to keep the lights on as it pursues aggressive clean energy goals, a dilemma that is so troublesome that the region’s power grid operator warns of blackouts if something doesn’t change. “I am getting nervous in New England,” said Robert Powelson, a Republican commissioner of the Federal Energy […]