26Mar

Don’t Be So Fast to Count Coal Out

Via The Columbia State: Coal still supplies 20 percent of the electricity generated in South Carolina, about 30 percent nationally, and it remains the dominant fuel globally for power generation, at 40 percent. But lurking in the background are efforts to keep it in the ground. Although coal is the mainstay for large parts of the […]
22Mar

EPA Head to Visit Wyoming Coal Country

Via U.S. News & World Report: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt will visit Wyoming‘s main coal producing region later this month. Wyoming Republican U.S. Sen. John Barrasso says Pruitt’s visit on March 29 will be an opportunity to showcase the state’s world-class coal operations and cutting-edge energy research. Pruitt’s visit will highlight Wyoming’s coal-mining operations, […]
20Mar

Coal Retirements Threaten U.S. Electric Grid Reliability and Resiliency

Via Forbes: We’re hearing more and more concerns about the reliability and resiliency of the U.S. electric power system, as recently illustrated by the so-called “bomb cyclone” that struck the northeast early this year.  Electric grid operators reported that coal use soared during the cold snap in the Midwest and East Coast, showing the importance of […]
19Mar

Coal Cuts Dangerously Clip Texas Power Capacity

Via Newsmax: As reported in the Hoston Chronicle (chron.com), “Texas’ electricity grid operator expects the state’s power demand to hit an all-time high this summer, possibly requiring customers to reduce power consumption and triggering emergency measures to keep electricity flowing through the grid.” Titled “A Summer Bummer Looms,” the article goes on to say that the […]
15Mar

A Modest Plan to Save Coal

Via The Wall Street Journal: Americans take electricity for granted. When we flip a light switch or turn on a television, we expect it to work every time. A resilient and reliable energy grid to deliver affordable electricity is critical for the well-being of society, the expansion of the economy, and the security of the nation. […]
13Mar

Storm Warnings for the SS Grid

Have we successfully weathered doubts about grid resilience and reliability? We’ll know more after FERC digests the assessments from grid operators that were due Friday. But Beltway pundits appear to have already consigned fears over possible brownouts and rate hikes to yesterday’s news. The Department of Energy’s staff report concluded that the SS Grid was […]
06Mar

Rick Perry Seeks New Path to Save Coal

Via The Houston Chronicle: Energy Secretary Rick Perry is pushing the development of a new generation of coal power plants while seeking to slash spending on technology that many government officials and analysts view as critical to coal’s survival a low-carbon world. The effort represents another move by the Trump administration to fulfill its promises to […]
28Feb

The Great Game 2018

Ever since the 19th century, when European powers vied for dominance in The Great Game, Central Asia and the Middle East have offered rival empires the prize of abundant natural resources. Armed conflict has often been the result. If Japan and Germany were resource self-sufficient, a second world war might have been avoided. Today the players […]
27Feb

Clean Power Plan: Just Repeal, Don’t Replace

Via CEI.com: Yesterday I submitted comments on the Environmental Protection Agency’s advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM), which discusses options for replacing the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) with some other regulation to control carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from existing power plants. The EPA is in the process of repealing the CPP, which was President […]
27Feb

Boosting US Coal Exports Vital to WV’s Economy

Via The Herald-Dispatch: I am often asked about the future of coal in the United States. And I always respond by saying that’s the wrong question. The right question is this: What is the future of coal globally? Today the global need for coal to generate electricity and produce steel is rising, even as its use […]