Blog

30Aug

The Energy Policy Torpedo

The nation’s grid reliability watchdog added an alarming new dimension to its regular warnings over the eroding state of the nation’s grid reliability. For the first time, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) is warning that energy policy now directly threatens reliability. In the latest edition of NERC’s Reliability Risk Priorities Report, the authors […]
23Aug

We’re Still Not Talking Enough About Power Demand

Electricity demand records are falling daily. In Texas, the state’s grid operator has reported 10 new all-time highs in demand this summer with another new peak expected this week. In the Southwest Power Pool, which runs the grid in parts of 15 states, power demand hit an all-time high on Monday. And the operator that […]
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

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 […]
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 […]
14Jun

Not Going as Planned

The New York Times almost figured it out. In “Why the U.S. Electric Grid Isn’t Ready for the Energy Transition,” The Times explores a litany of challenges to making the transition to a renewable-dominated electricity system. Yet, in reporting the story, The Times is silent on the most inconvenient truth: despite acknowledging that the grid […]