01Feb

New Study Underscores Threat to the Nation’s Grid Reliability

The latest iteration of a headline-grabbing study, “The Coal Cost Crossover” – which claims the entirety of the existing coal fleet is less economic than new renewable projects – is exactly the type of academic clickbait driving the nation’s reckless approach to the energy transition. Like previous versions, this iteration of the report once again […]

On February 1, 2023
"The Coal Cost Crossover", Bloomberg, California, Cheryl LaFleur, electricity prices, employment, Energy Futures Initiative, Ernie Moniz, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), grid reliability, John Moura, New England, North America's Building Trades Unions, North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), permitting, renewable energy, Sean McGarvey, Sierra Club, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, United Kingdom, Vermont, West Virginia University Bureau for Business and Economic Research

10Nov

Coal’s Importance is Clearer than Ever

It’s a good thing for American energy consumers that John Kerry doesn’t set domestic energy policy. While he believes the U.S. won’t be using coal by 2030, coal is proving just how essential it remains to the nation’s energy security as well as the reliability and the affordability of our energy supply Not only are […]

On November 10, 2021
China, electricity grid, electricity prices, Europe, fuel diversity, Helen Thompson, John Kerry, Mark Wolfe, natural gas, New England, Texas, The New York Times, U.S. Energy Information Administration, United Kingdom, University of Cambridge, University of Houston, Wall Street Journal

08Apr

Not All Jobs Are Created Equal

How we manage the energy transition will have huge implications for the reliability and affordability of our energy supply and for the millions of workers that are the foundation of our current energy system. While there are strong voices – including from labor – calling for caution during the transition, the Biden administration has now […]

On April 8, 2021
affordability, Boilermakers Local 154, economy, Energy Futures Initiative, Ernest Moniz, grid reliability, International Brother of Electrical Workers, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Sean McGarvey, Shawn Steffee, The New York Times, U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, United Mine Workers of America, West Virginia University Bureau for Business and Economic Research

08Oct

Missing the Mark, Again

This column has often highlighted The New York Times’ aggressive attempts to deify the prior administration, overlook facts and vilify coal. And The Times’ latest piece on the industry, the challenges it’s facing and the administration’s response, is no exception. The Times was hardly the first outlet this election cycle to cover the subject, but […]

On October 8, 2020
employment, natural gas, Stream Rule, The New York Times

20Apr

The Long Road Back to Balanced Rulemaking

There was no shortage of doomsday coverage of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to revisit the cost benefit analysis underpinning the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS rule). But in the same breath that outlets like The New York Times sounded the alarm about weakening regulations on the release of mercury, they also […]

On April 20, 2020
Andrew Wheeler, coal-fired power plants, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), Supreme Court, The New York Times