05Jan

Cold Snap Arrives at Key Moment for Coal, Nuclear Power

Via The Hill: The coal and nuclear industries are pointing to the cold snap sweeping the eastern United States as Exhibit A for why the federal government should help their power plants. Those industries and their allies hope that the record-setting winter weather will give a boost to a proposal from Energy Secretary Rick Perrythat would […]
05Jan

Winter Storm to Test Northeast Grid as FERC Tees Up Decision on DOE Grid Rule

Via Utility Dive: Frigid conditions in the Northeast U.S. are stepping up demands on the power grid as federal regulators prepare to act on a controversial coal and nuclear subsidy rule from the Trump administration. Meteorologists expect Winter Storm Grayson to bring heavy snow, winds and coastal flooding to New England and the Eastern seaboard […]
04Jan

Deep Freeze in U.S. Creates Heating Squeeze for Homeowners and Utilities

Via The New York Times: Homeowners, businesses and utilities across much of the United States were keeping a close watch on fuel supplies Wednesday as a record-setting cold snap caused demand for heating oil and natural gas to soar. With heating units in homes and commercial buildings running furiously to fend off the deep freeze, […]
04Jan

America’s Power Grid Shows Signs of Strain Amid Deep Freeze

Via The Seattle Times: America’s power grid is starting to show signs of fatigue as the nation grapples with a record-breaking cold snap. In the Midwest, some natural-gas plants are having trouble getting supplies, forcing outages and increased use of fuel oil, Dustin Smith, a spokesman for the Southwest Power Pool, said on Tuesday. Some […]
04Jan

Coal, Oil Get a Boost from Northern Cold Snap

Via Utility Dive: Brutal cold weather across portions of the country is altering the power mix for some electric grids, with oil leading over gas in ISO New England and coal doing the same in PJM. Despite the cold, there have not been any difficulties in continuing to supply fuel to power plants or electricity to […]
04Jan

Barry Butterfield: Energy Diversity Still Needed

Via The Omaha World-Herald: The Nebraska Public Service Commission’s recent approval of a Keystone XL pipeline route across Nebraska has revived concerns about energy production and its environmental impact. Nevertheless, nuclear and coal still matter. In 2015, these two sources accounted for 87 percent of the energy generated in Nebraska. Nationally, they supply over half […]
03Jan

Coal Mining Remains Significant Source of Revenue for Montana

Via The Independent Record: Although coal mining and the production from coal-fired power plants has declined in Montana, taxes on coal still remain a significant source of revenue for the state, bringing in $81 million to state and local governments in 2016. A report produced for the Environmental Quality Council, which is made up of […]
03Jan

They Said Trump Couldn’t Reinvigorate Coal Industry – Did He?

Via Conservative Daily News: Experts said that President Donald Trump could not reinvigorate the coal industry with his deregulatory agenda – they were wrong. The Economist tweeted that “There is no reason to expect that Donald Trump’s decision will invigorate coal mining, as he claims it will” “Hogwash. These actions won’t save coal or help […]
03Jan

The Vortex Validation

January 3, 2018 What a year it was that just ended.  After seeing an election that embarrassed the political “experts”, we enjoyed a booming economy that embarrassed the economic experts. That gifted student of failure Casey Stengel said it best: “Nobody here knows anything.” Energy experts found their own platitudes exposed by reality.  None is […]
03Jan

Under Trump, Things Looking up for Coal Industry

Via The Free-Lance Star: THERE IS no question that the future is brighter for our nation’s coal industry. Changes in policy, regulations and markets are contributing to a stronger domestic coal industry. The U.S. economy is growing again. Global economic activity is increasing. The business prospects of other countries that use our coal for electricity, […]