01Nov

A Return to Reason…and the Law

Comments were due this week on EPA’s ACE rule – a welcome return to reason on the heels of its predecessor rule: the Obama administration’s “signature” anti-coal rule, the costly power plan (CPP). Replacing the CPP with ACE brings the EPA back into the realm of the legal, appropriately respecting the balance between state and […]
29Oct

What’s Ahead for U.S. Electricity Demand This Winter?

Via The Morning Consult: The 2018 winter was rough. A “bomb cyclone” struck much of the eastern United States in late December and early January, plunging major cities into a deep freeze. Overall, it was a particularly cold season, and power demand rose considerably for home heating. With autumn now taking hold, some are wondering […]
24Oct

The Big Data Power Surge

It may not have blast furnaces and assembly lines, those iconic symbols of heavy industry, but there’s a new energy-intensive industry rising right before our eyes and its growth could very well upend forecasts for future electricity demand. This new heavy industry – and the infrastructure to support it – is the data industry. As […]
23Oct

President Trump’s Affordable Clean Energy Rule is a Win for Alabama

Via Yellowhammer News: Protecting ratepayers and ensuring that we have a reliable, secure and affordable supply of electricity in Alabama is the lens through which I view energy policy. It was through this lens that I saw the Obama administration’s so-called Clean Power Plan (CPP) as a significant threat to our state and that I […]
18Oct

Coal Still Has a Big Role in Producing Electricity

Via The Richmond Times-Dispatch: An argument increasingly heard these days is that coal, largely because it is carbon-rich, should be decreased compared to most other energy resources. However, coal still plays an important role in Virginia since coal and natural gas each supply 27 percent of the state’s electricity, while nuclear power accounts for 39 […]
17Oct

Embrace the Pragmatism of Low Emissions Coal Technology

In 2013, the World Bank Group decided to limit financial support for coal-fueled power plants to what it deemed “rare and exceptional circumstances.” It was a decision that almost immediately made perfect the enemy of the good and, as the World Coal Association (WCA) argues in a new report, has likely proved counterproductive to achieving […]
16Oct

Can America Support Millions of Electric Cars in Electric Age?

Via The Herald-News: There’s little doubt that a global technology revolution is under way. And the sweep of change over the past decade alone has been stunning. Electric cars and smart phones are proving that the world has gone high-tech. Many analysts now believe that a “deep electrification” of the U.S. economy is coming, too, […]
14Oct

Coal Production: A Differing Tale of Two States

Via The Bluefield Daily Telegraph:  It was an interesting tale of two states last week with regard to coal production in West Virginia and Virginia. In the Mountain State, officials confirmed that second quarter coal production gains in southern West Virginia had increased over a million short tons from the first quarter of the year to […]
12Oct

The Power Grids with Electric Cars

Via The Clermont Sun: There’s little doubt that a global technology revolution is under way. And the sweep of change over the past decade alone has been stunning. Electric cars and smart phones are proving that the world has gone high-tech. Many analysts now believe that a “deep electrification” of the U.S. economy is coming, […]
11Oct

From the Mining Association: The Case for Coal

Via The New York Times:  To the Editor: The United Nations’ recent report on climate change and your editorial (nytimes.com, Oct. 8) — both of which target specific fuels rather than promoting existing solutions — are fundamental to the emissions challenge the world faces today. Despite aggressive anti-coal campaigns, coal generates the same share of the world’s electricity […]