Coal production and mining jobs over the past half-century have been influenced by several factors, principally demand from the utility sector, technological breakthroughs in natural gas production, railroad deregulation, and...more
China Risks Winter Energy Crunch - "China is at risk of the same energy-crunch chaos seen in Europe, with a state-run newspaper warning that coal-fired power plants will struggle to keep the lights on this winter." ...more
Noble Energy Shareholders OK $4.1B Sale to Chevron - "The addition of Noble will boost Chevron's U.S. shale oil holdings, making it the No. 2 producer behind EOG Resources, according to data from Rystad Energy." Why this is...more
ExxonMobil, Partners Discover Carbon Capture Technology for Industrial Sources - "A possible breakthrough in technology that could capture more than 90% of carbon dioxide emitted from industrial sources has been announced...more
Chevron’s Patience Pays Off with Bargain Deal for Noble Energy - "Like Anadarko, Noble is also a major player in the oil-rich DJ Basin of Colorado, as well as the oil-rich southwestern piece of the Eagle Ford Shale region." ...more
Big Oil repeatedly remanded to state courts - will SCOTUS come to the rescue? "Oil companies facing suits by state and local governments that want them to bear a share of the cost of responding to the consequences of...more
Dominion Energy and Duke Energy Cancel Construction of Atlantic Coast Pipeline - "Despite a recent win for the project in the US Supreme Court, ongoing delays, litigation and an expected increase in costs threatened the...more
Coronavirus Throws EU Climate Plans into Disarray - "Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said last week that the EU should 'forget about' the Green Deal for now while it focuses on Coronavirus." Why this is important: ...more
The Drop in Oil was Perhaps the ‘Final Straw’ for U.S. Credit Markets, Strategist Says - "The credit market is sensitive to moves in oil because a 'very large portion' of high-yield bonds in America are issued by...more
Cancelled Teck Oil Sands Project Underscores Global Climate-Energy Policy Tension - "The Frontier project became the latest casualty in oil-producing countries with robust environmental movements agitating to cut...more
Earthjustice on behalf of a number of environmental organizations sent a February 7th letter to United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) Administrator Andrew Wheeler styled...more
The Insanity is Over: ‘Navigable’ Now Means ‘Navigable’ Again - "The Trump administration has now announced that the intentionally ambiguous and easily abused Waters of the United States Rule has been replaced by the new,...more
Recently, the use of coal has been most highlighted in the power production industry, although coal has been used for generations in many industries. For example, steel, paper, chemicals, and oil refining industries utilize...more
Pennsylvania, CNX Reach $1.48M Settlement on Abandoned Wells - "The order covers 141 conventional wells and five shale gas wells in Allegheny, Washington, Greene and Westmoreland counties." Why this is important: The...more
Crisis in Middle East Should Remind Us of the Importance of Fracking - "Oil prices are likely to spike in the short-term aftermath of the attack on Saudi Arabia, but, as Clifford Krauss and Stanley Reed of The New York...more
Grid disruption which results in blackouts is big news and often leads to public uproar and much finger pointing. The lightning strike that led to a blackout in parts of the UK in early August was widely reported and is the...more
U.S. Energy Policy Must Support Natural Gas in Appalachia and West Texas - "And it shows how quickly the U.S. shale revolution since 2008 has transformed domestic and global energy markets, with always improving...more
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued three rules on June 19 that may give utilities new reasons to consider investing in certain plant modifications and reassessing the projected lifespans of their facilities....more
Judge Delivers Major Setback to Trump Policy to Increase Coal Mining on Federal Land - "But the court ruling does say that the 2017 Trump administration policy, enacted by former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, to overturn...more
Trump Said to Seek Limits on State Power in Pipeline Approvals - "Trump's order comes as the president continues to chafe at regulatory barriers he says throttle the full potential of American 'energy dominance,' while...more
Plastics: The New Coal in Appalachia? "With little notice nationally, a new petrochemical and plastics manufacturing hub may be taking shape along 300 miles of the upper reaches of the Ohio River, from outside Pittsburgh...more
New Fortress Energy LNG Plant Demonstrates New York Insanity - "For those unfamiliar with the facility, the plant is a gigantic $800 million investment that will take in natural gas from the Marcellus Shale and liquefy it...more
Russian Hackers Penetrated Networks of U.S. Electric Utilities - "Russian hackers gained access to the networks of U.S. electric utilities last year, which could have allowed them to cause blackouts, according to federal...more
Renewables sector welcomes Presidency’s support of renewables - The South African Renewable Energy Council (SAREC) has welcomed the Presidency’s clear support for the country’s Renewable Energy Independent Power...more
The Agency of Transportation has submitted a proposal to the House Transportation Committee that would allow the agency to seek damages from a utility that fails to move or adjust a utility line that is in a state or local...more