Inside Energy (https://insideenergy.org/category/audio/page/8/)
Legislators see the increase as a way to raise revenues in the face of a massive budget shortfall due to a drop in coal, oil and gas production. But wind developers say it’s a dangerous gamble for a state that has some of the best wind power potential in the nation.
One thing we can say about this year’s presidential election, it’s not following the rules of the game. Take the oil and gas industry for example. Although Donald Trump is the keynote speaker at Pennsylvania’s annual Shale Insight conference this week, industry executives and employees have not been opening their wallets to the Republican nominee.
Fights past and present over environmental issues have compelled Native Americans from tribes across the country to stand in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux in its battle to defeat the Dakota Access oil pipeline. This gathering of nations, meanwhile, could mark a turning point for tribes as they seek greater say in what happens to their land.
Opposition to the Dakota Access pipeline continues to grow beyond its North Dakota roots, with solidarity protests Tuesday in dozens of cities across the country and the world. People are protesting for many different reasons but with one goal—stopping the pipeline.
News that construction must stop on part of a controversial oil pipeline is drawing a mixed reaction from the people protesting it. That’s because even though a judge says work on the project can continue, the Obama administration surprised everyone when it announced it would block construction. Now, the fight over the Dakota Access pipeline is ramping up as it spreads from North Dakota to the nation’s capital.
A rural electric co-op in western Colorado has started a high-stakes legal battle over putting more local renewable energy on its grid. The battled has pitted renewable energy advocates against traditional wholesale power providers, and it’s a fight that could help define the future of electricity generation in rural communities nationwide.
Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton promised to move the country away from fossil fuels. But one of her key energy advisers, Trevor Houser, has roots in fossil fuel country.
Colorado voters likely won’t be able to weigh in on the future of oil and gas development this November, but that doesn’t mean the issues themselves are dead. Environmentalists and industry are preparing for the fight to continue on the ground.
In fiscal year 2016, the University of Wyoming’s utility bill was $10.8 million—almost $2 million more than fiscal year 2015. Next year, as new buildings under construction come online, that bill is likely to increase, even as the University faces $41 million in budget cuts. That means there may be hard choices ahead—keep the lights on, or keep people employed.
