Inside Energy (https://insideenergy.org/tag/coal/page/2/)
A new coal mine may be opening in the Powder River Basin — if it does, it would be the first to open in Wyoming in 50 years. Before that can happen, they have to obtain a permit. Local groups are arguing against one. They say the mine’s proposed permit is lacking and worry about the environmental impacts of a new mine.
Coal used to be the dominant resource to feed power generation, but it’s fallen to natural gas and renewable energies. With a drop in coal demand, a Kentucky-based company is looking for a new way to use the resource. They’re hoping to find a way to make coal as versatile as oil, creating new products like car parts, building material, and much more.
As coal continues to lose out to natural gas and renewables, the industry is banking on research into new technologies to stay afloat. Both North Dakota and Wyoming are working to hone these technologies, working on everything from carbon capture to carbon products.
Wyoming coal companies are rehiring workers in the Powder River Basin, bringing residents home and boosting local morale. Still there’s a lot of uncertainty for the state and the coal industry overall.
President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement provoked a rash of fierce reaction from across the country. Some states applauded the move, while many more criticized both the decision and Trump’s rationale for withdrawing. Inside Energy has collected reaction from throughout the country and next steps.
For the next few months, Inside Energy will be partnering with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Center for Science Education to get to the bottom of some of the most common and lingering questions about the impacts of oil and gas development, sharing what we know, what we don’t know, and the areas of active research.
Wind farms are popping up all over America’s heartland. But as the number of new towers grows, so too do concerns over the reliability of the electric grid.
President Trump is directing the Environmental Protection Agency to revise or get rid of the most significant climate regulation of the Obama Administration — the Clean Power Plan. Trump signed an executive order to “suspend, revise, or rescind” the plan at the EPA headquarters Tuesday.
Like many states, more than half of Nebraska’s electricity comes from coal-fired power plants. Now, a partnership between a Silicon Valley startup and Nebraska’s largest utility aims to replace at least some of that coal with a new fuel source that will cut emissions while creating new jobs.
