Drax outlines its ambition for future without coal.
London Times 24 Feb
Politics
Economics
Other NewsThe fight against a big, polluting coal-fired plant has many fronts, at the local and the state level.Newport News Daily Press 07 Feb EditorialsNew standards put lid on smog.Though it hasn't received as much attention as health-care reform in the past six months, Washington is almost as bitterly divided over efforts to curb greenhouse gases. It's heartening to see that there is bipartisanship on one aspect of the problem: smog. Nashville Tennessean 03 Mar Plug in to more nuclear power.Wisconsin's congressional delegation should support expanded nuclear power generation along with other clean-energy alternatives to dirty coal. Madison Wisconsin State Journal 24 Feb Gas drilling will take compromise.Environmentalists should note natural gas is a better way to create electricity than relying on coal-fired plants that create greater global-warming and acid-rain-producing emissions. And the state has an abundance of natural gas. Poughkeepsie Journal 27 Jan Green power program needs more transparency.When AmerenUE customers pay extra for green power, where does that electricity come from? It comes from the same coal and nuclear stations that the rest of Ameren's power comes from. St. Louis Post-Dispatch 26 Jan Michigan needs expansion of Bay City coal-fired plant.Environmental activists continue to oppose a new coal-fired power plant near Bay City, but the terms of its pending approval are a reasonable compromise between energy needs and air quality concerns. Detroit News 26 Jan Reliance on coal costly to Kentucky.Sen. Damon Thayer recently voiced support for the coal, citing the low electrical rates that it makes possible, and the number of jobs the coal industry provides. Unfortunately Kentucky's reliance on coal has cost the state far more than Thayer is willing to admit. Georgetown News-Graphic 09 Jan Another victim of 'clean coal'.Advocates of "clean coal" technology tout its potential to reduce power-plant emissions that contribute to global warming. But one of the dirtiest aspects of converting coal to electricity - mining the fuel itself - is often glossed over in the conversation. Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot 04 Jan Coal plant air permit is another answer in a necessary, continuing debate.Like Mobile planners 80 years ago, we are building a vital bridge; ours is a future of the Great Lakes Bay Region built on and powered by emerging, clean, renewable energy sources. Bay City Times 03 Jan OpinionWhat Congressman Nick Rahall could be doing about mountaintop removal coal mining.Congressman Rahall is a smart guy, and he’s in a position — despite his support for coal — to make this industry be a far more responsible corporate neighbor in the region. Charleston Gazette 09 Mar What would our world be like without coal?Even though Congress hasn’t followed through on the promise of bringing the hammer down on fossil fuel industries, many feel the Obama administration is marching in that direction, prompting the question: What would the world be like without coal? Beckley Register-Herald 08 Mar Could burning coal underground take Clean Coal Ltd in too deep?Underground coal gasification is emerging as another technology aimed at keeping alive the vast and climatically dangerous coal industry on a prospectus of highly uncertain promises about possible future carbon capture and storage. London Guardian 05 Mar From coal to clean energy: an Iraq war veteran's next fight.Coal mining is scarring West Virginia. Climate change is intensifying the national security threat. One Iraq war vet explains why US energy policy must change. Christian Science Monitor 02 Mar Going nuclear...or not.It remains to be seen whether the Vermont Senate's decision against going nuclear will have a chilling effect on the nation's perception of nuclear energy as a viable alternative to coal. Newsweek 27 Feb Let`s nuke Valmont!Some believe it`s time to convert our elderly, smelly, icky, coal burning Valmont Power plant to nonpolluting nuclear. Doing so would even help to achieve the city`s overly ambitious Climate Action Plan. Think of the glory! Boulder Daily Camera 27 Feb Drax power plant is no greener than the coal it burns.Drax burns a staggering 30,000 tonnes of coal a day. If anything would symbolise a serious greening of British energy production, it would be a change of fuel at Drax. But though Drax puts on green airs, but it is a profit-motivated company. London Guardian 26 Feb Damping the soot emissions could buy time.Could tighter international controls on soot emissions provide a quick fix for climate change? A growing body of evidence suggests that black carbon can be controlled more easily and cost-effectively than greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. Japan Times 26 Feb |
Solar industry learns lessons in Spanish sun.Two years ago, this gritty mining city hosted a brief 21st-century gold rush. Long famous for coal, Puertollano discovered another energy source it had overlooked: the relentless, scorching sun. New York Times 09 Mar For Senators on the fence on climate, everything's in play.The fate of comprehensive energy and climate legislation rests in the hands of about 30 senators, including coal and Rust Belt Democrats, Westerners and moderate Republicans. ClimateWire 09 Mar Proposed coal gasification plant gets new air permit.State environmental regulators have granted an air-quality permit for a proposed Western Kentucky effort to use coal to make natural gas. Louisville Courier-Journal 09 Mar Closing coal plant a numbers game.Members of several conservation groups opposed to coal mining have contributed to a report saying the owners of Navajo Generating Station in Page would be best off financially if they closed the coal plant. Flagstaff Arizona Daily Sun 08 Mar Ritter plans to close or convert power plants.Just hours after the state Senate passed his major renewable-energy bill, Gov. Bill Ritter announced a new plan to either close coal-fired power plants on the Front Range or retrofit them with natural gas. Durango Herald 06 Mar Democrats revolt over energy.President Barack Obama's energy strategy came under attack on at least three fronts Thursday, highlighting the conflict that has hobbled one of the administration's top domestic priorities. Wall Street Journal 05 Mar Expert: Australia like drug dealer of coal.A climate scientist often referred to as the "godfather of climate change" said Australia's massive coal exports are almost equivalent to being a drug dealer to the world. United Press International 05 Mar Coal: Abundant supply, uncertain future in Oklahoma.Coal is used to generate nearly half of the electricity used in the United States each year, but that could be changing amid a growing hail of environmental concerns. Oklahoma City Oklahoman 05 Mar AEP chief wants to expand sequestration project in WV.A carbon capture and sequestration project started in West Virginia last year is working and ready to be ramped up to a level that would pump significant levels of carbon into formations several miles below the Earth's surface, said the chief executive of AEP. ClimateWire 05 Mar Power station plans spark pollution fears.The state government has approved plans for two large new power stations, triggering concerns about a further increase in greenhouse gas emissions, especially if coal is used as the fuel. Sydney Morning Herald 05 Mar Coal-state dems unveil bills stalling EPA emission curbs.Four influential coal-state Democrats introduced companion bills in the House and Senate today that would block U.S. EPA from implementing any climate-related stationary source rules for two years, a timeout of sorts that they think gives Congress time to pass legislation dealing with the issue. Greenwire 05 Mar Lawmakers from coal states seek to delay emission limits.Coal-country lawmakers moved Thursday to impose a two-year moratorium on potential federal regulation of carbon dioxide and other climate-altering gases. New York Times 05 Mar EPA issues cautious response to Rockefeller plan that blocks rules.The EPA on Thursday declined to criticize Sen. Jay Rockefeller’s (D-W.Va.) new bill that would block regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from stationary industrial facilities like power plants and factories for two years. Washington Hill 05 Mar FPL, AEP execs: Climate policy uncertainty hinders development.Uncertainty about whether the U.S. will establish a greenhouse-gas reduction policy is holding back nuclear and renewable power development, and has a negative impact on coal-fired power generators, FPL and AEP chief executives agreed. Wall Street Journal 05 Mar Tenaska coal-to-gas power plant to cost $3.5 billion.Tenaska told Illinois regulators its 602-megawatt Taylorville coal-to-gas-fired power plant would be a "net reducer" of carbon dioxide and other emissions because it will displace other higher emitting facilities. The plant will capture and store more than half the CO2 produced. Reuters 04 Mar Opposition backs coal-fired power plants.NSW government plans to build two new coal power stations are unlikely to go ahead, the state opposition said. Climate change campaigners said the carbon emissions from the power stations would be equivalent to doubling the number of cars on NSW roads. Australian Associated Press 04 Mar Company pursues coal mines northeast of Billings.The push to mine Montana coal continued to pick up steam Monday, as a company with Texas roots said it was pursuing mines northeast of Billings that could tap into an estimated 1.2 billion ton underground seam of the low-cost fuel. Business Week 03 Mar Power station plans spark pollution fears.The state government has approved plans for two large new power stations, triggering concerns about a further increase in greenhouse gas emissions, especially if coal is used as the fuel. Sydney Morning Herald 03 Mar Coal-fired power to win carbon capture grants.Two coal-fired power plants, including Eon’s controversial Kingsnorth project, are to be given government support that could be worth tens of millions of pounds to develop technology for storing carbon dioxide emissions, the Financial Times has learnt. London Financial Times 03 Mar Gas will drive coal from its throne.Strong export demand will result in the nation's energy production nearly doubling by 2030, but Australia is set to consume far less coal and much more gas, to a federal government report says. Sydney Morning Herald 02 Mar Environmentalists question coal's place in Obama policy.President Barack Obama, a longtime believer in "clean coal," is launching an ambitious and expensive plan to help the energy industry lock climate-changing gases from coal-fired power plants deep underground. McClatchy Newspapers 28 Feb For buyout kingpins, the TXU utility deal gets tricky .The TXU deal was Texas-sized in every way: valued at $48 billion, it was the largest private equity deal in history, and it involved the country’s fifth-largest energy concern — one that served about two million customers. New York Times 28 Feb Environmentalists question coal's place in Obama policy.President Barack Obama, a longtime believer in "clean coal," is launching an ambitious plan to help the energy industry lock climate-changing gases from coal-fired power plants deep underground. However, some are questioning his approach. McClatchy Newspapers 27 Feb Evidence of first step towards emissions reductions.Australia's greenhouse gas emissions may be reaching a plateau, even though demand for electricity is rising inexorably, new data suggests. Sydney Morning Herald 27 Feb Govt eyes millions in green funds from coal tax.India's government proposed on Friday a small tax on production of coal to raise millions of dollars for a National Clean Energy Fund that could help the world's fourth biggest polluter to shift to a low-carbon economy. Reuters 26 Feb U.K. and its major power producer brawl over biomass subsidies.Britain's biggest coal-burning power station has gone to war against the government over its lack of support for the use of biomass. ClimateWire 26 Feb Report: Wyoming formation could hold 50 years of CO2.An underground formation east of Rock Springs in southwest Wyoming could hold enough carbon dioxide to enable two large coal-fired power plants to meet clean-coal standards for 50 years, according to a new report by the Wyoming State Geological Survey. Associated Press 26 Feb India to start national clean energy fund by taxing coal use.India, the world’s fourth-largest polluter, plans to levy a tax on coal and use the money to start a national fund to back renewable energy projects. Bloomberg News 26 Feb Environmentalists say they're tired of being ignored by legislature.In one hearing room, legislators listened to report by a director of the Harvard Medical School warning that coal is killing Kentuckians. Later, in an adjacent room, environmentalists said they were fed up with the General Assembly. Lexington Herald-Leader 26 Feb Power station developers dismiss renewable energy.Two new fossil fuel power plants that will increase the state's greenhouse gas emissions by between 5 and 15 percent will move a step closer to construction this week after developers claimed renewable energy cannot feed a growing hunger for electricity. Sydney Morning Herald 25 Feb |