The Energy Report
Court Prevents County From Banning Fracking Wastewater
A federal appeals court upheld a lower court’s decision to block Fayette County, W.Va., from banning the disposal of fracking waste in the county on the grounds that fracking waste disposal is governed by the state.
Read MoreWhite House Halts Review of Mountaintop Removal Health Impacts
In August, the U.S. Dept. of the Interior ordered the National Academy of Sciences to halt a two-year review of the human health impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining. The review’s budget was less than 1 percent of the department’s current grant spending.
Read MoreDuke Energy Seeks Another Rate Hike for North Carolina Customers
Duke Energy subsidiary Duke Energy Carolinas requested to raise the rates of its residential customers by 16.7 percent. The request would shift onto customers the cost of cleaning up millions of tons of toxic coal ash.
Read MoreTVA Looks for More Exemptions From National Envionmental Policy Act
The Tennessee Valley Authority is looking to increase the number of categorical exclusions to the National Environmental Policy Act, which do not require environmental studies or public involvement for a project to move forward.
Read MorePattern of Violations at Alpha’s Middle Ridge Mine
West Virginia ordered a subsidiary of Alpha Natural Resources to “show cause” for why it should be allowed to continue operating Middle Ridge Mine after incurring seven violations since July 2016.
Read MoreTrump Administration Delays Water Safety Rule
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced in September that it would postpone portions of a 2015 rule that established limits on wastewater pollution from coal-fired power plants.
Read MoreFirstEnergy and Murray Energy Face Bankruptcy
Murray Energy could go bankrupt by the end of 2017 if the federal government does not intervene to save FirstEnergy, one of Murray’s main customers, from bankruptcy.
Read MorePennsylvania Protects Stream
The Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board recently rejected a permit for underground longwall mining at the Polen Run stream.
Read MoreDuke Energy Delays Asheville Plant
Duke Energy announced the postponement of a natural gas-fired power plant near Asheville, N.C., from 2023 to 2027.
Read MoreProblems Persist for Rover and Mariner East 2 Pipelines During Construction
Construction of two natural gas pipelines has contaminated wetlands or local drinking water systems. State judges and agencies have halted construction in response.
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