The Energy Report
TVA 20-year Plan Heavy on Natural Gas, Nuclear
The Tennessee Valley Authority announced in March that it will not need to build a new power plant for at least 20 years. The utility, which covers all of Tennessee and parts of neighboring states, plans to address future power demand by increasing nuclear power output, retrofitting coal-fired power plants to burn natural gas, and…
Read MoreWV Coal Lab Penalty Upheld
The West Virginia Environmental Quality Board upheld a decision by the state Department of Environmental Protection to revoke the certification of Appalachian Laboratories Inc., where employees routinely conspired to violate the federal Clean Water Act.
Read MoreFossil Fuel Industry Losing Investors
Brevard College in North Carolina became the first academic institution in the Southeast to take steps towards divestment from fossil fuels, and PNC Financial announced that it will no longer finance individual mountaintop removal projects or coal mining companies that utilize mountaintop removal to extract 25 percent or more of their coal.
Read MorePJM Analysis Makes Economic Case for Clean Power Plan
By Eliza Laubach A region-wide electric grid operating company, PJM, released a report in March analyzing how states could comply with a proposed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule requiring that power plants cut carbon dioxide emissions. The company, which extends into 14 states across the Northeast and Midwest, described lessened costs if states work together…
Read MoreSupreme Court Hears Challenges to Mercury Air Toxics Standards
In March, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s regulation of air pollutants from power plants.
Read MoreOil Train Disasters Increase Safety Concerns
A train carrying crude oil derailed and ignited during a snowstorm in West Virginia on Feb. 17, sending a fireball into the sky. The inferno burned down one home and forced residents from three nearby towns to evacuate. At least one of the 25 overturned tankers spilled into a tributary of the nearby Kanawha River.
Read MoreObama Orders More Climate Change Mitigation
President Obama signed an executive order in March to address human-caused climate change by cutting federal agencies’ greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent and increasing their renewable energy generation by 30 percent.
Read MoreDOE Pulls Support for “Clean Coal” Plant
Citing a desire to “protect taxpayer interests,” the U.S. Department of Energy announced in February plans to withdraw its $1.1 billion funding commitment to FutureGen 2.0, one of the most high-profile and costly coal-related projects in history.
Read MoreSolar Industry Leaders Arrive in NC
Two national solar companies that focus on residential and business installations have announced they will begin operating in North Carolina.
Read MoreRevisions Expected for Surface Mine Blasting Rules
The federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement announced that it will revise current rules to prevent toxic gas emissions from surface coal mine blasting operations.
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