Energy Report
A digest of regional energy news
White 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.
Duke 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.
Pattern 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.
Trump 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.
