Latest version of the bill offers greater flexibility with higher standards The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final version of the Clean Power Plan (CPP) today, with several changes made from the last version. The final version of the CPP targets carbon emission levels 32% below those in 2005, 2% lower than the last version of the bill, according
April 2015 marks the first time ever that natural gas generated more electricity than coal The Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Electric Power Monthly for April 2015, showed natural gas overtaking coal as the primary source of electrical power generation in the United States. April marks the first time ever that natural gas has powered more electrical generation than coal. According
Mountaintop removal makes up most of West Virginia’s surface production Coal production from the use of mountaintop removal (MTR) has declined by 62% since 2008, according to information from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Total U.S. coal production was down just 15% from 2008 to 2014, while coal mined through surface production methods, which includes MTR, was down 21% in
The Supreme Court decides the $4-$6 million in benefits do not outweigh the $9.6 billion annual costs of new regulations The Supreme Court decided today in a 5-to-4 decision that the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed regulations regarding limits on the emission of mercury and other toxic pollutants from coal-fired power plants would place a financial burden on companies that
CONSOL Energy offers IPO on coal assets CONSOL Energy (ticker: CNX) announced today that it will offer 10 million common units as part of an initial public offering in CNX Coal Resources LP, which is expected to list on the NYSE as CNXC, according to a company press release. The underwriters of the offering will have a 30-day option to
The Clean Power Plan could dramatically alter coal production, particularly in the West The Clean Power Plan, passed on June 2, 2014, is aimed at lowering carbon emissions by 30% by 2030 from power plants, many of them coal-fired. While it only accounts for 37% of all energy in the U.S., coal is responsible for 75% of carbon emissions, making
The EIA’s Electricity Monthly Update shows increased use of natural gas across the U.S. Electricity generation from coal decreased in all regions of the country in March compared to the previous year, while electricity generation from natural gas increased in all regions of the country over the same period, according to the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Electricity Monthly Update. The
Renewable Energy vs. Fossil Fuels: Sprint or Cross Country? Last week Tesla Motors’ (ticker: TSLA) innovation-infused CEO Elon Musk unveiled the latest offering from the all-electric auto maker: a new home battery. This battery is an enlarged version of the battery used in Tesla electric cars and would be placed in homes to store electrical energy. The benefit of this
Could a drop in natural gas prices spur additional market share growth? As we swing into spring earnings season, Q1 earnings are coming fast, along with questions surrounding the state of natural gas and oil prices. In a non-oil and gas realm, Arch Coal Inc. (ticker: ACI) released Q1 results this week. The coal giant reported a net loss of $113
U.S. coal production down 2.7% in 2013 Total coal distributions in the United States for 2013 were 976.0 million short tons (mmst), according to the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Annual Coal Distribution Report. Total coal distribution fell by 2.7% compared with 2012, reports the EIA. Domestic distributions were 858.3 mmst while foreign distributions were 117.7 mmst. Domestic distributions were down
“Energy prices touch everything we do.” Listen to the interview Wyoming is the most energy intensive state. It’s the largest U.S. coal producer, producing about 40% of total coal mined per year in the U.S. It’s the country’s eighth most productive oil state, and it’s sixth in natural gas production. This week Oil & Gas 360® had an opportunity to talk
EIA: Scheduled 2015 utilities capacity additions will be mostly wind and natural gas Natural Gas Replacing Coal The Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects electrical generating companies to add more than 20 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale generating capacity to the power grid in 2015. An estimated 91% of those new additions (18.2 GW) will come from a combination of wind (9.8
