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WV Public Broadcasting: A new economic forecast shows the recent uptick in coal production is expected to level out during the next two years and decline precipitously during the next two decades. The annual coal production report, released today by West Virginia University’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research, shows the recent uptick in coal […]
IEEFA
Roanoke Times: A federal appeals court on Friday struck down two key decisions allowing a natural gas pipeline to slice through the Jefferson National Forest. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the Sierra Club and other conservation groups that challenged approvals by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management […]
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Charleston Gazette-Mail: While the energy industry awaits specifics on President Donald Trump’s plan to bail out struggling coal and nuclear plants, one coal waste plant in Marion County is hoping to stay open through state-level proceedings. The Grant Town Power Plant is at risk of shutting down as its owner, American Bituminous Power Partners, has […]
IEEFA
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Brian Anderson was hoping not to be alone at the podium at the Westin Convention Center on Monday morning. He was hoping to be flanked by officials from China Energy Investment Corp. and to watch the crowd’s eyes widen as the CEO of the Chinese giant announced its first few projects in the […]
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Charleston Gazette: As West Virginians continue to see their utility bills rise, the regional electric grid serving the state is among those warning that attempts by President Donald Trump’s administration to keep coal and nuclear power plants from closing will lead to higher electricity prices. Trump has ordered the U.S. Department of Energy to stop […]
Seth Feaster
Public Risk in Alaska, Colorado, Missouri, North Dakota, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming
A report that came out last month from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office recommends that Congress eliminate the risky system of self-bonding by coal-mining companies. But the report also raises concerns about the financial stability of surety-bond companies, a much more common form of reclamation bonding, as well as problems with underfunding for mine cleanup costs. […]
IEEFA
WVNews: Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) are pushing legislation that would give tax breaks to help keep coal-fired power plants in operation. On Monday, Capito introduced the Electricity Reliability and Fuel Security Act, which would provide a temporary tax credit for existing coal-fired power plants to help cover a portion […]
IEEFA
S&P Global Market Intelligence: Murray Energy Corp. “currently has no plans to file for bankruptcy protection,” despite a warning issued to government officials in 2017 that the coal producer would be forced to follow if one of its largest customers sought a court-supervised restructuring. That possibility became reality March 31. In 2017, Murray Energy supplied […]
Cathy Kunkel
Negligence on the Part of FirstEnergy and the State to Encourage Responsible Transition
As FirstEnergy prepares to either sell the Pleasants Power Station in West Virginia or deactivate it, the question now becomes whether the company and the state will come up with a good plan to help the local community through this transition. FirstEnergy’s decision on Pleasants comes after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rejected its proposal […]
Cathy Kunkel
FirstEnergy Throws in the Towel on Its Latest Play in West Virginia
It’s to the benefit of ratepayers that FirstEnergy this week announced that it will drop its scheme to transfer the Pleasants Power Station from deregulated subsidiary Allegheny Energy Supply to West Virginia regulated subsidiaries Mon Power and Potomac Edison. The move would have shielded the coal-fired Pleasants plant from market competition, forcing West Virginia ratepayers […]
IEEFA Research Brief: Coal in Decline, Blow by Blow
Plant Closings and the Likely Effects on Specific Companies and MinesWe’ve published a research brief today that presents an expansive snapshot of a moving target: the decline in U.S. coal-fired generation nationally. As global energy markets continue to undergo rapid transformation, change has swept the U.S. as well. Our brief—“U.S. Coal Phase-out, Blow by Blow: Plant Closings and the Likely Corresponding Effect on Specific Companies […]