U.S. Coal Production to Hit 40-Year Low as Exports, Consumption Plummet: EIA

U.S. Coal Production to Hit 40-Year Low as Exports, Consumption Plummet: EIA

U.S. coal production is projected to decline by 3 percent to about 729 million short tons in 2019 compared to 2018, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s short-term outlook released on Jan. 15. The agency forecasts 2020 production to reach 680 million tons, the first time that annual production will fall below 700 million…

Montana State Lawmaker Proposes Bill to Establish Carbon Tax

Montana State Lawmaker Proposes Bill to Establish Carbon Tax

Montana House Lawmaker Mary Dunwell, a Democrat, introduced legislation on Jan. 14 that would impose a carbon tax of $10 per metric ton on large emissions sources from 2020, increasing annually by $1, plus the rate of inflation. The bill would set an emissions reduction goal of 25 percent by 2035, and 50 percent by…...

U.S. Energy Department Unveils ‘Coal FIRST’ Initiative to Bolster Ailing Industry

U.S. Energy Department Unveils ‘Coal FIRST’ Initiative to Bolster Ailing Industry

The U.S. Energy Department is planning to fund competitive research and development of innovative coal generation technologies in the 2019 fiscal year, according to a Nov. 14 announcement. The agency envisions coal plants of the future to be “Flexible, Innovative, Resilient, Small and Transformative” under the new “Coal FIRST” initiative. The move stems from request…

Policy Choices Will Shape Future of Global Energy Sector

Policy Choices Will Shape Future of Global Energy Sector: IEA’s World Energy Outlook

Under current and planned policies, global energy demand is expected to grow by over 25 percent to 2040, requiring an annual investment of more than $2 trillion in new energy supply, according to the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook published on Nov. 13. The agency said that over 70 percent of global energy investments…

Trump Nominates McNamee to FERC as Agency Examines Crucial Issues of Pipeline Policy, Resiliency

Trump Nominates McNamee to FERC as Agency Examines Crucial Issues of Pipeline Policy, Resiliency

President Donald Trump nominated Bernard L. McNamee to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the term ending June 30, 2020, to fill the vacancy resulting from Commissioner Robert Powelson’s resignation in August, according to an Oct. 9 release from the agency. McNamee currently serves as the Executive Director of the U.S. Energy Department’s Office of…

Xcel Energy Unveils $2.5 Billion Plan for Renewable Energy Shift, Coal Plant Closures

Xcel Energy Unveils $2.5 Billion Plan for Renewable Energy Shift, Coal Plant Closures

Public Service Company of Colorado, a unit of Xcel Energy Inc., filed its Colorado Energy Plan, a blueprint for the utility to source over half of its electricity supply from renewables and cut carbon emissions by 60 percent by 2026. The plan, filed June 6 with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, directs the company to…