Coal Can Do That - News Feed

Shale Boom Is a Bust for Europe's Gas Plants

The Wall Street Journal
By Jan Hromadko
May 8, 2013
The ripples of the North American shale boom continue to spread, as a growing number of European utilities are forced to mothball modern gas-fired power plants that can't compete with growing imports of cheap coal dislodged from the U.S.

Renewables plans violate convention, claim protesters

The Times
By Mike Wade
May 8, 2013
Anti-turbine protesters from Scotland last night joined a European-wide action challenging the development of wind farms across 24 countries.

Harrison H. Schmitt and William Happer: In Defense of Carbon Dioxide

The Wall Street Journal
By Harrison H. Schmitt and William Harper
May 8, 2013
Of all of the world's chemical compounds, none has a worse reputation than carbon dioxide. Thanks to the single-minded demonization of this natural and essential atmospheric gas by advocates of government control of energy production, the conventional wisdom about carbon dioxide is that it is a dangerous pollutant. That's simply not the case.

Japan turns back to coal-fired power plants

Sydney Morning Herald
By Brian Robins
April 26, 2013
The Japanese government is moving to speed up the environmental assessment process for new coal-fired power plants as its power sector struggles with a surging energy bill in the wake of the forced idling of much of the country's nuclear power plants following the Fukushima power plant meltdown in 2011.

Natural Gas Will Never Knock Out Coal

Motley Fool
By Tyler Crowe
March 30, 2013
Fans of Muhammad Ali should have an appreciation for the coal story. Much like the Rumble in the Jungle, where an older Ali faced a younger opponent in George Foreman, the coal industry has found itself up against a younger, cleaner opponent in natural gas. And despite the overwhelming odds in favor of the young upstart, coal, like Ali, is poised to come out of this fight as the reigning champion.

Group of Democratic senators encourage coal-friendly EPA rules

Power Engineering
March. 19, 2013
Four Democratic senators have sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging the president’s administration to amend the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new source performance standard (NSPS) regulations.

As U.S. scales back, ‘King Coal’ reigns as global powerhouse

The Washington Times
By Patrice Hill
March 4, 2013
It's been a rough few years for the coal industry, with President Obama and environmental groups seemingly bent on driving it out of business. But for coal, all the world's a stage — and a market.

The Future of Power in the USA Was Glimpsed During Super Bowl

SheridanMedia.com
By Bill Sniffin
Feb. 12, 2013
That 34-minute power blackout during the Super Bowl gave the world a glimpse of the future of how electrical power outages will be occurring in the United States.During the country’s transition from coal for electricity production, there will not be enough power to run things. And there are going to be a lot of things that need power in the next 10 to 15 years.

SWEPCO's coal plant fires up, generates power

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
By David Smith
Feb. 25, 2013
The latest technology for coal-fired power plants is being used at the $2.1 billion, 600-megawatt John W. Turk Jr. plant about 15 miles northeast of Texarkana.

Coal: the cleanest energy source there is?

Fox News
By Gene J. Koprowski
Feb. 20, 2013
Researchers have discovered a stunning new process that takes the energy from coal without burning it - and removes virtually all of the pollution.

Clean Coal Strikes Back

Coal Age
By Lee Buchsbaum
Dec. 20, 2012
On November 2, Unit No. 2 of the Prairie State Energy Campus (PSEC), a 1,600-megawatt power plant located in southern Illinois, went live, producing commercial power for its nine owners and their 2.5 million customers. The second part of the largest coal-fired power plant to be built since 1982, Unit No. 2 is now fully under the control of the PSEC team, a significant milestone.

How Fossil Fuels Have Greened the Planet

The Wall Street Journal
By Matt Ridley
Jan. 4, 2013
Did you know that the Earth is getting greener, quite literally? Satellites are now confirming that the amount of green vegetation on the planet has been increasing for three decades. This will be news to those accustomed to alarming tales about deforestation, overdevelopment and ecosystem destruction.

Why World Coal Consumption Keeps Rising; What Economists Missed

OurFiniteWorld.com
Dec. 19, 2012
A primary reason why coal consumption is rising is because of increased international trade, starting when the World Trade Organization was formed in 1995, and greatly ramping up when China was added in December 2001.

California doubles down on solar power, as critics question cost, job results

Fox News
Dec. 10, 2012
The promise of clean and cheap solar energy is getting a second look in California, where utilities are required to get a third of their power from renewable power by 2020. But after millions in tax breaks and handouts, the industry's honeymoon is over with some counties and ratepayers, as the expected jobs, savings and revenue have not materialized.

Hawaii's solar power flare-up: Too much of a good thing?

Los Angeles Times
By Kim Murphy
Nov. 17, 2012
On an island whose stock in trade is sun, and lots of it, Lawrence and Cindy Lee figured they'd be foolish not to join their neighbors and put a few solar panels on the roof... Eleven months later, in October — after endless consultations, emails and a $3,000 study required by Maui Electric Co. — they were still waiting for a permit.

Michael Devaney: He Was a Lineman for the Company

The Wall Street Journal
By Michael Devaney
Nov. 20, 2012
It takes courage and raw physicality to keep the lights on for the rest of us. Life without electrical power, as the victims of Hurricane Sandy can attest, is inconvenient, uncomfortable and often boring. For the people who repair Sandy's damage, however, it can be lethal.

With China and India Ravenous for Energy, Coal’s Future Seems Assured

The New York Times
By Peter Galuszka
Nov. 12, 2012
Last summer, nearly half of India’s sweltering population suddenly found the electricity shut off. Air-conditioners whirred to a stop. Refrigerators ceased cooling. The culprits were outmoded power generation stations and a creaky electricity transmission grid. But another problem stood out. India relies on coal for 55 percent of its electric power and struggles to keep enough on hand.

Coal Industry's New Voice in Washington Is Deeply Rooted in Republican Politics

National Journal
By Coral Davenport
Nov. 6, 2012
If there is a war on coal, as many Republicans have alleged in attacking President Obama’s environmental agenda, Robert (Mike) Duncan is the industry’s new general. And for this GOP campaign veteran and grandson of two Kentucky coal miners, the fight is personal.

November surprise: EPA planning major post-election anti-coal regulation

The Washington Examiner
By Conn Carroll
Nov. 4, 2012
President Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency has devoted an unprecedented number of bureaucrats to finalizing new anti-coal regulations that are set to be released at the end of November, according to a source inside the EPA.

Coal or cars?

The Economist
Oct. 27, 2012
Will Barack Obama’s rescue of the car industry or his “war on coal” count for more in America’s most reliable bellwether? WITH its 18 electoral-college votes, Ohio is the third-richest swing-state prize. But Mitt Romney’s operatives seem confident of victory in Florida, and Pennsylvania seems out of reach to him, so Ohio is now the largest of the states still in serious contention in a finely balanced race.