The scheduled expiration of a production tax credit for the wind industry has taken center stage in the energy policy debate between President Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
The credit, which allows taxpayers to claim 2.2 cents for every kilowatt hour of wind energy produced by a utility-scale wind farm, is due to expire on Dec. 31, 2012, a prospect that is already causing layoffs in the wind industry, according to its advocates. Keep reading →
The abundant supply of North American natural gas has resulted in increased attention to one part of the development process, hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing is an advanced technology that has brought energy production into areas that are less familiar with this work, including the heavily populated Northeast. That people want to have a conversation about their questions is admirable. And those entrusted with developing this natural resource safely and responsibly must be committed to answering those questions.
What we are seeing, however, are people with good-faith questions and concerns being overwhelmed by misrepresentations, innuendo and just plain false information. Celebrities from Alec Baldwin to David Letterman to Mark Ruffalo, having no expertise, claim natural gas development is “poisoning our drinking water and air.” Deliberately false “documentaries” meant to inspire fear are being distributed in libraries and schools. And natural gas is being cast as the villain in Hollywood, from episodes of CSI to SyFy’s original movie, Arachnoquake, in which giant fire-breathing albino spiders come out of the earth’s core because of hydraulic fracturing. These characterizations would grab the attention and scare anyone who hears or sees them. Keep reading →
The coal industry is ramping up its campaign against President Obama and the EPA, criticizing the administration for attempting to regulate the industry to death. A $1 million ad buy from American Commitment, a conservative advocacy group, decries “Obama’s war on coal” and targets EPA’s recently finalized rule to limit toxic mercury pollutants from power plants, known as the “Utility MACT rule.” The rule will require power plants to install technology to limit toxic mercury emissions. The Senate could soon vote on a resolution that would kill the rule. The coal industry and other conservative groups claim the rule will force utilities to install expensive equipment, which will drive up the cost of energy and kill jobs. EPA’s proposal in March to begin regulating greenhouse gases on new power plants further enraged the industry.
Coal’s dominance in the electric power industry has begun a period of rapid decline. Data from the Energy Information Agency (EIA) shows that the share of electricity generation in March from coal was at its lowest monthly total since 1973. For decades, coal typically represented half of the nation’s electricity generation, but it dropped to only 34% for the month of March. The decline can be partially attributed to warm weather, causing low demand for electricity overall, but there is a reason that coal’s share fell much faster than other energy sources – and it’s not the EPA’s regulations. Keep reading →
The electric utility industry needs to replace nearly half of its skilled workforce as a generation reaches retirement age in the next few years. Keep reading →
The spread of innovative drilling techniques combined with high oil prices have caused a renaissance in American oil exploration and production. The boom has been confined in large part to traditional oil-and-gas states like Texas and North Dakota, but other states that have seen resource dividends pass them by in previous eras are now enjoying their own expansions thanks to oil and gas development.
The latest round of American boomtowns to be profiled by CNNMoney lie in Kansas, and the site has profiled seven of the workers benefiting from oil investment even as they grapple with the challenges of a resource sector that often requires a high degree of mobility and a tolerance for isolation. Keep reading →
It doesn’t feel like we’re in Kansas anymore.
Oil rigs are springing up in farmers’ fields. “No vacancy” signs hang in the windows of local motels, and a steady stream of trucks barrel through Main Streets. Along the state’s southern border, the once-quiet farm towns are quickly transforming into boomtowns. Keep reading →
Who has the power in the power industry?
Minority communities for years have seen large industrial facilities as environmental justice issues, says CASEnergy’s Patrick Moore, with high-impact plants built in their midst because they’re powerless to stop it, but he insists nuclear is different. Keep reading →
Growth in renewables manufacturing is about to slow, and thousands of jobs will be lost, if Congress doesn’t level the playing field between renewables and traditional fossil energy sources, renewables advocates told the National Hydropower Association conference April 18 in Washington DC.
The wind, hydro and solar industries are all facing expiration of tax benefits that have allowed them to grow during the recession. Though the specific tax provisions vary, said NHA Executive Director Linda Church Ciocci, “We’re all in the same boat, and we sink or swim together.” Keep reading →
The numbers are in: New report highlights economic impact and job creation of 1603 Program: http://go.usa.gov/mnr ENERGY
Solar trade tariffs released today in a preliminary ruling from the US government were much lower than expected and would disappoint petitioners trying to block cheap Chinese photovoltaic imports, said industry advocates.
The Department of Commerce announced its preliminary determination in the countervailing duty (CVD) investigation of imports of crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells from China, which was initiated last year at the request of SolarWorld Industries America, the largest PV manufacturer in the US. Keep reading →
