coal power Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Wyoming Doubles Down On Coal With Threat To Sue Other Western States, Including Washington

By NWPB News May 3, 2021

In this July 27, 2018, the Dave Johnson coal-fired power plant is silhouetted against the morning sun in Glenrock, Wyo. A law signed April 6, 2021, by Republican Gov. Mark Gordon creates a $1.2 million fund for an initiative that marks the latest attempt by state leaders to help coal in the state that accounts for the bulk of U.S. coal production, which is down by half since 2008. Wyoming coal production, which accounts for about 40% of the nation's total, has declined as utilities switch to gas, which is cheaper to burn to generate electricity. CREDIT: J. David Ake/AP

Last year, Wyoming and Montana — another major coal state — asked the Supreme Court to override a decision by Washington state to deny a permit to build a coal export dock on the Columbia River. The interstate lawsuit followed years of unsuccessful attempts by the dock’s developer, Utah-based Lighthouse Resources, to contest the permit denial in federal court.Read More

Pandemic Shutdown Is Speeding Up The Collapse Of Coal

By NPR News April 27, 2020

Energy analysts say coal use is down so much that some power plants might run out of room to stockpile it.

Coal use has plummeted in part because it's more expensive than natural gas or renewable energy. Mines are shutting down, and some power plants may run out of places to stockpile coal. Read More

EPA Proposes Relaxing Obama-Era Rules On Waste From Coal Plants

By NPR News November 4, 2019

PacifiCorp's Carbon Plant in Utah is one of several coal-fired power plants in the company's fleet chosen for early retirement. CREDIT: Cassandra Profita/OPB

The Environmental Protection Agency would give coal plants more time to close unlined coal ash ponds, and ease rules on wastewater. Opponents say that prolongs the risk of toxic spills.Read More

Major Coal Producer And Trump Campaign Donor Files For Bankruptcy Of Murray Energy

By NPR News October 29, 2019

Bob Murray — seen at the headquarters of Murray Energy in St. Clairsville, Ohio — pushed the Trump administration to roll back numerous coal regulations. But he says the industry needs even more help from the government. Jeff Brady/NPR

Bob Murray, the owner of Murray Energy, pushed the Trump administration to roll back numerous coal regulations. But he says the industry needs even more help from the government.Read More

Energy Secretary Rick Perry To Resign; President Trump Says He’s ‘Done A Fantastic Job’

By NPR News October 17, 2019

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry takes a seat before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on his nomination to be energy secretary on Jan. 19, 2017. CREDIT: Yuri Gripas/AFP/Getty Images

As the country's 14th secretary of energy, Perry leads an agency he once vowed to eliminate. He has emerged as a central figure in the impeachment inquiry of Trump.Read More

Northwest Utility PacifiCorp Releases Plan To Cut Coal Power And Add Renewables

By Cassandra Profita October 4, 2019

A coal mine operation in Wyoming. CREDIT: KATIE CAMPBELL/KCTS9

Environmental groups have been pressing PacifiCorp for years to close more of its coal plants sooner and speed up its transition to renewable energy. But leaders in states like Wyoming, where the utility’s coal plants are stationed, say the company would be hurting local economies and betraying their trust by closing coal plants early.Read More

U.N. Climate Summit Sets Stage For New National Emissions Promises

By NPR News September 23, 2019

A coal-fired power plant in central Poland. Global greenhouse gas emissions rose in 2018, and the world is on track for potentially catastrophic climate change in the coming decades. Czarek Sokolowski/AP

Humanity is not on track to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. Delegations from nearly 200 countries are meeting to discuss promises they made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.Read More

Regulators Resist Call For Action In Response To Black Lung Epidemic

By NPR News June 20, 2019

Gary Hairston, a coal miner for 27 years, spoke at the hearing. He has been diagnosed with Progressive Massive Fibrosis, the advanced stage of black lung disease. House Committee on Education and Labor

A top mine safety regulator testified before Congress that no new regulations are needed to protect workers from deadly silica dust, despite an epidemic of advanced black lung disease.Read More

Finding New Opportunity For Old Coal-Fired Power Plant Sites

By NPR News May 23, 2019

The coal plant in Shamokin Dam, Pa., is a local landmark that delivered electricity to this region for more than six decades. It closed in 2014, and the state hopes to lure new businesses to the site. CREDIT: JEFF BRADY/NPR

Coal-fired power plants keep closing, and communities around the country must decide what to do with those sites. Pennsylvania has a plan, aiming to create new jobs where old ones have been lost. It's a trend seen in other states, including Washington.Read More

A Northwest Utility Considers Early Retirement For Some Coal Operations

By David Steves April 25, 2019

An energy company with hundreds of thousands of Oregon and Washington customers is considering the early retirement of some of its coal-burning operations.Read More

Northwest Utilities Plan For Future As Regional Coal-Power Plants Are Phased Out

By Courtney Flatt January 8, 2019

Portland General Electric's coal-fired Boardman Power Plant along the Columbia River. Courtesy PGE

A new federal report shows the amount of coal burned for power has fallen to its lowest point in almost 40 years. That’s because natural gas is cheap, renewable energy is growing and coal plants are shutting down.Read More