Fossil fuels

How dirty is the power generated in your state?

A shift away from coal has slashed pollution from the U.S. power sector in recent decades, but some states still have dirtier power generation than others.

By Ysabelle Kempe . 25 September 2026

Utilities

US utilities get failing grade on clean energy transition

Too many utilities are keeping coal plants open, planning new gas plants, and building less renewable energy, the Sierra Club’s latest "Dirty Truth Report" finds.

By Jeff St. John . 22 September 2026
Fossil fuels

Duke Energy wants to build a new gas plant. Regulators said not so fast.

The 255-MW plant in North Carolina was meant to help meet data center demand. Regulators took the rare step of rejecting the permit amid a growing national backlash.

By Elizabeth Ouzts . 21 September 2026
Emissions reduction

Trump's EPA decimated climate rules for power plants. What now?

The agency just gutted a Biden-era policy that would have slashed planet-warming pollution — but that doesn’t mean clean energy will slow down.

By Kathryn Krawczyk . 18 September 2026
Fossil fuels

The Iran war pushed countries toward clean energy — and coal

Surging oil and gas prices are boosting coal demand. But the conflict has also spurred cleantech adoption — and fossil-fuel emissions may still drop as a result.

By Dan McCarthy . 18 September 2026
Fossil fuels

Trump’s DOE keeps forcing coal plants to stay open. Here’s the latest.

We’re tracking the seven fossil-fuel plants the Trump admin has required to operate past their retirement dates — and which facilities could be hit next.

By Ysabelle Kempe . 14 September 2026
Fossil fuels

Court rules that Trump can’t force a Michigan coal plant to keep running

A long-awaited court decision finds fault with the DOE’s use of "emergency" powers to force aging, costly, polluting power plants to run past their retirement date.

By Jeff St. John . 11 September 2026
Fossil fuels

Virginia kept its climate law. Dominion sees a loophole.

To power data centers, the state's largest utility is proposing a massive 3-gigawatt gas plant that tests the limits of the Virginia Clean Economy Act.

By Elizabeth Ouzts . 9 September 2026
Fossil fuels

America's big but uncertain gas boom

Data centers are driving plans to build tons of dirty gas plants. Experts say it’s nearly impossible to distinguish pie-in-the-sky proposals from realistic ones.

By Dan McCarthy . 28 August 2026
Green steel

Trump turns $500M grant for clean steel into funding for coal furnace

The money was mandated by Congress to help manufacturers like Cleveland-Cliffs adopt low-carbon tech. Now it’ll be used to extend the life of a polluting facility.

By Maria Gallucci . 21 August 2026
Clean energy

Solar and storage still dominate US power plant construction

Despite Trump’s attacks on renewables, it’s the same old story so far this year: The U.S. is building lots of solar and storage and a little bit of everything else.

By Dan McCarthy . 21 August 2026