Fossil fuels

Fossil fuels

Ohio finally ends subsidies for two scandal-linked coal plants

Under the state’s infamous HB6 law, customers had to pay over half a billion dollars to keep the two 1950s-era plants running. A new law ends the subsidies this month.

By Kathiann M. Kowalski . 7 August 2025
Fossil fuels

Trump’s EPA delays rules requiring toxic coal ash cleanup

The agency’s move to extend compliance deadlines for “legacy” coal ash dumps is the latest in a string of Trump admin attacks on environmental regulations.

By Kari Lydersen . 22 July 2025
Carbon capture

In Ohio, oil and gas industry is steering new carbon capture bill

Newly obtained public records show that the industry has worked hard to ensure the legislation prioritizes their interests over climate change concerns.

By Kathiann M. Kowalski . 22 July 2025
Utilities

Virginia regulators rebuke Dominion’s long-term plan, but OK it anyway

The state's utility commission called the 15-year forecast flawed but "legally sufficient," ordering major changes for the next one due in 2026.

By Elizabeth Ouzts . 18 July 2025
Utilities

Will the AI boom be powered by big, slow energy projects?

This week’s AI summit deepened a trend of datacenter developers hitching their hopes to old-school energy sources, from gas power plants to hydropower.

By Julian Spector, Dan McCarthy . 18 July 2025
Fossil fuels

Trump’s push to keep coal plants running could cost consumers billions

The DOE’s emergency stay-open orders for aging fossil-fuel plants are forcing unexpected costs onto utility customers. Additional orders would deepen the harm.

By Jeff St. John . 16 July 2025
Fossil fuels

Critics fear Trump will use flawed DOE report to push pro-coal agenda

Grid experts say DOE’s new forecast of major blackout risks by 2030 misuses data to justify the Trump administration’s push to force dirty plants to stay open.

By Jeff St. John . 14 July 2025
Fossil fuels

States, enviro groups fight Trump plan to keep dirty power plants going

State regulators, consumer advocates, and environmental groups say the Department of Energy is acting illegally in forcing aging, costly power plants to stay open.

By Jeff St. John . 10 July 2025
Fossil fuels

New Yorkers to stop paying for other people’s gas hookups under new bill

For decades, utility customers in the state paid the costs of connecting new buildings to nearby gas lines. Legislators just passed a bill to end the practice.

By Alison F. Takemura . 25 June 2025
Fossil fuels

Under Trump, Indiana and other states may decide their own coal ash rules

The EPA is encouraging state-level regulation of the toxic substance produced by coal plants. That could lock in lax standards for years to come, advocates warn.

By Kari Lydersen . 17 June 2025