Fossil fuels

Fossil fuels

Indiana coal plant that Trump forced to stay open is not operating

The DOE says the Schahfer plant is key for reliability, but repairs mean it’ll be offline for much of 2026. The grid is set to be just fine without it this summer.

By Kari Lydersen . 1 June 2026
Emissions reduction

California makes controversial change to cap-and-invest program

Air regulators say the new plan balances industry needs and environmental goals — but critics worry that the state has just undermined its own emissions targets.

By Jeff St. John . 1 June 2026
Fossil fuels

Trump admin defends its coal must-run orders in court

The administration told judges that it alone has the power to decide whether an energy emergency exists, a claim that a Michigan official called “unprecedented.”

By Marianne Lavelle . 19 May 2026
Solar

Solar to overtake coal on Texas grid for the first time ever this year

The Trump administration likes to cast renewables as a socialist scam, but solar has soared in the competitive markets of the Lone Star State.

By Julian Spector . 18 May 2026
Data centers

Elon Musk’s xAI adds more unpermitted gas generators for data centers

Mississippi residents want relief from the air and noise pollution caused by 46 'temporary' generators — and the 41 permanent ones the state just approved.

By Alex Rozier . 15 May 2026
Fossil fuels

The Indiana community caught between coal and the data center boom

In rural Jasper County, two defining energy trends of the Trump era — reviving coal and building gas-powered data centers — are converging.

By Kari Lydersen . 14 May 2026
Geothermal

Can the US harness old oil and gas wells to produce geothermal energy?

Red and blue states alike are working to transform abandoned wells from costly, polluting liabilities into sources of clean power and heat.

By Maria Gallucci . 12 May 2026
$Aerial view of a site with fracking equipment surrounded by forest$

Fossil fuels

An Ohio court may OK fracking-waste wells despite pollution concerns

A legal challenge to the fossil fuel project faces dismissal, which would let the developer advance even as similar local pushback stifles Ohio’s solar buildout.

By Kathiann M. Kowalski . 23 April 2026
Clean energy

In a first, renewables beat natural gas on US grid last month

It’s just one month, but it’s a sign of where the U.S. is headed as renewable energy — namely solar — surges onto the grid.

By Dan McCarthy . 10 April 2026
Clean energy

Iran war could spur Europe to double down on renewables — again

The Mideast conflict is plunging the European Union into yet another energy crisis. EU officials are once again embracing solar and wind as a result.

By Dan McCarthy . 3 April 2026