Fossil fuels

Fossil fuels

What’s driving up Maine’s energy bills? Natural gas.

A new report finds more renewable energy could help make electricity more affordable, despite efforts to scapegoat clean power for rising costs.

By Sarah Shemkus . 6 February 2026
Fossil fuels

Massachusetts scrutinizes pipeline-safety program as gas bills spike

The program aims to fix leaky pipes, but critics say utilities use it to boost profits and overbuild fossil-fuel infrastructure not needed as the state decarbonizes.

By Sarah Shemkus . 5 February 2026
Fossil fuels

Colorado co-ops to Trump: Let us close our aging coal plant

Tri-State and Platte River become the first utilities to challenge Trump’s emergency stay-open orders for coal plants, citing the cost to customers.

By Jeff St. John . 3 February 2026
Clean energy

The 4 lessons New England’s grid can learn from Winter Storm Fern

Extreme cold and lots of snow revealed the electric system’s strengths and weaknesses as the region debates how to build a more reliable, affordable grid.

By Sarah Shemkus . 30 January 2026
Data centers

Trump’s plan to make data centers pay for power plants has big flaws

Mid-Atlantic governors joined the White House to push grid operator PJM to make tech giants pay for new "baseload" power. But experts are skeptical.

By Jeff St. John . 16 January 2026
Solar

Chart: Solar is finally bigger than coal in Texas

Sure, coal had a comeback in 2025. But the year also marked the first time Texas got more power from solar than from the increasingly expensive fossil fuel.

By Dan McCarthy . 16 January 2026
Emissions reduction

US carbon emissions rose in 2025 as coal produced more power

The new data bucked the general trend of declining emissions, as booming electricity demand and higher natural gas prices gave coal a temporary opening in the market.

By Julian Spector . 13 January 2026
Fossil fuels

What a fracking-waste dispute says about Ohio’s energy double standard

Ohio is letting the oil and gas industry put more toxic waste underground despite community concerns — even as the state defers to local opponents of clean energy.

By Kathiann M. Kowalski . 13 January 2026
Fossil fuels

EPA plans to give 11 coal plants a free pass on toxic ash disposal

Under the proposal, the facilities would be able to flout federal coal-ash rules until 2031. The polluting plants would likely shut down without the lifeline.

By Kari Lydersen . 9 January 2026
Clean energy

Chart: How the US electricity mix changed last year

Solar and coal were up, and gas, surprisingly, was down. Here are the numbers behind a wild year for the U.S. power sector.

By Dan McCarthy . 9 January 2026