Category: Fossil Fuels

Turkey is on everyone’s minds currently, almost exclusively due to their slaughter of the Kurds to their south, enabled by the U.S. betrayal of its former ally.  Of far fewer column-inches is Turkey’s oil and gas exploration ships that are …

The “Other” News from Turkey Read More »

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When the Powder River Basin’s Belle Ayr coal mine opened in 1972 it was the first strip mine opened in the region (Montana and Wyoming).  Now it has hit hard times.  Its owner, Blackjewel LLC, was in federal bankruptcy court …

Coal’s Decline Read More »

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You know you’re on thin moral ice when you want to remove a piece of environmental regulation that the industry itself believes is a good idea.

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Below is a chart that shows the fall-off of coal consumption in Europe, which I swiped from this article on the over-supply of this dirtiest-of-all fuels.

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If anyone is in a position to comment on the strength of the U.S. coal industry, it would be Cecil Roberts, President of the United Mine Workers of America (pictured).  That’s what makes the contrast in the following set of …

Trump, Coal, and Lies Read More »

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On my reading list is New Yorker reporter Jane Mayer’s new book, “Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right,” that explores how the Koch brothers and fellow right-wing billionaires have funded a …

Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right Read More »

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As coal-fired power plants are shuttered due to the high costs of operation relative to renewables and natural gas, it is natural to worry about the financial well-being of the people formerly employed in the industry–even though we need to …

Retraining Employees from the Dying Coal Industry Read More »

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Early last week, the final load of coal entered the Navajo Generating Station by train; the electric companies that own the coal plant voted in 2017 to close it, citing lower prices from competitive resources.

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A tidbit for today from the Writer’s Almanac: On this date in 1859, petroleum was discovered in Titusville, Pennsylvania. It’s been called “the most important oil well ever drilled” because it marked the beginning of the modern petroleum age. Petroleum had been …

Fossil Fuels: Boon and Bane Read More »

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Those who blame all oil companies equally for their indifference to climate stability are doing so out of gross ignorance of the real-world goings on.  In particular, Shell Oil, headed by Ben van Beurden, is aggressively fashioning its business, with …

Don’t Paint All Oil Companies with the Same Brush Read More »

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