Duke Energy
President-elect Biden made two historic cabinet selections: Michael Regan, who heads the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, to run the U.S. EPA, and Rep. Deb Haaland of New Mexico, to head the Interior Department.
The Washington Post
Two of the most controversial pipeline projects in the United States were dealt massive blows within the span of 24 hours.
Bismark Tribune
Can a Democratic governor in a state controlled by a Republic legislature achieve meaningful emissions reductions from the state's energy utilities? North Carolina Governor Gary Cooper is trying.
Inside Climate News
As the federal government sends massive subsidies to encourage so-called clean coal technology, coal-burning power plants aren't sending less pollution into the air and into the earth.
Reuters
The breach of the coal ash landfill by a former coal-burning power plant in Wilmington, North Carolina serves as a reminder that even after coal plants are shuttered, the by-products of the world's most polluting fossil fuel can still cause harm.
Utility Dive
Chatham County, North Carolina agreed to not oppose a planned coal ash landfill in exchange for $19 Million from Duke Energy, which would help fund environmental monitoring and disaster insurance.
The Raleigh News & Observer
The federal investigation of Duke Energy's Feb. 2 coal ash spill sheds light not only on the company and its state regulator, but also on that of the Environmental Protection Agency and holds wider implications for the coal industry as a whole.
The Wall Street Journal - U.S.
A New York Times investigation into the Feb. 2 North Carolina coal ash spill by Duke Energy is turning up startling information into the role, or lack of, played by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in safeguarding the environment.
The New York Times - U.S.
The Feb. 2 spill of coal ash slurry from a Duke Energy containment pond has taken a new turn with a federal grand jury issuing subpoenas for records from both Duke Energy and the state environmental regulator.
The Charlotte Observer
The coal ash spill, 82,000 tons as of Feb. 8 after being detected on Feb. 2, comes from a pond adjacent to a closed, coal-burning Duke Energy power plant. It is said not to pose a threat to drinking water, though the river has turned black and grey.
The Wall Street Journal - U.S.
Duke Energy hopes to tap $3.4 billion of stimulus funds to build the nation's first clean coal plant, burning the coal in a gaseous form and storing the CO2 emissions. It already has received federal funds to build the $2.35 coal power plant in IN.
The New York Times: Energy & Environment