Natural Gas

Texas Capitol Building

Preemption of Green Cities in Red States

State legislatures, frequently acting on behalf of corporate interests, are preempting local reforms and regulations necessary to limit the emissions that cause climate change.

September 7, 2021 - Joan Fitzgerald

HEB Grocery Store

Blaming ERCOT

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the nonprofit, independent power grid operator for 90 percent of the nation's second-largest state, has become the convenient fall guy for the epic power failure caused by an extreme weather event.

February 22, 2021 - Austin American-Statesman

Seattle Construction

Seattle Limits Natural Gas in New Construction

More cities are banning the use of natural gas in new buildings. Seattle is the latest example.

February 11, 2021 - The Seattle Times

San Francisco View from Dolores Park

San Francisco Bans Natural Gas Use in New Development

San Francisco becomes the 40th city statewide to legislate a ban on natural gas in development projects.

November 24, 2020 - Smart Cities Dive

Presidential Campaign

Scrutinizing the Reality of Bernie's Energy and Climate Plans

CNN host Fareed Zakaria questions whether the goals of Sanders' ambitious Green New Deal are realistic.

February 24, 2020 - The Washington Post

Methane

Big Oil Not Happy With Methane Regulation Rollback

The Trump administration's rollback on August 29 of an Obama-era regulation to reduce methane emissions in the production and distribution of oil and natural gas did not sit well with large oil and gas companies who see value in reducing emissions.

September 3, 2019 - The New York Times

Coal Power

Shuttering a Large Coal Plant: A Tale of Two States

Environmentalists in California are upset that Los Angeles will build a new 840-megawatt natural gas plant to replace a 1,800-megawatt coal plant. The coal plant has been crucial to the economic development of Millard County, Utah.

July 23, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

East Bay Area

Another Berkeley 'First': Banning Natural Gas Lines in New Buildings

On Tuesday night, the City Council of Berkeley, Calif., unanimously voted to ban natural gas infrastructure from new buildings starting next year, the first city in the U.S. to pass such an ordinance. Fifty cities in the state could be next.

July 22, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Michael Bloomberg Launches $500 Million 'Beyond Carbon' Campaign

The "War on Coal" is back, in the form of a new grassroots political campaign bankrolled by Bloomberg Philanthropies to decarbonize power generation by targeting existing coal power plants and halting the growth of natural gas replacements.

June 10, 2019 - The New York Times

Energy Factory II

No Good News for Climate Stabilization From a New Worldwide Energy Report

Last month, the Paris-based International Energy Agency released its annual "Global Energy & CO2 Status Report." Energy consumption grew 2.3 percent with fossil fuels accounting for 70 percent on the increase. CO2 emissions jumped 1.7 percent.

April 5, 2019 - The Washington Post

Rural Traffic

Replacing Diesel-Powered Trucks With Natural Gas, Hybrid, and Battery Power

The U.S. Department of Energy, in partnership with the California Energy Commission and the South Coast Air Quality Management District, awarded $18 million to nine companies and universities to advance natural gas technology for trucks.

March 26, 2019 - Climatewire

pallets of green oil barrels stacked

U.S. Becomes Net Oil Exporter, If Only Briefly

Oil independence, a goal set by President Nixon in the depth of the 1973 energy embargo, was achieved in the last week of November thanks to a fluke in record keeping as well as an "unprecedented boom in American oil production."

December 27, 2018 - Bloomberg News

Fracking

Petrochemical Industry to Drive Major Growth in Oil Demand

A new report from the International Energy Association projects that petrochemicals will be the largest driver of oil consumption, greatly increasing greenhouse gas emissions and offsetting the effect of electric vehicles on oil demand.

October 7, 2018 - Reuters

Palm Springs

New Renewable Energy Has Yet to Displace Dirty Energy

Falling costs for renewable energy may lead some to believe that coal and other mainstays have been replaced, but they haven't. Adoption of renewables is not yet outpacing growth in demand for energy.

August 25, 2018 - Axios

Pipeline Politics Ruffle NATO Summit

At the NATO Summit in Brussels last Wednesday, President Trump charged that Germany was captive to Russia because of its dependence on Russian natural gas, and a new, controversial pipeline from Russia to Germany will exacerbate its dependency.

July 15, 2018 - The Washington Post

West Virginia Oil

The 'Shale Crescent,' Also Dubbed the 'Plastic Belt,' Removes the Rust

The region spanning Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania is claiming a new name.

June 23, 2018 - WOSU

Meet the 'Zero-Carbon' Natural Gas Power Plant

A new natural gas power plant promises a revolution in carbon capture.

June 2, 2018 - Vox

Coal Power Plants to Retire Faster Under Trump

Coal plants will retire faster than analysts had figured under the Clean Power Plan, which the Trump administration is repealing, yet the Department of Energy proposes to make building new coal plants a centerpiece of its energy policy.

May 15, 2018 - Forbes

TOKYO Night @45F

Energy Demand and Carbon Emissions Increased in 2017, Just Not Everywhere

The International Energy Agency found that China and India were responsible for 40 percent of the increased energy demand. The biggest decrease in carbon dioxide emissions came from the U.S., largely due to increased use of renewables.

March 27, 2018 - International Energy Agency

Allegheny River

Allegheny River Town Debates Fracking Water Treatment Plant

Opponents cite environmental risks, supporters hope the facility will boost the economy of a struggling community.

March 25, 2018 - Pittsburg Post-Gazette

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