Inside Energy

Fuel: It's What's For Dinner by Inside Energy

North Dakota Officials Accept A Low Carbon Future, But Not on EPA’s Terms by Inside Energy

Congress is looking to Pennsylvania for innovative ways to clean up the environmental damage from coal mining. Washington is calling in the wake of a mine blow out last summer that caused three million gallons of polluted water to spill and turned the Colorado's Animas River bright yellow. For Inside Energy, Reid Frazier of the Allegheny Front has the story.

When oil and gas drilling bumps up next to homes and communities, there are tensions. That has long been evident in Colorado, where a handful of cities have fought to ban the practice within their borders. Now, state regulators are considering some new rules which would would give local governments more input over oil and gas development.

In energy rich regions across the country, over one million acres of land is currently dug up and built on for coal mining operations. Reclaiming those mines...filling the pits with dirt and then recreating the ecosystem that once was is expensive. And as the dramatic collapse of the coal industry rapidly advances, coal companies may no longer have the cash on hand to pay for billions of dollars in clean-up costs. Our Inside Energy reporter Leigh Paterson looks at the massive task of reclaiming the land from our energy appetites.

Colorado sits right in the middle of the political battle for the Obama Administration's Clean Power Plan, with two of the state's top elected officials falling on opposite sides of the debate.

In south-central Montana, plans are underway to get more coal out of the ground and onto ships headed to Asia. The Crow Tribe of Montana and Cloud Peak Energy of Wyoming are partnering to develop a new coal mine on the reservation and to open a new export terminal in Washington’s Puget Sound. Although coal prices are in decline and a protest movement is growing, the Crow are undeterred. For them, coal equals survival. Amy Martin visited the Crow reservation and has this report.

Starry Skies Dimmed by Oil and Gas by Inside Energy

Overburden Weighs On Wyoming Coal Producers by Inside Energy

Climate change can be a controversial subject in Wyoming, as in other coal-dependent states. But the economic effects of climate change, especially in coal-producing regions, are undeniable. Demand for coal-fired electricity is shrinking as the US moves towards cleaner sources of energy. And so, globally, there’s a race on to figure out what to do with coal other than burn it. Our Inside Energy reporter Leigh Paterson has the story.

Oil and gas regulators in Colorado are proposing a new set of rules that would give local governments more say over drilling operations. The draft rules released October 6 require engagement with local officials before applying for a large-site drilling permit from the state. Matt Richmond reports that some towns in Colorado are already way ahead of the state on this.

Since the 1970s, US oil producers have been banned from exporting crude oil - the ban was originally put in place in the name of national energy security. Now, with oil prices WAY down, Congress is debating ending that ban. It’s an issue that divides Congress AND the oil industry itself. For Inside Energy, Marfa Public Radio’s Lorne Matalon in west Texas lays out the pros and cons of the debate.

The EPA is expected to released tougher standards for ozone emissions Thursday, and opinions in Colorado remain sharply divided.

Oilfield services company Halliburton is agreeing to pay out more than $18 million in overtime wages to about 1,000 employees nationwide. Inside Energy Reporter Dan Boyce tells us it’s one of the largest wage violations discovered by the US Department of Labor in years.

When energy booms bust, the public is often left responsible for the cleanup. That’s because while most states and the federal government make companies put up at least some money in advance to pay for any mess they leave behind, it’s often not enough. In Wyoming, the recent bust of the coal bed methane industry has left the state responsible for plugging thousands of wells, at a cost of tens of millions of dollars. Now, with both oil and natural gas prices in a slump, Wyoming Public Radio’s Stephanie Joyce reports for Inside Energy on whether history is bound to repeat itself.

In a joint press conference with President Obama today, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a commitment put a price on carbon emissions. The plan is a cap and trade program which would effectively make china the world’s biggest carbon market. It is a key part of joint efforts by theUS and China to find cleaner ways to burn and use coal. Inside Energy’s Leigh Paterson recently traveled to one of China’s main coal producing provinces, to see what the country is doing to clean up coal.

The greater sage grouse is not heading to the Endangered Species List, for now. Our Inside Energy reporter Dan Boyce says US Interior Secretary Sally Jewell made the long-awaited announcement Tuesday from Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.

Cybersecurity experts like to divide the world into two categories: Those who have been hacked, and those who have been hacked but just don’t know it yet. As the electric grid gets digitized, it becomes increasingly vulnerable to hackers. We know hackers are getting onto the grid -- so how big of a threat do they really pose? Inside Energy’s Jordan Wirfs-Brock reports.

Pope Francis' visit to the US is sure to touch on his recent calls for serious action on climate change. Is that something coal country Catholics want to hear?

Alexander, North Dakota, didn't have football for 28 years. The Bakken oil boom has changed all that.