Commentary

Without some serious progress on improving its infrastructure and market structure, New England is facingchallenges to reliability with its increased reliance on natural gas, says the head of ISO-NE.

Despite good intentions, the program to turn Cold War-era plutonium into mixed-oxide reactor fuel has been an expensive failure. It’s time to consider other options.

Tempting as it may be to put off tough conversations with subordinates, doing so almost always leads to bigger and bigger problems down the line.

Firing someone is never easy or fun. It isn’t supposed to be.

The PTC has led to unprecedented growth in wind capacity. But the distortions it creates in the energy market are damaging future prospects for nuclear power.

In communities all across North America, environmental justice (EJ), which calls for the fair treatment of all people, including those of color and the economically deprived, remains a serious concern.

EU leaders are beginning to comprehend that there is a practical limit to their dogged pursuit of reducing carbon emissions: their customers’ ability to pay their energy bills each month.

Beware the letter from the Environmental Protection Agency asking seemingly innocuous questions about your plant.

Protecting polar bears was the subject of two recent legal rulings. The courts ensured the bears remain protected but also closed to door to those wanting to use the Endangered Species laws to effect new greenhouse gas rules.

On Feb. 22, 2013, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a rule, 78 Fed. Reg. 12459, that will require 36 states to eliminate an exemption to Clean Air Act (CAA) emission requirements for exceedances that occur during periods of startup, shutdown, or malfunction (SSM).

Is bigger better for the energy business? Says a veteran energy lawyer, it depends more on why and how a utility choose to grow. Unfortunately, few regulators are thinking much about it.

Finding the right people to work with is critical to success, but getting there is no accident.

It’s never fun to realize you’re wrong. But effective leaders know when to admit it and take their lumps.

Climate rhetoric has become increasing obsessed with "tipping points." But this sloppy metaphor risks taking good science over the cliff.

“Safety is as Safety Does” and “Ignoring a Warning Can Cause Much Mourning” are two of the more creative safety slogans I’ve heard. Such inventive catch phrases and workplace safety posters are just part of what helps us achieve our ultimate goal, which is to ensure our employees return to their homes and loved ones in the same condition they left.

Germany’s race away from nuclear and coal to a system heavy with renewables has not followed the expected course. Nuclear and coal plants were supposed to close. Instead, gas plants are closing and coal is making a comeback.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently gave a presentation in Washington, where he stated: “Coal is dead.” Fortunately, both for the prosperity of the United States and the goal to alleviate poverty for billions of people across the world, Bloomberg’s projection is much different from what is actually happening.

Wind industry’s “inflated numbers” and “erroneous conclusions” misled Washington lawmakers to extend the production tax credit.

Mae West said, “Too much of a good thing can be taxing.” The Pacific Northwest has a good thing—plentiful, carbon-free power from its huge wind and hydroelectric fleets. But wind’s huge variability can be taxing. The Northwest’s scramble to integrate growing wind generation, and the resulting litigation melee, underscore the importance of quickly solving the variable resource integration puzzle.

It’s time to banish a few common terms that are hindering good thinking and obstructing progress in the power sector.

The news for nuclear the past few years has not been good. But forces lurking in the background are moving to rekindle the nuclear renaissance, as the long-term cost advantages seem certain to beat out much of the competition from renewables.

The increasingly advanced American economy is increasingly in need of a wide variety of minerals—many of which must currently be imported. But regulatory reform and a better understanding of their importance could lead to a renaissance in domestic mineral production.

It’s all well and good to suggest the U.S. needs to be open to all solutions in the pursuit of its energy future, but at some point "try everything" needs to give way to a well-thought plan implementing the best, most cost-effective options.

Most professionals in the energy industry know about biomass; fewer of us are conversant with biogas. This commentary explains the basics of biogas, with a focus on its current use and future potential as a source of electrical power.

The electricity industry is being transformed by the so-called “shale gas revolution” in the United States. Production of natural gas from shale rock using hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) has boosted supply and reduced prices, making gas-fired power competitive with coal-fired power on price. Historically, coal-fired electricity generation has dwarfed generation from gas-fired plants in the U.S. […]

Interest in a carbon tax seems to be growing in Washington as a means to increase revenue for the federal government and to fight climate change. There are three good reasons why instituting a carbon tax is a very bad idea.

Embattled Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson announced her resignation on December 27 citing the pursuit of “new challenges” and “opportunities to make a difference” as the reasons for leaving her high-profile post. I suspect her departure was caused less by altruism and more by self-preservation.

An open letter published in the Washington Examiner by a group of climate scientists and meteorologists states why they believe the theory of anthropogenic warming is far from settled science and the actions of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have disregarded established methods of scientific inquiry.

Human beings have a tough time balancing risks rationally–but this task isn’t made any easier by how the media communicates information about them. Often, the usual approach makes things even worse.