Commentary

Diverse views on current and perennial power industry issues from guest commentators: power generation technologies, legislation, policy, economics

Soul of the Universe

The theologian John Wesley, so taken with electricity, reverently called it the soul of the universe. Less impressed, perhaps, are state regulatory commissions that nonetheless set service territory boundaries to…



Time to Pull the Plug on MOX

Some things never seem to change, sometimes to the detriment of the U.S. taxpayer. Allowing parochial interests to trump national ones is a Washington tradition that lives on. Case in…


Risk and Feedback in Leading People

Taking risks on people is important but leadership requires more than that. The other side of the development equation is feedback. If you are committing to a team member’s growth,…


Thoughts on Firing

“You're fired!” Donald Trump makes it look easy and almost fun. It was never either of those things for me. Firing for me was always hard and it was never…


Bridging the Gap Between Company and Community

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’s Green Policies in Retreat

Readers of this column have surely noticed that I have used Germany as the exemplar of the European Union’s (EU’s) disastrous energy policies. The reason I do this is simple:…


The New Permit for Old Power Plants

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a long history of regulation through litigation. More than 13 years have passed since the EPA launched the opening salvo in its coal-fired…