Feature Stories
The Coal Company Who Bet Everything on U.S. Power Markets and Lost
March 18, 2019
Eleven years ago, Cloud Peak Energy Inc. made an all-or-nothing bet its rivals were unwilling to match: that coal would remain indispensable to the U.S. power sector. That gamble has now pushed it to the brink of bankruptcy. The company
Kentucky’s Coal Mining Towns Seek Revival from Tourism
March 14, 2019
The same Main Street winds through the old mountain mining towns of Cumberland, Benham, and Lynch, crosses a river and runs alongside a creek. The early 20th century coal mining boom drew people to this remote corner of southeast Kentucky,
Finalists Gather in Wyoming to View Development Site for Carbon Dioxide Technology
March 7, 2019
Hundreds of train cars extend alongside a road outside of Gillette, Wyo., overflowing with coal. Trucks haul the same energy resource from a large pit on the other side of the road. Gillette is commonly called the coal capital of
Northern Ontario’s Schauenburg Celebrates Half a Century in North Bay
March 5, 2019
Innovative products and enhanced customer service are just a couple of reasons why Schauenburg Industries Ltd. of North Bay continues to be a success story in Northern Ontario’s mining service and supply sector after half a century in operation. The
Nevada Mining Town Embraces Environmental Group’s Ranch Plan
March 4, 2019
Environmentalists are taking over a faded Nevada mining town, but many locals don’t seem to mind. The Nature Conservancy has become the largest private landowner in the Nye County community of Beatty, where the national organization and its neighbors are
A Timely Reminder of the Essential Value of Coal Power
February 25, 2019
Pennsylvanians are keenly aware that the state’s weather can be unforgiving. The nation’s latest turn with the polar vortex was a reminder of just how unforgiving it can be, both in the commonwealth and around most of the country. With
Germany to Phase Out Coal-Fired Power Plants by 2038
February 19, 2019
A government commission advised Germany to shutter all its coal power plants by 2038 to cut greenhouse gas emissions and help Germany reach its reduction targets. This announcement will mean further upheaval to an industry already hit by the phase
India’s Mining Industry is Fueled by a Host of Massive Companies
February 18, 2019
The country’s mining industry accounts for 2.5 percent of India’s GDP and is fueled by a host of massive companies - largely state-owned - which have established a monopoly over the sector Owing to its abundance of natural mineral resources,
EPA Proposes Easing Carbon Dioxide Emission Standards for Coal Power Plants
February 14, 2019
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed significantly loosening the standards governing carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fueled power plants, issuing regulations to allow quicker, less-expensive upgrades and the building of new facilities without as yet unproven carbon capture and
W. Va. Senator Manchin Releases Agenda as Energy Committee Ranking Member
February 12, 2019
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., put forward his agenda as the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee during the body’s first hearing last week on Capitol Hill. Manchin, who previously served as the ranking member of
