Inside Energy

There is a building boom for pipelines all across the country right now. And that’s created anxiety about new pipelines close to where people live and work. While the federal government is trying to ratchet up safety rules, there are limits on what these new rules can do. In western Pennsylvania, residents are especially concerned after an interstate gas pipeline ruptured east of Pittsburgh. The Allegheny Front’s Reid Frazier reports for Inside Energy.

For the poorest amongst us, paying every bill can be a struggle, including the power bill.

Until now, solar power hasn’t really been a go-to option for those at the bottom. That’s despite the fact that solar has boomed nationwide and costs have fallen some 70% But that’s starting to change. as Inside Energy’s Dan Boyce explains.

Why North Dakota Coal Is The Last Man Standing by Inside Energy

Glance at a satellite image of northeast Wyoming, and you can’t miss the coal mines. Even zoomed out, the square-cornered grey blotches stand out—stretching north to south over more than 70 miles. But if all goes according to plan, someday, when the mining is done, those scars will disappear, erased from the landscape by intensive reclamation efforts. Coal companies are on the hook for that cleanup, but the industry’s recent collapse has raised questions about whether they will actually be able to meet those obligations.

Millions of dollars are being spent in a fight over two controversial ballot initiatives. Taken together, they would seriously restrict oil and gas development in Colorado. Opposing campaigns, infused with this fresh flow of cash are all about one thing right now: signatures. Gathering enough of them to get these initiatives on the November ballot or stopping that from happening. Inside Energy’s Leigh Paterson reports.

Frank Thompson was one of almost 500 miners laid off in Wyoming in a single day earlier this year. Now, he's trying to figure out life after mining—how to provide for his son, and how to bounce back.

Coal Dependent School Budgets in Crisis by Inside Energy

How we get electricity in the West is changing. Fast. New projections put 2016 as the biggest year ever for natural gas-fired power plants. But that’s just the beginning of the story.

The oil tycoon who’s been a key adviser to Donald Trump says the candidate will make America energy independent. Harold Hamm addressed the Republican National Convention Wednesday night. Inside Energy’s Amy Sisk has more.

Burning natural gas for electricity is much cleaner than coal. But there's a problem - leaking methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Nearly two years ago Colorado implemented rules to try to limit methane leaks from natural gas infrastructure. Now the EPA is proposing to model federal rules on Colorado's. Still finding and plugging leaks remains a challenge nationwide. In Pennsylvania, where thousands of gas wells and pipelines are working the Marcellus Shale, researchers are trying to figure out how much is leaking. For our Inside Energy project, The Allegheny Front’s Reid Frazier tagged along.