Do We Need Coal To Keep The Lights On? by Inside Energy

Some of the world’s biggest data companies—Google, Microsoft and Facebook—have joined a new coalition that is pushing for easier access to renewable energy. Through that push, they are trying to change the nation’s energy landscape— even in states that haven’t fully embraced that change.

With the help of a few more delegates from a handful of states, including North Dakota, Donald Trump on Thursday finally gathered enough to clinch the republican nomination. And with that news, the official Republican Presidential nominee rolled into Bismarck, North Dakota on Thursday. Our Inside Energy reporter Leigh Paterson was there and has this report.

The people who run our electricity grids are trying to figure out what to do with solar and wind power that is generated when no one needs it. Take California – there’s enough solar there now to serve more than three million homes. But during the day, especially in the spring, demand is low and generation is high. So…that clean power has to be sent elsewhere. Right now, its going across state lines to Arizona. For Inside Energy Will Stone of KJZZ in Phoenix reports.

When it comes to energy policy, presidential candidate Donald Trump has left a lot to the imagination. But today he’s traveling to Bismarck, North Dakota to address energy industry professionals from all across the country. For energy-rich states, there’s a lot on the table right now, from low energy prices to new federal regulations. Inside Energy’s Leigh Paterson reports.

A political organization created to fight anti-oil and gas ballot measures in Colorado has raised more than $6 million dollars in the first quarter of 2016.

It shows an industry preparing for a potential battle this fall against a much less well-funded foe.

Inside Energy’s Dan Boyce reports supporters of the ballot measures have raised just tens of thousands of dollars.

There’s a polarized debate going on in this country about the future of fossil fuels- specifically coal. Nationwide, we are using less and less coal but we still burn hundreds of million of tons of it each year for electricity. And so beneath that debate is a real disconnect between the people who produce coal and those who consume it. The debate and the divide were very much on display recently at a public event in Casper, Wyoming. Inside Energy’s Leigh Paterson reports.

Road Tripping on North Dakota's Oil Bust Alley by Inside Energy

In another blow to the U.S. coal industry, the Army Corps of Engineers on Monday denied approval for a new coal terminal in the Pacific Northwest. The Gateway Pacific Terminal would have doubled total U.S. coal export capacity and would have been the largest export terminal in the country.

The poorest among us pay more than they can afford for their power bills.

Economists call it an “affordability gap” when a household spends more than 6 percent of annual income on utilities. Many low-income households pay a much higher percentage. That means energy bills force hard decisions in other areas.

Inside Energy’s Dan Boyce says the most desperate time can be the spring when power bills from the winter start piling up.