Propaganda video claiming ‘dirty electric cars’ debunked

Tesla Model S at Supercharger site in Ventura, CA, with just one slot open  [photo: David Noland]For years, electric-car skeptics raised concerns about what was cleverly dubbed "The Coal Tailpipe": the idea that plug-in vehicles produced just as many harmful emissions as gasoline cars, but in a different place. That's not remotely true for carbon dioxide, as multiple studies over the years have shown, though it is in limited cases for a small...

Can we have fully carbon-free electricity by 2100? Predictions vary

Solar farm used by West Hill House B&BThe future of energy production remains in considerable debate, but some new research provides a more optimistic view for a lower-carbon future. Sources for new and replacement energy production remain uncertain, especially the degree to which renewable sources can replace those based on fossil fuels. Even with the newer, optimistic predictions...

Trump EPA to hold unneeded ‘critique’ to challenge climate science

Coal, by Flicker user oatsy40 (Used Under CC License)The best analog to EPA administrator Scott Pruitt's latest action might be for the U.S. Geological Survey to undertake a "scientific critique" of theories that the world is round. After all, numerous authoritative sources over the years have raised doubts that the Earth is not flat. Surely their views deserve to be aired. Late last week, it...

Ohio bill would grant permanent subsidies to coal-fired power plants

Coal, by Flicker user oatsy40 (Used Under CC License)It's now widely acknowledged that the energy and electricity-generation landscape is changing rapidly. The U.S. has vastly increased its oil and gas production, driving down prices of fossil fuels globally. At the same time, ever-cheaper renewable energy—not only solar, but surprisingly fast-growing wind generation—is now...

Coal-country voters laugh at politicians who deny climate change

Coal, by Flicker user oatsy40 (Used Under CC License)The "war on coal" has long been a talking point of politicians running for elected office in the state of Kentucky. The state was once home to a booming coal industry that has floundered over the years as cheaper fracked natural gas has supplanted coal for electricity generation. The state's coal industry job losses have thus been due to the surge...

From coal miner to wind-farm worker: Wyoming retraining program

Offshore wind farmPresident Donald Trump has announced his intention to pull the United States from the Paris Climate Pact, but private companies and other entities are taking on the challenge of clean energy themselves. Goldwind Americas, a subsidiary of a leading Chinese wind-turbine manufacturer, continues to expand in the United States and it has eyed Wyoming...

Two words the Trump Administration can’t say: climate change

Donald TrumpDuring President Donald J. Trump's half-hour meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican yesterday, the pope gave the president a copy of his 2015 encyclical calling for urgent, drastic cuts in fossil-fuel emissions. It is unclear whether the U.S. president will peruse the document. Back at home, however, his administration is continuing unabated in...