Desperate coal company CEO slammed Tesla electric cars as ‘fraud’

Coal, by Flicker user oatsy40 (Used Under CC License)The debate over U.S. energy policy took a dramatic turn last month when Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk squared off against the CEO top privately-owned U.S. coal producer Murray Energy. In an interview for the CNBC show "Squawk Box," Robert Murray called Tesla and its electric cars a "fraud." He criticized the automaker for failing to turn a profit...

Oil in ground may be worth less, Exxon concedes, unhappily

Oil well (photo by John Hill)As low oil prices remain steady, many oil companies have been forced to write down the value of their reserves. It's something oil giant ExxonMobil has resisted, even as its revenues have dropped. But the company is now expected to reassess the value of 3.6 billion barrels of oil-sand reserves, and 1 billion barrels of other North American oil...

Global oil demand could peak by 2020, says Shell

Oil field (Image: Flickr user johnny choura, used under CC license)The rise of electric cars has led many analysts to make predictions about the future of the oil industry. ExxonMobil and OPEC have both made statements indicating confidence that the majority of vehicles on the world's roads will continue to be powered by fossil fuels for the next few decades. But Shell recently made a prediction that is a bit...

Coal in China: huge problem for clean power, climate efforts

Coal, by Flicker user oatsy40 (Used Under CC License)Over the past few years, China has made impressive strides in renewable-energy investment. The promotion of renewable energy will only become more important as China works to meet its commitments under the recently-ratified Paris climate agreement. But the country's reliance on coal for electricity generation still poses a huge problem for these...

U.S., China peer-reviewed reports lay out huge subsidies for fossil fuels

Oil well (photo by John Hill)Critics of the renewable-energy industry argue that it's unfair that energy sources such as wind and solar often benefit from government subsidies. But the volumes and amounts of subsidies received by the fossil-fuel industry are substantial, as new analysis shows. In December 2013, the U.S. and China announced plans to undertake a reciprocal peer...