Rio Tinto and General Electric announced that they are working together on two key strategic technology projects, Rio Tinto’s ‘Mine of the Future™’ and GE’s ‘Ecomagination’”, to develop the most energy efficient and ecologically friendly solutions to support the future of mining.
Combining GE’s expertise in environmental technologies with Rio Tinto’s deep mining knowledge creates a [...]

Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association has backed down on plans to build three, new, coal-fired power plants, but the move may not be enough to retain a local member co-op beyond its current contract.
The board of the Delta-Montrose Electric Association, a member of Tri-State, voted in December against a 10-year contact extension with Tri-State that [...]

Standard & Poor’s affirmed Wednesday that carbon dioxide emissions caps now being considered by the U.S. Congress could make domestic coal plants more expensive to build and operate.
Although coal prices have dropped significantly since early 2006, S&P’s analysis suggests that “we see moderation, not disaster in coal prices going forward.” Primary Credit Analysts Thomas Watters [...]

The southwestern United States is especially vulnerable to global warming, but the region can help stop climate change by forgoing new coal-fired power plants in favor of conservation measures and renewable energy, according to a new study.
If more than a dozen new coal plants planned in Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, [...]

If Congress allows oil and natural gas drilling off the Virginia coast, New Jersey’s $36 billion-a-year tourism industry and fragile coastal ecosystems could be devastated, state Environment Commissioner Lisa Jackson told a Senate panel Thursday.
The state’s commercial and sport fishing industries as well as aquaculture operations, which together generate $4.5 billion a year, also [...]

Michigan is exploring ways to grow its alternative energy industry and provide a boost to economic development, but coal-fired power plants are expected to produce most of the state’s electricity through at least 2030.
The rest of Michigan’s electrical power comes mostly from nuclear power plants or natural gas- or oil-fired power plants. A very small [...]

Australia’s domestic energy consumption is expected to rise nearly 50% from 2004-05 levels over the next 25 years, a government forecaster said Thursday.
The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics forecast growth in Australian energy consumption to moderate from earlier growth trends, averaging 1.6% a year to 2030.
ABARE’s national and state projections 2029-30 report said [...]

Sometimes it turns out better when plans don’t work out.
Just ask Travis Creswell, former Crowder College student and now owner of Ozark Energy Services in Joplin. On Thursday, Creswell was awarded the Crowder MARET Center Energy Excellence Award during an “Energy, Environment and Emergency” conference at the college.
The award singles out businesses that “demonstrate an [...]

With winter fast approaching, don’t wait to make home improvements that will result in a more energy-efficient house. You’ll save money and help the environment. But if that’s not enough of an incentive, Uncle Sam is giving you another reason as well: tax credits.
Make simple improvements such as beefing up your home’s insulation, replacing your [...]

Inside two half-million-gallon tanks built in the 1950s, a team of microorganisms is preparing to munch its way into the annals of energy innovation.
Late this month, the microbes will start transforming truckloads of restaurant grease into electricity for a water pollution control plant in Millbrae, Calif. The one-of-a-kind setup relieves the city and area eateries [...]