Duke Energy Corp. may build only one 800-megawatt coal-fired generator at its aging facility in western North Carolina, not the two the utility has sought for nearly two years, the state Utilities Commission ruled Wednesday.
The Charlotte-based company said it needed the generators to meet increasing consumer demand.
Environmentalists argued Duke had failed to consider cleaner power-generating [...]

Carrying signs with slogans of “Stop the Coal Rush” and “Shame on Texas,” about 1,000 people rallied at the state Capitol to persuade lawmakers to abandon a plan to build up to 18 new coal-fired power plants.
Environmentalists fear the new plants will pump millions of tons of pollutants into the air every year.
“Coal plants seem [...]

When some of the industry’s top executives gather in Houston next week to discuss global energy challenges, finding new and more effective ways to produce oil and gas — as well as alternatives to fossil fuels — will dominate the discussion.
And, as the year progresses, expect to see industry leaders — including the chiefs [...]

With dwindling oil supplies, pollution concerns and the ever-present threat of gas prices soaring again, talk of new and better ways to fuel cars, heat and cool homes, and power factories has never been greater.
What’s more, the conversation is emanating increasingly from a source that’s been surprisingly quiet until recently — the oil companies themselves.
When [...]

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, [...]

Environmental groups warned this week that plans for more coal-fired power plants in the Southwest will worsen the threat of global warming and undermine the states’ conservation efforts.
A report by Environmental Defense and Colorado-based Western Resource Advocates says the greenhouse gas emissions from the roughly dozen coal-fired plants planned or recently built will be the [...]

California’s march toward reducing heat-trapping gases caused by burning coal shouldn’t cause an immediate drop-off in demand for Wyoming coal and could mean new opportunities for power generated in Wyoming, two state officials said.
On Thursday, the California Public Utilities Commission voted to ban three companies that supply most of the state’s power from buying electricity [...]

Austin Energy is considering using so-called clean coal to meet the city’s future power needs. The utility’s plans to secure long-term land and water rights on property in Matagorda County, in partnership with San Antonio’s public utility, were publicized prematurely by an Austin American-Statesman article on Jan. 20. Now, Austin Energy says it must accelerate [...]

Newly empowered House Democrats are optimistic they can push through an energy package of $15 billion in fees, taxes and royalties on oil and gas companies to promote renewable fuels.
The House was scheduled to take up the legislation Thursday as part of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s string of high-priority issues she has vowed to address in [...]

Coal-burning power plants, smog and toxic pollution are pushing the environment high on the Legislature’s agenda in 2007. Environmental lobbyists say a combination of electric companies’ massive building plans and public health worries could bring changes in how Texas deals with energy and air quality.
“I think we have great prospects,” said Luke Metzger, legislative director [...]