Demand for Wyoming coal is collapsing. Seismic changes are ahead for the state.

This story matters in Minot and North Dakota as much for the content as for the source. It’s common to see this type of headline from a national news source, but this story is local, from the heart of Wyoming.  And the story is that of a local economy looking at a hard truth coming.

Read & Share   sourced from: Casper Star Tribune

How Sweden is pushing toward the seemingly impossible goal of zero emissions

Our distant Scandinavian relatives have built themselves some pretty sustainable energy infrastructure, just 5% of Sweden’s energy comes from fossil fuels. But they’ve set an even higher goal — be 100% sustainable by 2045. And the problems they have to solve in order to get there and the manner in which they’re attempting to solve

Read & Share   sourced from: Quartz

Regulations rollback a relief for energy industry, worry for environmentalists

President Trump is following through on his pledges to protect coal as one of our country’s vital energy sources; in the North Dakota coal industry, it’s a welcome reprieve. The regulatory rollback drew responses from many circles including North Dakota’s congressional delegation. Sam Easter has the story.

Read & Share   sourced from: InForum

UND’s energy center awarded $10 million to research capturing carbon dioxide

UND’s energy center is getting a big influx of federal dollars all with the purpose of improving the environmental sustainability of our coal-fired power plants. The money will be put to work researching ways to capture the carbon by-product of energy from coal. April Baumgarten with the Grand Forks Herald has the full story on

Read & Share   sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

Estevan City Council formally criticizes carbon tax and environmental policy

The City of Estevan’s City Council is going on the record formally with a letter addressed to provincial and party leaders that outlines disappointment in environmental policies including a carbon tax that put the areas coal-fired power stations directly in the crosshairs. Estevan is home to two power generating stations, one of which — the

Read & Share   sourced from: Estevan Mercury

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With Scalia’s Death, the Paris Climate Plan Is Back in Play

When the Supreme Court injected itself into Obama’s clean air plan by staying the law until legal challenges were resolved, an unusual act in itself, coal producing states and regions rejoiced. But the death of Justice Scalia may put things back in play.

Read & Share   sourced from: WIRED

Canadians Investing in Carbon Capture and Clean Coal Initiatives

A new carbon capture research center near Regina hopes to capitalize on being close to Estevan’s Shand Power Station. Located a few miles from Boundary Reservoir, the coal-fired Shand Power Plant is testing one of the world’s first commercial size carbon capture units.

Read & Share   sourced from: Estevan Mercury

ND Approves: US Supreme Court decision blocking Clean Power Plan

President Obama’s Clean Power Plan took a hit from the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday. The Court blocked the rules from taking effect until legal challenges are resolved. The N.D. Department of Health has suspended work on a compliance plan.

Read & Share   sourced from: InForum

Construction on Beulah Fertilizer Plan Underway

Work continues on a $600 million urea fertilizer plant near Beulah. If construction continues on schedule, the plant will be ready to soak up byproducts of the coal-into-natural-gas process and have fertilizer ready for the 2017 planting season.

Read & Share   sourced from: Bismarck Tribune

State works to develop emissions plan

Federal requirements that force the coal industry to reduce their emissions by 45% by the year 2030 caught state officials and the industry off guard. Nevertheless, the state is developing a plan to meet burdens of a future that will require less carbon pollution.

Read & Share   sourced from: Bismarck Tribune

Watch & Learn: What Happened To Coal?

  There’s a lot of rhetoric being thrown around by environmentalists and coal lobbyists these days. So much so, it’s difficult to sort fact from fiction. But there’s no doubt the coal industry is in a period of transition; what’s not as clear is the idea that environmental regulations are the sole cause. The video

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Unlikely allies Minn., N. Dakota Work Together on Clean Energy

New E.P.A. regulations on emissions will create a compliance headache for many of our state’s coal-fired power plants. This article from the Star Tribune provides some helpful background on what is a bewildering topic.

Read & Share   sourced from: Star Tribune

Alberta Coal-Powered Energy Producers Face Uncertain Future with New Leadership

Last weeks revolution in the political leadership of Alberta has the energy industry paying attention. Premier-designate Rachel Notley has been an outspoken proponent of moving away from coal. Get a recap on the issue from McCleans.ca.

Read & Share   sourced from: MaCleans.ca

Saskatchewan Government Contiues Support for Boundary Dam Carbon Capturing

The coal-fueled power plant outside of Estevan is on the cutting edge of carbon capture research and a recent decision by the U.S. Dept. of Energy to discontinue research on a similar plant in Illinois won’t dissuade SaskPower from continuing research aimed at delivering cleaner energy.

Read & Share   sourced from: Regina Leader Post