Energy and Environment
July 30, 2014 -
The Government Accountability Office says environmental regulators are failing to adequately enforce rules for wells used to dispose of toxic waste from oil and gas drilling.
July 28, 2014 -
Most North Carolinians think the state legislature has not done enough to address Duke Energy's recent coal ash spill into the Dan River. Their dissatisfaction crosses party lines -- and could affect the outcome of a key U.S. Senate race.
July 25, 2014 -
Duke Energy contractors have finished cleaning up as much coal ash as they intend to from the Dan River -- leaving behind about 90 percent of the toxic waste left by the February spill. Meanwhile, state politicians continue to hammer out details of legislation that leaves ratepayers on the hook for addressing the company's coal ash woes.
July 23, 2014 -
Environmentalists and others have condemned the Obama administration's decision to open up the Atlantic to seismic testing for oil and gas reserves, blaming political pressure from deep-pocketed oil and gas interests. Just how much is the industry spending to influence federal policy?
July 16, 2014 -
The NC Mining and Energy Commission is taking public comments on the state's proposed fracking rules through Sept. 15. Meanwhile, environmentalists are urging the commission to reinstate the ban on the controversial gas drilling technique.
July 11, 2014 -
Clean-energy advocates are battling Duke Energy's plan to cut payments to homeowners with grid-tied solar panels for the excess power they sell back to the company. Meanwhile, a major investment bank says the falling price of solar panels and battery storage could encourage large numbers of U.S. homeowners and businesses to abandon utilities altogether and go off-grid.
July 8, 2014 -
The Virginia Supreme Court has ordered the American Tradition Institute to pay $250 to the University of Virginia and former professor Michael Mann for filing a lawsuit that sought his emails and other documents on the grounds that his climate research constituted academic fraud -- a charge repeatedly found to be without merit.
