On May 23, 2025, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a rare emergency order under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act to extend operations of the J.H. Campbell power plant in Michigan through August 21, 2025. The DOE directive required Consumers Energy and MISO to ensure the plant’s availability and to economically dispatch […]
The (Possible) Future of Federal Environmental Regulations during Donald Trump’s Second Term as U.S. President
The 2024 U.S. presidential election concluded with the victory of Republican candidate and former president Donald Trump, signaling anticipated shifts in environmental regulations and energy policies. Expected changes include potential reversals of recent EPA regulations, reallocations of unspent funds from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), and heightened support for domestic […]
Baltimore Bridge Collapse Halts All Exports from the U.S. Second-Largest Coal Port
In the early hours of March 26, 2024, the maritime and energy sectors witnessed a significant disruption when a containership collided with a support pillar of the F.S. Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing a catastrophic collapse. This unforeseen incident has not only severed a vital artery for the city’s transportation network but also immediately halted […]
EVA Accurately Predicts Drop of Coal Inventories in its Monthly Coal Stockpile Report
On Friday, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released official statistics of the U.S. electric power sector for the month of August as part of its EIA Form-923 reporting. As reported in EIA’s 923 data, coal inventories at U.S. coal-fired power plants dropped below 90 million tons amid higher coal plant utilization rates and a […]
Understanding 45Q: The Carbon Capture Tax Credit
With several states and a number of utilities adopting decarbonization goals, carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) and carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) may find a role in an energy transition as coal and gas plants retrofitted with either technology could continue to operate. What is the 45Q tax credit? 45Q is a performance-based tax […]
Federal investigation spurs H.B. 6 repeal efforts and potential upside for gas
Ohio H.B. 6 repeal in the works following allegations of bribery Two Ohio House Democrats – Reps. Mike Skindell and Mike O’Brien – announced in a press release on Wednesday, July 22, that they will immediately introduce a bill to repeal House Bill 6, the controversial law passed a year ago that provides ratepayer-funded subsidies […]
COVID-19 and Possible Economic Demand Destruction
Let’s talk about the 6-ton elephant in the room, economic demand destruction. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and simultaneous oil price war have joined forces to drive a sector-wide commodity sell-off. As cities and states across the U.S. have begun issuing unprecedented measures to contain the spread of the virus (today, Governor Cuomo of New York […]
EVA Expects Coal Burn to Reach 470 Million Tons in 2020
NATIONAL TAKE-AWAYS After a warmer-than-expected winter, natural gas is expected to continue to take market share from coal resources through 2020. EVA’s March 2020 Gas & Coal Price Sensitivity Outlook draws the following high-level conclusions: January coal burn dropped by nearly 20 million tons YoY, the largest monthly drop recorded in recent history. Weak electricity […]
Pennsylvania Governor Pushes to Join RGGI
Pennsylvania makes strides towards joining regional carbon cap-and-trade program On October 3, 2019, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf (D) issued an executive order directing the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to develop a proposal to limit power sector carbon emissions consistent with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a multi-state cap-and-trade program intended to reduce […]
Coal Retrofits the Largest Source of Emission Reductions
Annual U.S. Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) and Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) emissions from coal-fired plants have sharply declined over the past two decades. Relative to the 2000 levels SO2 and NOx emissions were 88% and 82% lower in 2018, respectively. Total SO2 emissions fell from ~11 million tons in 2000 to ~1.2 million tons in 2018. EVA’s […]