Below are a few letters received at EnergyBiz Insider on topics that appeared in the past few weeks. They capture the essence of how many readers say they feel.
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May 19, 2010

The Wichita lineman may still have a job in the utility of the future, but he won't be driving alone down the main road searching for an overload. He, or she, will be part of a mobile unit dispatched by a computer that identified a problem as soon as it occurred and may be called something like a "field technologist."

More to the point, that lineman won't be the iconic symbol for the power industry. More likely it will be a young man or woman with a handheld computer ringing the doorbell of a suburban home to perform an energy audit and design a customized energy use plan for the household.

May 17, 2010

Just when the global warming debate starts to simmer, the reintroduction of legislation has caused it perk back up. Three senators across the great political divide have produced a bill that they think can win the votes to reach the president's desk.

The major sticking point is that of cap-and-trade. That is essentially a free-market approach -- as opposed to a command-and-control tack -- to curbing greenhouse gases. From there, the recently drafted bill would promote nuclear power, natural gas vehicles and clean coal. So, while the measure is meant to sway ambivalent lawmakers, it now proceeds to anger the more liberal constituents.

May 14, 2010

The recession's end is signaling the beginning of changes in the utility world. Declines in demand along with those of whole electric prices are prompting companies to revise their business strategies.

Now some notable players are buying and selling assets. The goal is to trim debt, increase revenues and raise stock prices -- as well as to prepare for the next sustained economic cycle. While mergers often take place during good times and when companies have ample cash to spend, the recent wave of activity is a reaction to what has been a relatively stressful time.

May 12, 2010

The controversy surrounding coal ash may finally settle. National regulators have issued a proposal and have given industry three months to respond -- one that presents two distinct possibilities while still allowing the beneficial reuse of the coal combustion byproduct in such things as cement.

While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said that its recommendations are the first time ever that coal ash would fall under national rules, it nevertheless has asked interested parties to weigh in on the options. The first of its solutions would be to regulate the toxic material under federal hazardous waste laws. The second would allow the EPA to make recommendations to the states, which would maintain control. In both cases, the landfills that take in coal ash would need liners and groundwater monitoring devices.