November 09, 2009

Coal combustion waste may be reclassified as a hazardous waste. That's a significant change from its current categorization as a solid waste, which has created a secondary market for the byproduct in recycling circles.

The investigations into coal ash have been ongoing but the pace has picked up over the last year after a retention wall broke, allowing 5.4 million yards of yuck to escape into the Tennessee Valley Authority's territories. So, after years of checking it out, the current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is likely to act by year-end to reclassify it, noting that increasing evidence exists to suggest that coal ash adversely affects human health and the environment.

November 06, 2009

Liquefied natural gas has lost some luster. But its shine may soon return. While deflated natural gas prices are now making expensive investments in the super-cooled fuel less appealing, the demand for energy will eventually resume and therefore put pressure on national governments to find alternatives to coal.

The major oil companies along with some utilities remain bullish in the long-term on LNG. It's especially true in this county where national energy regulators have been friendly to development and where federal lawmakers are trying to enact legislation to curb the level of greenhouse gas emissions.

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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November 04, 2009

With energy and environmental issues atop the national agenda, America may fundamentally change the way it drives. And the utility sector says that it can deliver.

At issue is the plug-in hybrid that can run for about 40 miles on electricity before a traditional internal combustion engine fueled by gasoline would kick in. And while the automakers are working hard to meet their expected 2011 deadline to commercialize such vehicles, the utility sector must also fulfill its obligations -- to help develop the infrastructure by which cars can recharge their batteries and to employ clean-burning fuels in the process.

November 02, 2009

The hydropower industry is gushing with enthusiasm. A new study commissioned by its top Washington lobbying organization says that with the proper federal incentives and initiatives, it could provide up to 25 percent of the nation's power by 2025.

That, of course, is wishful thinking. But the central premise behind its study is worth noting -- that hydropower will get swept up in the clean energy trends now breezing across the country. And as such, its share of the electricity market will grow. The industry group says that hydro facilities could easily become more efficient and thereby improve the output at existing plants.