All posts by Joe Smyth

Joe Smyth was a Research and Communications Manager for the Energy and Policy Institute.

Generation and transmission association

Major co-op supports Biden coal debt relief proposal that NRECA has sought to undermine

The Biden administration, rural advocacy and environmental groups, and one of the largest cooperative power suppliers in the country are discussing proposals that could help electric cooperatives transition from coal...

/ May 3, 2021
Berkshire Hathaway Energy

Warren Buffett doesn’t want to disclose his companies’ climate risks

Berkshire Hathaway’s board of directors is opposing a proposal from major shareholder groups that the company publish an annual report disclosing the climate risks it faces, even as the company’s...

/ April 22, 2021

Major investors find electric utilities are not on track to meet decarbonization goals

Electric utilities are failing to align their businesses with the Paris climate agreement goals and investors’ expectations, according to a new scorecard of major emitting companies. The Climate Action 100+...

/ March 23, 2021
Basin Electric is the largest generation and transmission association

Basin Electric faces growing pressure on coal from co-ops, insurers, and banks

Coal-heavy power supplier won’t let its member cooperatives leave, which one co-op calls a “financial suicide pact”

/ November 23, 2020
Clean coal awards page was deleted from Peabody Energy's website

Peabody pushes coal carbon capture through front groups, industry associations, PR and lobbying efforts

A coal industry front group funded by Peabody Energy and the state of Wyoming successfully urged the Department of Energy to fund a study proposing a carbon capture project at...

/ August 17, 2020

Petra Nova carbon capture project stalls with cheap oil

The project captured 7% of the carbon dioxide emissions generated by NRG’s W.A. Parish Generating Station, suffered frequent outages, and led to significant losses for investors

/ August 6, 2020
Craig Generating Station

Utilities that operate coal plants in the Western U.S. face growing water supply risks

Electric utilities that operate coal plants in the American West face growing water supply risks, as climate change fuels hotter and drier conditions.

/ July 15, 2020

Major banks announce new policies to help push utilities away from coal

Key Points: Major financial institutions have announced new policies that limit how they do business with companies that remain reliant on coal. Leading financial institutions’ coal exclusion policies assess electric...

/ May 25, 2020
Utility Corruption

Utility CEOs received over $1 billion in executive compensation from 2017 – 2019

Investor-owned utilities' CEO compensation was up 26% in 2019 over 2018.

/ April 27, 2020
An effort to keep Colorado's largest coal plant running, supposedly by the "Independence Institute," was secretly funded and coordinated by a front group for coal mining companies and the state of Wyoming.

Coal mining companies and state of Wyoming secretly funded “Independence Institute” campaign to keep Colorado coal plant running

Coal mining companies and the state of Wyoming secretly coordinated and funded a campaign against Xcel Energy’s proposal to close two units at the largest coal plant in Colorado. While...

/ March 24, 2020