A Fossil-Fueled Fantasy

A Fossil-Fueled Fantasy

Newfangled carbon-capture power plants supposedly burn coal without poisoning the planet. They don’t. Extracting coal from the ground and disposing of its toxic byproducts makes a dirty mess no matter how it’s burned. But this “clean coal” ruse is conjuring up...
Blowing Past Political Turbulence

Blowing Past Political Turbulence

The gaggle of workers in Montana’s Carbon County hacking at the barely thawed ground in late December were on a mission: Secure Mud Springs Wind Ranch’s eligibility for a green-energy incentive. Why were they racing to catch a tax credit in that sparsely inhabited...
Edison’s Bright Idea

Edison’s Bright Idea

It dawned on Thomas Edison that sunshine could drive both his inventions and his friend Henry Ford’s horseless carriages. “I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy,” he told Ford and Harvey Firestone, another enterprising inventor. “What a source of power! I hope...
Giving Our Kids a Fighting Chance

Giving Our Kids a Fighting Chance

As dire warnings from climate scientists continue to escalate and extreme weather events become increasingly common, the Obama administration’s new proposal to cut carbon pollution from existing power plants couldn’t be more important or timely. The...