Tag: Power Plants

Houston Matters

A Zombie Industry: Is Coal On the Way Out?

Posted on · Some industry analysts are calling coal a “zombie industry” – meaning it’s dying but still functioning. So far in 2016, U.S. coal production is 32 percent lower than it was a year ago, according to figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Meanwhile, a new study says Texans are shifting away from relying on energy […]

Houston Matters

How Will the Clean Power Plan Play Out in Texas if Legal Challenges Fail?

Posted on · Texas and West Virginia are leading more than two dozen states who are challenging President Obama’s Clean Power Plan, which establishes standards to reduce carbon dioxide emissions 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia last month denied a request from Texas and other states to […]

Houston Matters

Is a Houston-Area Coal-Fired Power Plant Emitting Too Much of a Deadly Pollutant?

Posted on · It’s sort of overlooked here in Greater Houston amid a prominent oil and gas industry, but we do still have coal-fired power plants. And a recent report from the Sierra Club is singling out one such plant in Fort Bend County. Today, we talk with the Sierra Club’s Chrissy Mann. She’s the Senior Campaign Representative […]

Full Show

The Future of Coal and Our Aging Water Infrastructure: Monday’s Show (September 28, 2015)

Posted on · It’s sort of overlooked here in Greater Houston amid a prominent oil and gas industry, but we do still have coal-fired power plants. And a recent report from the Sierra Club is singling out one such plant in Fort Bend County. On today’s edition of Houston Matters, we talk with the Sierra Club about why […]

Houston Matters

Understanding the President’s Clean Power Plan — and Reactions To It

Posted on · Last week, President Obama, flanked by EPA Chief Gina McCarthy, presented a revised “Clean Power Plan” setting standards to reduce carbon dioxide emissions 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. That’s 9 percent more than the administration’s previously proposed rules. The plan requires states to submit plans to meet that goal. Reaction here in Texas and across the […]

Full Show

Carbon Reduction and Arian Foster: Monday’s Show (August 10, 2015)

Posted on · Last week, President Obama, flanked by EPA Chief Gina McCarthy, presented a revised “Clean Power Plan” setting standards to reduce carbon dioxide emissions 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. That’s 9 percent more than the administration’s previously proposed rules. The plan requires states to submit plans to meet that goal. Reaction here in Texas and across the […]

Good, Bad and Ugly

Supreme Court Rulings Aplenty: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Houston News

Posted on · From the Supreme Court ruling on the Texas abortion law, to the Supreme Court ruling on the EPA regulating emissions from power plants, to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton saying county officials could deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples: we discuss The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of this week’s news. Our panel of […]

Houston Matters

The Pros and Cons of the EPA’s Plan to Cut Power Plant Emissions

Posted on · The Texas Public Policy Foundation recently released a study about the federal government’s proposed Clean Power Plan, which aims to regulate carbon emissions from power plants. Their assessment: doom and gloom, lost jobs, and rolling blackouts throughout the state. But others say the plan is positive, forward-thinking and the criticisms are overblown. We look at arguments for and […]