Inside Energy reporters Jordan Wirfs-Brock and Dan Boyce discuss Jordan's new grid outage database, which details 15 years of blackouts in the U.S.

Jordan and Dan discuss the new IE grid outage database

There are now over half a million oil and gas workers nationwide. And as the industry has grown, so have the number of fatalities. In 2013, 112 oil and gas workers died on the job. Today Inside Energy begins a series of stories we call DARK SIDE OF THE BOOM, using brand new data analysis to look at fatality rates in America’s oil and gas fields. In part 1, Prairie Public’s Emily Guerin explores the history of another hazardous industry: mining.

Dark Side Of The Boom: How Dangerous Is Too Dangerous?

How I Say Gigawatt

The Boom: Short Term Gain, Long Term Pain

When you think about the biggest energy users in our country, transportation and power plants come to mind. And then there are buildings. They account for one-fifth of our energy use. And much of that energy is pure waste, leaking from walls with poor insulation and lights left on when no one is around.

Energy efficiency is one of the few issues with wide support from Republicans and Democrats, as well as private industry.  
Our Inside Energy reporter Jordan Wirfs-Brock brings us the latest in a series on energy policy and what is likely under the new GOP-controlled Congress.

Energy Efficiency in 114th Congress

Low Oil Prices and the Surprisingly Exciting World Of Mineral Auctions

When The Largest Machine In The World Fails

In The Bakken Oilfield, An Explosion In Electricity Demand

As a member of the American public, you own coal. Yes, coal. The black rock we burn for electricity. Many of the country’s biggest coal deposits are on federal land- land that belongs to the American public. So, when companies mine that coal, they make payments, called royalties, to the federal government and to the states. Those royalty payments, which many say are far too low, are at the heart of a conflict that pits coal against climate. Inside Energy’s Leigh Paterson reports.

To Mine Or Not To Mine? Is That The Question?

In south-central Montana, plans are underway to get more coal out of the ground and onto ships headed to Asia. The Crow Tribe of Montana and Cloud Peak Energy of Wyoming are partnering to develop a new coal mine on the reservation and to open a new export terminal in Washington’s Puget Sound. Although coal prices are in decline and a protest movement is growing, the Crow are undeterred. For them, coal equals survival. Amy Martin visited the Crow reservation and has this report.

Why Montana's Crow Tribe Turns To Coal As Others Turn Away

PART TWO: “Senseless Exposures”: How Money and Federal Rules Endanger Oilfield Workers

The US oil and gas industry was shocked recently by the sudden death of one of its most influential executives.
Aubrey McClendon was killed after driving his SUV into a concrete embankment, a day after being indicted on bid rigging and price fixing charges.
He was the former CEO of Chesapeake energy, a major producer now floundering under low oil and gas prices.
Dan Boyce explores whether Chesapeake’s cautionary tale contains glimmers of hope.

Chesapeake Energy's Downfall Is Another Oil Company's Gain

North Dakota Heritage Center's Director on Closing the Green Revolution Exhibit

America’s coal industry is hurting, facing layoffs and bankruptcies. The drop off in coal production over the past year is staggering. But what does it sound like? We've mapped the data to music so you can hear coal production fall off a cliff.

Listen To U.S. Coal Production Fall Off A Cliff

Under a new bill introduced in Congress on Thursday, coal companies would no longer be allowed to just promise to pay for future mine clean up. Inside Energy’s Leigh Paterson reports.

U.S. Lawmakers Want To Ban Self-Bonding

Waste from fracking is often radioactive but there are no federal regulations governing how and where it is dumped. States deal with it with a patchwork of regulations and recommendations. In the Ohio River Valley and the Marcellus region, companies and regulators are struggling to find safe ways to get rid of it. Glynis Board reports from Ohio Valley Resource.

Getting Rid of Drilling's Radioactive Leftovers

While One Tribe Fights Oil, Another Cautiously Embraces It

Two huge new transmission lines for Wyoming wind power were approved earlier this month, setting the stage for construction of the nation's biggest wind farm. In Colorado, Xcel Energy recently received approval from regulators to construct a massive wind farm. And North Dakota is one of a handful of states that gets at least 10 percent of its electricity from wind power. But wind is not just growing on the plains and the Rocky Mountain West. In the waters off of Rhode Island, the first offshore wind energy project began operations this fall. Now developers are pushing ahead in another vast body of water: the Great Lakes. For Inside Energy, Elizabeth Miller of Great Lakes Today has this progress report from Lake Erie.

Great Lakes Great Wind!

Trump Jumps Into Pipeline Fight

A Monumental Review For Bear's Ears

The wind energy industry is growing worldwide, and so is the global competition between turbine-makers. That battle is now playing out in Wyoming, a state with some of the best wind potential in the nation. In the next few years two massive wind power projects are slated to come on line. To get an edge, a Chinese company is trying to win over the state’s scant pool of workers through free training to become a wind turbine technician. Inside Energy’s Madelyn Beck reports.

Wyoming: ground zero in the global wind race?

There is a lot of natural gas locked underground in Western Colorado, Wyoming and Utah.

Trouble is, it can be tough to get that gas to market.

Enter President Donald Trump. 

The administration is signalling that a natural gas terminal in coastal Oregon denied a critical permit under the Obama administration could have new life.

Inside Energy’s Dan Boyce has the story.

What a West Coast Gas Terminal Could Mean for the Rockies

Battle Brews Over Methane Leaks

People and oil and gas development don’t always make good neighbors. This is especially true in northern Colorado where tensions among residents, energy producers, and lawmakers are playing out in battles over drilling projects. But the uncomfortable intersection of tons of people living on top of rich fossil fuel resources is forcing communities and companies to figure it out. Inside Energy’s Leigh Paterson reports.

Part 2- When Oil & Gas Moves In

Superfund cleanups are a priority for Scott Pruitt, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. 

He wants to cut through red tape that has left more than a thousand sites still contaminated --  with everything from radioactive waste to lead. 

He also wants to remove sites that have already been cleaned up from the so-called National Priority List which has more than 1300 sites.

Inside Energy’s Dan Boyce visited a town in western Colorado that’s been on that list since 1986.

Uravan: The Uranium Town That Was

Hurricane's Impact On Oil Raising Concerns From Wellhead To Gas Pump

It’s been a busy week for lawmakers in the nation’s capital pushing their bills that fall in line with the Trump Administration’s energy dominance agenda. Congresswoman Liz Cheney is working to make it harder for federal agency’s to unilaterally approve a federal coal leasing ban. Congressman Evan Jenkins is seeking to do away with the Obama-era social cost of carbon calculation. E & E Reporter Dylan Brown walks us through what happened and why it’s important.

Energy Dominance A Theme In D.C.

The American West is known for its wide open spaces.

That can make for some pretty epic road trips -- unless you have an electric vehicle and you’re stuck hours away from a charge….

Sales of E-Vs are climbing and some forecasters predict half of the vehicles sold worldwide will be electric by 2040.

But, in present day, a lack of charging stations is still holding back this transportation revolution.

Inside Energy’s Dan Boyce reports on an agreement between Western states to try and calm so-called “range anxiety.”

Nervous About Electric Vehicle Road Trips? You’re Not Alone

President Trump is set to announce a plan to shrink the boundaries of two national monuments in Utah: Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monument, the latter created by President Obama one year ago this month.  Trump’s action will mark an important milestone in the story of these two red buttes which has become an outsized symbol for a slew of western issues. Inside Energy’s Leigh Paterson reports.

Trump Admin To Shrink Utah Monuments

An increasing number of cities are claiming they will go it alone to meet the emission reduction targets of the Paris Climate Agreement. This comes in the wake of President Trump's decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris accord  earlier this year. Just last week, mayors from more than 50 North American cities signed a formal agreement to reduce greenhouse gases in their communities. Inside Energy’s Dan Boyce looks at how they’re doing in trying to reach those goals.

Are Cities Leading The Way On Climate?

President Donald Trump has used the term “clean coal” a lot lately, but what is clean coal? Well, it can mean a lot of different things, depending who you ask. For some, it's history. For others, it's a fantasy. And for still others, it's a necessity. But could it become a reality that helps bring back coal and helps stop climate change? Inside Energy’s Madelyn Beck digs deep.

Clean Coal: Folly or the Future?

Four stories chronicling the growing conflict between oil and gas drilling and suburban development, in the aftermath of an April 2017 natural gas explosion in Firestone, Colorado that resulted in the death of two people. Submitted in the "Continuing Coverage" category for the 2018 RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Awards.

2017 Continuing Coverage: Firestone Explosion

Tax reform is going to impact renewables, oil and gas, and energy overall in the western U.S. Now that the President has signed the final tax bill into law, what does it mean for western energy? Inside Energy helps unpack.

Tax Reform's Impact On Western Energy

A natural gas boom in the U.S. is changing the power sector in the country. It's credited with bringing down American carbon dioxide emissions more than any other factor. But, one difficult to control component of the natural gas industry threatens to undermine those gains. This audio special from Inside Energy explores the serious and persistent problem of methane leaks.

Invisible Leaks: Where "Clean" Natural Gas Falls Short

Is having oil and gas development nearby bad for your health? In this story, we’re going to dig into what is known and what is unknown about these dangers and why those unknowns still exist, as more and more wells are drilled. We’re going to meet different people with different perspectives, who are all gathering data or studying it. They’re looking for answers and living with unknowns.

Living With Uncertainty- An Inside Energy Podcast Special

Inside Energy was a public media collaboration, funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, that produced from 2014-2017. Our audio stories will help inform you of the tensions and tradeoffs in American energy issues. Don’t miss our podcast: http://insideenergy.org/podcast

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