Energy & Fuel

"Leaders of West Virginia’s coal industry were rejoicing Wednesday over the election of Republican Donald Trump as the nation’s 45th president — and the possible regulatory rollbacks that may come with it — but industry and economic experts remained skeptical that Trump can really bring back a significant number of mining jobs lost largely to competition with low-priced natural gas."

"Donald Trump’s stunning victory in the presidential election on Tuesday helped usher in a new era of Republican rule in Washington. But voters also weighed in on several science-related state ballot items. Here’s a roundup of the results:" Measures include a California cigarette tax, a Montana measure funding biomedical research, and an Oregon measure against wildlife trafficking.

"For a look at how sharply policy in Washington will change under the administration of Donald J. Trump, look no further than the environment."

"The trial in a lawsuit by a broad coalition of environmental groups seeking to force BNSF to cover its coal-train loads to prevent water pollution began Monday in federal court in Seattle."

"Florida voters rejected Amendment 1 on Tuesday, the utility-backed measure to limit rooftop solar expansion, after a scrappy, grassroots campaign and last-minute revelations raised doubts about the proponents’ claims that their goal was to expand solar generation."

"The Canadian company behind the Keystone XL oil pipeline said Wednesday that it will work with President-elect Donald Trump on reviving the Canada-to-U.S. project, which outgoing President Barack Obama rejected one year ago this week."

"His anti-regulatory stances, support of unfettered fossil fuel production, and his threat to pull the U.S. out of the Paris agreement, send ripple effects worldwide."

"The nation’s first state ballot measure to impose a carbon tax on fossil fuels failed Tuesday on a crowded slate of statewide initiatives in Washington."

"At the Shale Insight conference in Pittsburgh last week, Donald Trump promised a roomful of fracking executives and stalwarts, 'Oh, you will like me so much, you will get that business. You are going to like Donald Trump.'"