utilities

Ian Billick, a field biologist and the mayor of Crested Butte, Colo., led a push to ban natural gas hookups in new construction as part of an effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Environment

How a utility company fought to keep two Colorado towns hooked on fossil fuels

1:34pm December 21, 2023

by Sam Brasch

Environmental advocates worry natural gas providers are using customer dollars to block local action on climate change. Colorado is one of a handful of states trying to limit the practice.

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Researchers say that advanced transmission technologies could help the existing grid work better. But some of these tech companies worry about getting utilities on board - because of the way utilities make money.

Science

Why lasers could help make the electric grid greener

4:59pm August 13, 2023

by Julia Simon

Thousands of renewable projects are waiting to connect to the grid, but there aren't enough transmission lines. Some tech companies have faster and cheaper solutions.

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Environment

Duke Energy works on plan to phase out coal, reduce carbon emissions

4:47pm February 15, 2022

by Keri Brown

Duke Energy says it's on track to stop generating electricity with coal by 2035. That includes the Belews Creek site in Stokes County, one of its largest plants.

Housing

New State Program Provides Rent And Utility Relief

3:07pm October 22, 2020

by Eddie Garcia

A new statewide program is providing rent and utility relief to North Carolinians experiencing financial hardship.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti puts on a face mask during a news briefing in April.

National

Los Angeles Mayor Shuts Off Power At Hollywood Hills House That Hosted Large Parties

8:48pm August 19, 2020

by Rachel Treisman

Eric Garcetti announces on Wednesday that he authorized the city to disconnect utility service at the property, which he says had become "a nightclub in the hills" despite repeated warnings.

Tropical Storm Isaias downed wires and uprooted trees, like this one in New York City, leaving millions of customers without power in parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Wednesday. The governors of Connecticut and New York have each declared a stat

National

New York And Connecticut Call For Probes Into Utility Companies' Response To Isaias

6:38pm August 05, 2020

by Rachel Treisman

Govs. Andrew Cuomo and Ned Lamont are seeking investigations as thousands of customers remain without power in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaias.

State Utility Shut-Off Moratorium Ends This Week

7:02am July 30, 2020

by Eddie Garcia

A state moratorium on shutting off utilities due to non-payment expires this week. Governor Roy Cooper says a new program is coming.

Earlier this month, California utility PG&E shut down power for about 800,000 customers in north and central California. The move was meant to prevent wildfires caused by their equipment during high winds.

Are Blackouts The Future For California?

7:28pm October 21, 2019

by Lauren Sommer

Residents are wondering whether widespread power outages are the future and whether they're the only way to prevent wildfires. New technology may help prevent them if utilities are willing to invest.

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T.K. Thorne says the $20 monthly solar fee she pays to Alabama Power will double the time it will take to pay off her rooftop solar system.

To Some Solar Users, Power Company Fees Are An Unfair Charge

5:11pm June 02, 2019

by Julia Simon

Alabama has some of highest solar fees in the U.S. and critics say it's hurting solar customers. It's one of several states where utilities are proposing or raising fees for homes with rooftop solar.

Idaho Power says it already gets nearly half its energy from hydroelectric dams such as the Swan Falls Dam on the Snake River, just south of Boise. The utility plans to phase out its use of coal power plants.

Idaho Utility Spurns Coal, Pledges 100 Percent 'Clean' Energy By 2045

4:32pm March 27, 2019

by Bill Chappell

Idaho Power plans to stop using coal power plants. The news comes as a U.S. energy agency says renewable sources produced a record amount of electricity in 2018.