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Articles by Kate Konschnik
Commentary: To meet climate goals, N.C. needs a new generation of energy policies
Credit: Mr.TinDC / Creative Commons The following commentary was written by Jonas Monast and Kate Konschnik. Monast is the C. Boyden Gray Distinguished Fellow at the University of North Carolina School of Law and director of the Center for Climate, Energy, Environment, and Economics; and Konschnik is the director of the Climate and Energy Program at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. See our commentary guidelines for more information.
Opinion: Regulating methane emissions will keep Canada’s oil and gas sector competitive, not hurt it
Beyond fuel security: Reliability, resilience and a more sustainable future through grid flexibility
The White House, federal agencies and some regional grid operators are seeking to boost electric grid reliability and resilience. While the latest proposal from the Department of Energy (DOE) to bail out uneconomic coal and nuclear plants in the name of resilience has apparently stalled at the White House, this does not mean the end of some actors focusing on "fuel security" or "fuel assurance" as the key to grid reliability and resilience.
We can reduce methane emissions. Here’s how.
The shale gas boom and low natural gas prices have made this fuel a competitive choice for power generation, forcing some coal plants into early retirement. Because gas contains less carbon and other pollutants than coal, greenhouse gas emissions from power plants have dropped. Thanks to gas, the U.S. grid has become cleaner, more efficient and more flexible. But natural gas is primarily methane, a greenhouse gas far more powerful than carbon.
How to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas industry across North America
U.S. natural gas production has boomed in the past decade, driving gas prices sharply downward. Natural gas has become a competitive choice for electricity generation, edging out coal. Because gas contains less carbon than coal, greenhouse gas emissions from power plants have dropped, and the U.S. grid has become cleaner, more efficient and more flexible. More natural gas is also entering the power sectors in Mexico and Canada. But the low-carbon profile of natural gas doesn’t tell the whole story.
Small Drones Could Be Better for Climate Than Delivery Trucks, Says Study
By Zeke HausfatherAutomated, unmanned drones are poised to revolutionize the package delivery industry, with a number of companies already testing drone-based delivery methods.A new study in Nature Communications looks at the climate impact of a shift from truck-based to drone-based package delivery.
The Trump Effect on Climate News
By Jeremy DeatonAll press is good press—except when it isn't.For those who are happy about President Trump's attacks on climate science and policy, this will come as bad news. By shining a spotlight on the issue, Trump drove media coverage of climate change last year.New analysis from Media Matters for America finds that, following a year of lagging coverage of climate change, 2017 saw network news programs scramble to report on Trump's full-scale assault on federal climate policy.
How to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas industry across North America
(THE CONVERSATION) U.S. natural gas production has boomed in the past decade, driving gas prices sharply downward. Natural gas has become a competitive choice for electricity generation, edging out coal. Because gas contains less carbon than coal, greenhouse gas emissions from power plants have dropped, and the U.S. grid has become cleaner, more efficient and more flexible. More natural gas is also entering the power sectors in Mexico and Canada.
How to Reduce Methane Emissions From the Oil and Gas Industry Across North America
By Kate Konschnik and Sarah Marie Jordaan U.S. natural gas production has boomed in the past decade, driving gas prices sharply downward. Natural gas has become a competitive choice for electricity generation, edging out coal. Because gas contains less carbon than coal, greenhouse gas emissions from power plants have dropped, and the U.S. grid has become cleaner, more efficient and more flexible. More natural gas is also entering the power sectors in Mexico and Canada.
Trump Budget Sells Out Wild Horses Again
The Trump administration's $1 billion budget request for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) seeks $66.7 million for the Wild Horse and Burro Management program and a continued push to eliminate annual appropriations bill riders that prohibit the sale or killing of the federally protected animals. Congress has yet to act on the administration's 2018 budget request, which also requested lifting the appropriations riders.
Suspected Poacher Eaten by Lions in South Africa
A suspected poacher was mauled to death and eaten by a pride of lions outside of South Africa's famed Kruger National Park, according to media reports. The victim's remains were found over the weekend at a private game park near Hoedspruit in the province of Limpopo. The lions ate most of the body but left the head behind. A loaded hunting rifle was also found nearby. "It seems the victim was poaching in the game park when he was attacked and killed by lions.
Trump’s Budget Is a Blueprint for Destruction
By Rhea Suh It may sound like green eyeshades stuff, but the massive budget proposal the White House sends up to Congress each February is a kind of road map to our future. It's the president's plan for spending taxpayer dollars to advance his priorities and goals.President Trump's proposal landed with a thud Monday on Capitol Hill, where it should be dead on arrival. It calls for a record $4.4 trillion in spending for the fiscal year that begins in October.
Puerto Rico Needs Your Help for Recovery, But Also for Reform
From Jan. 28 to Feb. 7 my wife and I were in Vieques, Puerto Rico, helping as best we could with recovery from Hurricane Maria, which hit on Sept. 20, 2017 almost five months ago. Help is very much still needed.
How to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas industry across North America
But the low-carbon profile of natural gas doesn't tell the whole story. Methane, its primary component, is a powerful greenhouse gas. It leaks to the atmosphere from wells and pipelines, contributing to climate change and reducing the climate benefit of using natural gas. In 2016 U.S., Canadian and Mexican leaders pledged to reduce methane emissions from the oil and natural gas sector 40 to 45 percent below 2012 levels by 2025.
FERC's resilience order may suggest reliability tweaks, rather than novel solutions
In a January 8 order, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission soundly rejected the notion that, to keep the lights on in regions served by bulk power markets, it was necessary to compensate power plants capable of housing 3-month fuel stores. In closing the docket directed by the Department of Energy’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR), however, FERC opened a “national conversation” about grid resilience.
An energy challenge for the next president | News & Observer
Question: “What steps will your energy policy take to meet our energy needs, while at the same time remaining environmentally friendly and minimizing job loss for fossil power plant workers?”Like it or not, the next president will need an answer to this question, posed by audience member Ken Bone in the last presidential debate, in the early days of his or her administration.The electricity sector that powers our country is undergoing its most significant transition since mass electrification.
Ken Bone was right: Energy must be a priority for next president
"What steps will your energy policy take to meet our energy needs, while at the same time remaining environmentally friendly and minimizing job loss for fossil power plant workers?" Like it or not, the next president will need an answer to this question, posed by audience member Ken Bone in the second presidential debate, in the early days of his or her administration. The electricity sector that powers our country is undergoing its most significant transition since mass electrification.
Opinion | A Climate Plan Businesses Can Like
WITH the release of President Obama’s Clean Power Plan, a flood of legal challenges will begin. Already, opponents have denounced the new rule limiting carbon pollution as unconstitutional. Behind the rattling sabers, however, there’s a quieter story worth noticing. Many big players in the electric power industry will gain more with the rule in place than if the courts strike it down.
Untangling the Wires in Electricity Market Planning, with Kate Konschnik
The Full Transcript Daniel Raimi: Hello, and welcome to Resources Radio, a weekly podcast from Resources for the Future. I'm your host, Daniel Raimi. Today, we talk with Kate Konschnik. When we recorded this episode in mid-December 2021, Kate was a senior lecturer at Duke University Law School. She has since left Duke and is now serving in the Biden administration’s Department of Justice.
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