The Clean Power Plan is a zombie that will be hard to kill

Oct 3, 2017
The Obama-era regulation known as the Clean Power Plan is expected to be the next target for the White House to cut back regulations. It’s something of a zombie, since the Supreme Court halted its rollout, yet the EPA is required to take measures to regulate carbon pollution (due to an agency finding that greenhouse […]

Coal and nuclear power stand to gain from new Department of Energy moves

Oct 2, 2017
The Trump administration is asking for new regulations in the name of grid reliability. Specifically, it wants to support coal and nuclear power to make sure the U.S. always has a  supply on-hand for possible times of need. But skeptics wonder if this is all a back-door bailout for power plants that simply can’t compete […]

Smoke from this season’s wildfires is worrying West Coast winemakers

Sep 29, 2017
Notes of ashtray or campfire in your pinot? Vineyards say smoky weather from this year’s wildfires could leave lasting mark on wines.
Jocelyn Bentley-Prestwich, the marketing manager at Cathedral Ridge Winery in Hood River, Oregon, tests the ripeness of the vineyard's Riesling grapes. 
Molly Solomon/ for Marketplace

How hurricane recovery makes the economy seem better

Sep 27, 2017
Harvey and Irma likely caused $170 billion in damage. But they'll probably boost GDP in the long run through rebuilding.
People in Beaumont, Texas, wait in line in hopes of buying water after the city's water supply was shut down after Hurricane Harvey passed through on Aug. 31.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Already vulnerable Puerto Rico struggles to recover from hurricanes

Sep 26, 2017
President Donald Trump today said he’ll head to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on Tuesday to survey damage from Hurricane Maria. Some 3.5 million residents in Puerto Rico remain without power. Food and water are scarce in the territories, and everything about the recovery is more complicated because the islands have vulnerable infrastructure.  […]

Texans start getting USDA disaster food aid

Sep 22, 2017
After disasters like Harvey, the USDA offers D-SNAP, a temporary version of the program commonly called food stamps. The program offers two months of benefits to people who may not have qualified for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program before. But given the long road to recovery, many who take disaster food stamps will wind up […]

Puerto Rico faces tough choices in restoring power supply

Sep 21, 2017
The entire island of Puerto Rico is still without power today in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Local officials said it could take months to repair the damage and restore full service. And it won’t be easy. The utility was already around $9 billion in debt before the hurricane and had filed for bankruptcy earlier […]

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Disaster rebuilding help is on the way ... eventually

Sep 21, 2017
It can take a long time before government funds reach people in need.
Brian Callihan (L) and Davis Calderon survey a room that was badly damaged by Hurricane Irma on September 18, 2017 in Sugarloaf Key, Florida. 
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The impact of recent hurricanes will play out in the economic data

Sep 18, 2017
Some economic stats released in recent weeks have — hidden within them — hurricane disruption devastation stats. Industrial production was down 0.9 percent in August — a lot of that due to Hurricane Harvey hitting Houston, with its huge oil and gas refineries and chemical factories. Utility use was down — people didn’t have electricity […]

Hurricanes Irma and Harvey are causing an insurance adjuster shortage

Sep 14, 2017
Some adjusters can make $100,000 in a month because of increased demand.
Jose Orosz walks his dog Karen by a beachfront home destroyed by Hurricane Irma on September 13, 2017 in Vilano Beach, Florida. Nearly 4 million people remained without power more than two days after Irma swept through the state.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images