Jeffrey is a St. Louis-based reporter covering the Midwest power sector for Energywire. Focus areas include the shift by coal-dependent states to cleaner energy sources and the evolution of the utility business model in response to new technologies. Before joining E&E News, Jeffrey was the energy and environment reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, where he won a SABEW award for a story on the Iowa ethanol boom. He also covered energy for Bloomberg News. A native of Houston, he is a Tulane University graduate with a double major in English and economics.
For decades, access to cheap coal-fired electricity fueled industrial expansion across the Midwest. Now, Missouri is planning the first wind-powered steel production plant, which some see as a model to slash carbon emissions from one of the most energy-intensive industries.
Exelon Corp. CEO Chris Crane, whose company is facing a federal probe, warned yesterday that the Illinois Legislature needs to act by next spring to guarantee that the bulk of the company's nuclear fleet continues running.
The end of a regulatory odyssey to get approval for what would be the first U.S. freshwater offshore wind farm is now within sight for developers. But challenges from birds to permits could block the landmark project.
Utilities are increasingly looking at electric vehicles as a way to flatten electricity demand. Their ability to do so has big consequences for the climate, as fossil fuels supply much of the power during demand spikes..
A Missouri coal fight is highlighting a growing challenge for state regulators grappling with early closures of power plants.