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SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

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The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

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Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

Federal Data Shows Surprise Fall in Natural-Gas Use

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Monday, March 19, 2018   

CHARLESTON, W. Va. – Government figures show a surprising drop in natural-gas use in the United States last year.

Despite a growing economy, overall energy demand was down slightly in 2017, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Coal-fired electricity continued its long-term decline, but the figures showed a particularly sharp fall – more than 7.5 percent – in gas-fired electricity.

Natalie Thiele, who chairs the gas committee for the Sierra Club West Virginia Chapter, says the figures reveal the strength of two trends: the falling price of wind and solar and, to a greater extent, the rising impact of energy efficiency.

"Renewable-energy generation is growing, but fossil fuels - especially natural gas - are dropping," says Thiele. "It's dropping about three times faster than our generation and consumption of coal-fired energy."

Observers warn against reading too much into one year's numbers. Thiele agrees that the fluctuation in natural-gas use is probably in part due to a recent rise in the cost of gas. But she says it makes no sense to invest in big, expensive pipelines when consumption is falling.

Thiele points out that soft demand for power is making it easy to cut back on gas use as its price rises.

The historical pattern has been that a growing economy means more electricity consumption. Thiele says last year's figures break that link – something that's been happening more often. She says while West Virginia still ranks near the bottom for energy efficiency, the rest of the country is enjoying the benefits of it.

"Other states are taking it seriously," she notes. "They're generating energy more efficiently, regulators are requiring energy-efficiency programs, and it's working."

West Virginia traditionally has enjoyed low electricity prices, but that advantage has eroded as energy costs rise.

During the legislative session, manufacturers pressed lawmakers to let them cut discount deals with utilities. That proposal died when critics charged that ordinary consumers and small businesses would be forced to make up the difference.



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