WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump’s choice of a fossil-fuel advocate and climate-change denier to head the Environmental Protection Agency comes at a moment when the American energy market has already shifted away from the most polluting fossil fuels, driven more by investors...

Consol Energy Inc.’s shift from coal miner to natural-gas producer has pleased investors and kept the company out of bankruptcy. But it has come with a human cost. Consol employs about a third of the roughly 8,900 workers that were on its payroll at the start of 2013, before the...

At first glance, the progress reports on the Great Barrier Reef released last week by the Australian and Queensland governments might seem impressive. The update on the Reef 2050 Plan suggests that 135 of the plan’s 151 actions are either complete or on track. The Australian...

U.S. coal producer Peabody Energy Corp said it would seek court approval to repay a $500 million term loan ahead of schedule because it has enough cash to operate in bankruptcy thanks to a rise in coal prices. Peabody obtained an $800 million debtor-in-possession or DIP financing from both...

Positive news about the environment is as common as a well-fed polar bear. So enjoy. Thanks to a decrease in coal use in North America and better technology to make the fossil fuel less harmful, the amount of mercury in the atmosphere is on the decline—and our air, our oceans, and even...

Don’t be fooled: there’s no denying that BOTH regulations and low natural gas prices have combined to reduce the use of coal. Even though coal has been the basis of electricity since its inception, the U.S. power industry has been announcing coal retirements at an unprecedented rate....

China will send inspection teams to investigate and severely punish illegal expansion by coal and steel firms as part of its efforts to slim down the two industries, the country’s cabinet said on Thursday. With most of the country’s steel and coal enterprises making losses in 2015,...

Donald Trump’s surprise victory in the presidential race on Nov. 8 put some extra topspin on what had already been a surprising investment success for vulture investor George Schultze: Arch Coal. Shares in the St. Louis coal producer jumped 35% by the end of the week to over $85, not bad for...

BHP Billiton Ltd., the world’s biggest miner, expects soaring prices of iron ore and coking coal to moderate even as China pushes ahead with efforts to restructure its steel sector. Prices have been supported in recent months by restocking and short-term supply disruptions, Chief Executive...

Spot metallurgical coal topped $US300 a tonne for the first time since flooding in Australia curbed output from the world’s biggest seaborne exporter five years ago. Hard coking coal rose to $US307.20 a tonne on Tuesday, extending a surge that has seen the price quadruple since the start...