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Curtis Tate

@tatecurtis.bsky.social
1.3K followers 192 following 316 posts

Reporter, WEKU. Son & grandson of immigrants. Dog dad. Rail enthusiast. He/him.

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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
The latest in an unusual court case filed in the Western District of Kentucky. A federal judge decided in favor of Oakland, California, which was sued by a bankrupt coal company over the city’s opposition to a coal export terminal near the Port of Oakland. www.weku.org/the-commonwe...
weku.org
Kentucky judge throws out suit bankrupt coal company brought against California city
The coal company was contracted to ship 13 million tons of coal a year from a new West Coast terminal.
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Kentucky Public Radio @kentuckypublicradio.org · 30/09/2026
The Kentucky Public Service Commission said Tuesday it will not allow a group of stakeholders to intervene in an audit of Kentucky Power's operations and management. From @tatecurtis.bsky.social at @weku.bsky.social
weku.org
State commission limits outside groups from weighing in on Kentucky Power audit
Byron Gary, an attorney representing the groups, says it’s unusual for the PSC to exclude them from filing testimony and offering evidence.
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Casey Jones @caseyjonesinc.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Enschmittification
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
It might not surprise anyone that the Sierra Club flunked most of Kentucky’s electric utilities for their commitment to coal and gas. But it might surprise you that not all of them got an F on the group’s latest scorecard. www.weku.org/the-commonwe...
weku.org
Sierra Club gives all but 1 of Kentucky's electric utilities an F on latest scorecard
The environmental advocacy group failed most of Kentucky’s electric utilities because of their commitment to coal and natural gas.
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Kentucky Public Radio @kentuckypublicradio.org · 23/09/2026
Kentucky Power was the only utility statewide to earn a D grade from the Sierra Club in its latest scorecard, released this week. All others earned an F. From @tatecurtis.bsky.social at @weku.bsky.social
weku.org
Sierra Club gives all but 1 of Kentucky's electric utilities an F on latest scorecard
The environmental advocacy group failed most of Kentucky’s electric utilities because of their commitment to coal and natural gas.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Not by me, but by Lily!
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 17/09/2026
Bevin Freed
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
This is 2/3 of the way there. Let’s bring it home, and exceed the goal. www.gofundme.com/f/support-la...
gofundme.com
Donate to Support laid off Lexington Herald-Leader journalists, organized by Ryan Hermens
On Thursday, Sept. 10, 13 journalists were laid off from the Lexin… Ryan Hermens needs your support for Support laid off Lexington Herald-Leader journalists
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
A new intervention on coal’s behalf as the U.S. Energy Information Administration projects an 8% decline in coal generation this year and a 6% decline next year. And as the courts have started to weigh in on other measures, not favorably. www.weku.org/the-commonwe...
weku.org
As coal declines in KY and across US, Trump's EPA drops CO2 emissions limits for power plants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it will abandon Biden-era rules that force coal-burning power plants to capture most of their CO2 emissions.
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 15/09/2026
Congressman Thomas Massie currently attempting to impeach Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
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Kentucky Public Radio @kentuckypublicradio.org · 15/09/2026
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it will abandon Biden-era rules that force coal-burning power plants to capture most of their CO2 emissions. From @tatecurtis.bsky.social at @weku.bsky.social
weku.org
As coal declines in KY and across US, Trump's EPA drops CO2 emissions limits for power plants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it will abandon Biden-era rules that force coal-burning power plants to capture most of their CO2 emissions.
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jboyd-dc.bsky.social @jboyd-dc.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
www.poynter.org/business-wor...
poynter.org
McClatchy cuts more than 90 staff in its most severe layoffs in years - Poynter
At least 13 papers — including The Miami Herald, The Sacramento Bee and The Kansas City Star — lost reporters
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
This appears to be a setback: apnews.com/article/mich...
apnews.com
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The Trump administration has made multiple interventions on coal’s behalf. Those efforts appear to have fallen flat. Coal generation is forecast to decline 8% this year and 6% in 2027, according to the Trump administration’s own energy information agency. www.weku.org/the-commonwe...
weku.org
Are Trump's policies helping KY coal? Not much, new federal outlook shows
Coal generation is expected to decline in 2026 and 2027, according to a recent federal outlook.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I was appalled by the cruelty and callousness with which my Dow Jones colleagues were culled in the summer of 2008. I took a buyout rather than being subjected to a reality-TV style elimination round. Now, everyone does it. Callousness and cruelty is standard.
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Kentucky Public Radio @kentuckypublicradio.org · 24/08/2026
In a filing with state regulators, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman’s office says TeraWulf’s proposed data center near Ashland could help offset the cost of the cooling tower at a West Virginia coal-fired power plant. From @tatecurtis.bsky.social at @weku.bsky.social
weku.org
Data center could help lower cost of Kentucky Power cooling tower project, AG says
In a filing, Attorney General Russell Coleman’s office says TeraWulf’s proposed data center near Ashland could help offset the cost of the Mitchell cooling tower in West Virginia.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
At a hearing in Frankfort last month, the Kentucky PSC chair called Kentucky Power’s Mitchell cooling tower replacement project ‘unpopular’ because of its impact on bills. Would data center demand make it more popular? www.weku.org/the-commonwe...
weku.org
Data center could help lower cost of Kentucky Power cooling tower project, AG says
In a filing, Attorney General Russell Coleman’s office says TeraWulf’s proposed data center near Ashland could help offset the cost of the Mitchell cooling tower in West Virginia.
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Kentucky Public Radio @kentuckypublicradio.org · 24/08/2026
A federal judge has dismissed the bankruptcy case of an Eastern Kentucky coal operator, leaving a lawsuit by hundreds of workers seeking to recover 60 days of unpaid wages and benefits unresolved. From @tatecurtis.bsky.social at @weku.bsky.social
weku.org
Judge dismisses Pike County coal operator's bankruptcy case, leaving workers in limbo
About 300 former employees sued in March, seeking to recover 60 days of wages and benefits they say Clintwood JOD LLC should have paid them under federal labor law.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
As the bankruptcy case of this Pike County coal operator winds down, its 300 laid-off workers remain in limbo. The sale of the company’s assets at auction last month for $1.1 million leaves them with little to collect. www.weku.org/the-commonwe...
weku.org
Judge dismisses Pike County coal operator's bankruptcy case, leaving workers in limbo
About 300 former employees sued in March, seeking to recover 60 days of wages and benefits they say Clintwood JOD LLC should have paid them under federal labor law.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Late Friday Kentucky data center news. www.weku.org/the-commonwe...
weku.org
KY utility regulator OKs electricity contract for TeraWulf’s Hancock County data center project
The company has said it is looking to potentially double the size of a second project it has under development in Kentucky.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
We want you! We want you! We want you as a new recruit!
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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 20/08/2026
Latest from John Cheves 👇
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Kentucky Public Radio @kentuckypublicradio.org · 20/08/2026
Sen. Robby Mills, a Henderson Republican, said in an Energy Policy Inventory Commission meeting that Kentucky lawmakers could shorten the life of the tax breaks previously enacted for data centers in the next year's legislative session. #kyga26 From @tatecurtis.bsky.social of @weku.bsky.social
weku.org
KY General Assembly could revisit tax breaks for data centers, top lawmaker says
Sen. Robby Mills, a Henderson Republican, says state lawmakers could shorten the life of the tax breaks previously enacted for such development.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Kentucky lawmakers may be second-guessing the tax breaks they enacted to encourage data center development; 10 years instead of 50? www.weku.org/the-commonwe...
weku.org
KY General Assembly could revisit tax breaks for data centers, top lawmaker says
Sen. Robby Mills, a Henderson Republican, says state lawmakers could shorten the life of the tax breaks previously enacted for such development.
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Kentucky Public Radio @kentuckypublicradio.org · 18/08/2026
Maryland-based TeraWulf, which wants to build hyperscale data center projects at both ends of Kentucky, told the Beshear administration in a filing that it would meet their requirements to limit impacts on the environment and ratepayer utility bills. From @tatecurtis.bsky.social @weku.bsky.social
weku.org
Developer says KY data center with Anthropic ties meets new limits on environmental, energy impact
The company says the project it is building in Hancock County will not increase electric bills.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Justice-owned Kentucky Fuel appeals district judge’s order to pay millions: www.weku.org/the-commonwe...
weku.org
Justice coal company appeals district court’s order in long-simmering Kentucky case
In July, U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove ordered company associates to pay $18 million in a 2012 lawsuit filed by New London Tobacco Market and Fivemile Energy.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Last week, Gov. Andy Beshear directed state agencies to deny permits for data center-related projects if they increased costs for residents or harmed the environment. Kentucky Utilities’ application for an air permit for a gas plant could test that executive order. www.weku.org/the-commonwe...
weku.org
Kentucky Utilities' Mercer gas plant could test Beshear's data center executive order
Gov. Andy Beshear’s Aug. 6 order directs the state Energy and Environment Cabinet to deny air quality permits for any data center project that worsens the environment.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
You’d have to go back to the second quarter of 2023 to see the last time Kentucky coal jobs went up from one three-month period to the next. That’s 36 months, or 12 quarters. You might ask: Where is the bottom?
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
It’s been several years since Western Kentucky overtook Eastern Kentucky in coal production. Now, a single Western Kentucky county, if trends hold, could sometime this year produce more than all of Eastern Kentucky in one quarter.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
No region lost more coal jobs in the most recent quarter than Eastern Kentucky — about 100. June ended with about 400 fewer coal workers there than in the second quarter of 2025. There are now fewer than 2,000 coal workers in Eastern Kentucky, vs about 1,400 in Western Kentucky.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
At least in Kentucky, we now have six month of coal data to compare with last year. In jobs terms — and really, what matters most — June ended with more than 300 fewer workers than at the end of last year. www.weku.org/the-commonwe...
weku.org
Coal jobs continue to decline, especially in Eastern Kentucky, latest figures show
The declines come amid a surge in the growth of solar power and despite Trump administration policies intended to boost coal use.
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Kentucky Public Radio @kentuckypublicradio.org · 10/08/2026
Residents across Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia have packed public meetings in recent months to speak out against data centers, with a recurring concern being how they could affect the cost of electricity. From @tatecurtis.bsky.social at @weku.bsky.social
weku.org
With more data centers on the horizon, communities worry about rising electricity bills
Residents across Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia have packed public meetings in recent months to speak out against data centers, with a recurring concern being how they could affect the cost of ...
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Our look at data center expansion in Kentucky and its impact on electricity costs. I have a feeling we’ll be returning to this one soon. www.weku.org/amsn/2026-08...
weku.org
With more data centers on the horizon, communities worry about rising electricity bills
Residents across Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia have packed public meetings in recent months to speak out against data centers, with a recurring concern being how they could affect the cost of ...
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Kentucky Public Radio @kentuckypublicradio.org · 07/08/2026
A data center developer looking to build a campus in Eastern Kentucky told investors Wednesday it could double the size of the project to requiring 2 gigawatts of electricity From @tatecurtis.bsky.social at @weku.bsky.social
weku.org
TeraWulf tells investors it could double the size of one of its KY data center projects
Wednesday, Chairman and CEO Paul Prager told investors the company is looking to double the power of what it calls the Muskie Data Campus.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Since the public seems to love the idea of a 1 GW data center, how about a 2 GW data center? TeraWulf looks to double the size of its project in Eastern Kentucky: www.weku.org/the-commonwe...
weku.org
TeraWulf tells investors it could double the size of one of its KY data center projects
Wednesday, Chairman and CEO Paul Prager told investors the company is looking to double the power of what it calls the Muskie Data Campus.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
These workers sued for back pay and benefits. Coal company’s assets then sold at auction for pennies on the dollar. Now they’re told there’s nothing left for them even if they won a judgment. www.weku.org/the-commonwe...
weku.org
Bankrupt KY coal operator tells court there’s nothing left to pay laid-off workers who sued
Three hundred former employees of Clintwood JOD LLC sued in March, seeking 60 days of pay and benefits they say they should have received under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notificatio...
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Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Flock cameras in WV, courtesy of deflock.org.
maps.deflock.org
DeFlock Maps | ALPR Camera Map & Privacy Routes
Explore ALPR camera locations and plan privacy-optimized routes across the United States.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
In any case, the reality doesn’t match the bravado from administration officials. I know that may come as a shock.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
CSX specifically cites lower shipments of coal to power plants.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Another metric that seems to show Trump policies having minimal effect. Domestic rail shipments of coal were down in the second quarter, according to recent investor presentations by CSX and Norfolk Southern. www.weku.org/the-commonwe...
weku.org
Trump policies favor coal, but rail data show a drop in domestic shipments
President Donald Trump’s administration has taken aggressive steps to boost coal production, but those efforts may only have partially succeeded.
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Kentucky Public Radio @kentuckypublicradio.org · 30/07/2026
A report from the Trump administration’s coal council casts a pair of 70-year-old coal plants as efficient, economic and vital to the grid, though they actually lose money for electricity customers. From @tatecurtis.bsky.social at @weku.bsky.social
weku.org
Trump’s coal council touts plants that lose money for Kentucky electricity customers
The National Coal Council says the Ohio Valley Electric Corp. plants in Madison, Indiana, and Cheshire, Ohio, are efficient and economic.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
You might have thought that the HB6 bribery scandal in Ohio would spell the end of these Cold War relics. But no.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
These 70-year-old coal plants are still losing money for Kentucky (and West Virginia and Virginia) electricity customers. Trump’s coal council says they’re vital to the grid. One of them received a $33 million federal grant. www.weku.org/the-commonwe...
weku.org
Trump’s coal council touts plants that lose money for Kentucky electricity customers
The National Coal Council says the Ohio Valley Electric Corp. plants in Madison, Indiana, and Cheshire, Ohio, are efficient and economic.
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Craig Pittman @craigtimes.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
In a reversal, owner of #Florida apartment building will NOT cut down tree with eagle nest -- for now. www.tampabay.com/news/environ... via @tampabaytimes.bsky.social
tampabay.com
In reversal, St. Pete apartments will not cut down tree with eagle nest — for now
The slash pine was getting cut down. Then, workers paused.
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Kentucky Public Radio @kentuckypublicradio.org · 23/07/2026
A bankrupt Pike County coal operator was sold form $1.1 million, which is much less than its outstanding debts. Clintwood terminated about 300 workers when it filed for bankruptcy and has been sued by former workers for back pay. From @tatecurtis.bsky.social
weku.org
Bankrupt Pike County coal operator sold at auction for a fraction of what it owes
According to an affidavit, the bid was the highest and best offer.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Today’s follow-up. Clintwood JOD LLC was sold at auction last week. The accepted bid: $1.1 million. The bankrupt operator owes millions more to its creditors, including state and local governments and Kentucky Power. www.weku.org/the-commonwe...
weku.org
Bankrupt Pike County coal operator sold at auction for a fraction of what it owes
According to an affidavit, the bid was the highest and best offer.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Kentucky had 29,000 coal workers in 1990. As of the first quarter of 2026, it was down to 3,500. That’s a new low.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Production was basically flat statewide in the first three months of the year, while 500 jobs vanished. This, as the Trump administration has taken aggressive steps to revive coal nationwide.
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Curtis Tate @tatecurtis.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Looking for signs that a federal policy shift on coal has brought new signs of life to the sector in Kentucky, you wouldn’t find many in state data finally published this week. www.weku.org/the-commonwe...
weku.org
How's KY coal doing under Trump? Report shows another 500 jobs lost since early 2025
New data indicates the commonwealth's overall coal production ticked up just slightly.
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Kentucky Public Radio @kentuckypublicradio.org · 20/07/2026
Letcher County parent Elizabeth Jones won a preliminary injunction in her free speech case against Jenkins Independent Schools, as the district had banned her from school property and activities because of her social media posts. From @weku.bsky.social
weku.org
KY mother wins injunction in free speech case against school district over social media posts
Letcher County resident Elizabeth Jones has won an injunction in a lawsuit filed on her behalf against Jenkins Independent Schools.
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