It used to be that coal was king when it came to generating the electricity needed to keep America’s lights on. Cheaper and less volatile than energy sources such as oil, coal plants sprouted up in droves following the Arab oil embargo in 1973, promising consumers inexpensive, reliable energy.
But heightened sensitivity to environmental challenges, such as carbon emissions and climate change, coupled with the nation’s so-called “shale gale” is changing all that, ushering in an era where cheap natural gas generates an increasing amount of the nation’s electricity and powers more vehicles.