The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "energy pricing" ...
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Power Brokers
A transition to a competitive energy market was supposed to lower energy prices for residents of the Balkan nations. Instead, "many people across the Balkans are facing energy shortages AND higher energy bills." Much of the infrastructure remains outdated, "and some state-run energy companies have been plagued by waste and corruption." Meanwhile, private energy companies are benefiting greatly from deals with government energy companies.
Tags: Energy; Bosnia-Herzegovina; energy prices
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Lethal and Leaking
In Hanford, WA millions of gallons of nuclear waste have been stored underground. The Department of Energy has been working to clean up the site since the early 1990s. However due to engineering miscalculations, the development of a treatment plant is behind schedule. Errors such as defective equipment and other mistakes that risk the safety of the plant have forced the price of the clean up to triple.
Tags: Department of Energy; environment; nuclear waste; treatment plant; construction; construction delays; Bechtel; ecology; toxic waste
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Hot Fuel
While fuel expands when it gets hot, retail pumps are not making a price adjustment to compensate for the energy lost by using hotter fuel. A century ago, the oil industry set a standard of 60 degrees for fuel temperature, and the Star found that gas in the United States is on average five degrees higher than this. At every level of distribution, a price adjustment is made to compensate for the expanding fuel, but not at the consumer pump itself. "The cost to consumers, by not equipping retail pumps to adjust for temperature, is $2.3 billion per year while state and federal governments lose hundreds of millions of dollars annually in fuel taxes."
Tags: Fuel; hot fuel; gas prices; taxes; price adjustments; 60-degree fuel standard
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The Price of Power
Investigating the effects of Texas' five-year transition to full energy deregulation, KDFW-TV finds that the original assertion that more competition will reduce rates and increase choices, may have been incorrect. In this 27-part series, KDFW found that electricity prices in Texas were twice as high as the national average, they remained high even as fuel costs fell and those who supported and created deregulation profited greatly from the situation. The Federal Courts have not intervened, nor does the State Regulator have the power to step in.
Tags: Energy; energy deregulation; Governor George W. Bush; energy costs; power; fuel prices; power crisis
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Natural Gas
The authors investigated the price of natural gas in Mobile, AL and compared it to neighboring communities in Southeast states. They found that the gas in Alabama, particularly in Mobile, was more expensive than other regions, with no clear explanation for the price spike.
Tags: natural gas; energy; power; Public Service Commission; FOIA; Department of Energy; energy pricing
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"The PGE Papers"
Jaquiss' investigation into the proposed sale of Portland General Electric, Oregon's largest utility, revealed information from inside sources that sank the deal. While Texas Pacific Group, a private equity firm, publicly promised to keep PGE intact and not try to flip it quickly for big profits, internal documents revealed their real intentions were exactly the opposite. Jaquiss also revealed a tax scam in which hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes were collected from rate-payers but never turned over to the government. Also included are stories from other sources that cover the effects of Jaquiss' reporting.
Tags: City government; public utilities; Enron; energy costs; price gouging; tax fraud
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Series of Stories on U.S. Energy Policy
These stories from Time magazine look at an energy crisis that the U.S. is likely to face. The story reveals that for three decades, the government has not adopted or stuck to any significant energy policy. Subsequent government policies have in fact been marked by sharp reversals of the previous ones.
Tags: Energy; Energy crisis; Government policies; energy bills; oil prices; gas prices; consumption of electricity
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Allegations of Corruption Dog Polish Energy Company PKN Orlean
The Dow Jones Newsire in Warsaw, Poland uncovers misbehavior and alleged corruption in Poland's major oil company, PKN Orlean. Leading a series of following reports, the story reveals how a false news report that led to a fall in the company's share prices was deliberately planted by PKN's Cheif Executive himself. Further, the bureau unearthed company documents showing Orlen has a widespread problem with the quality of its fuels. And lastly, the Dow bureau expands on local media reports about dubious practics in handing out rebranding contracts at the company's service stations.
Tags: Zbiginew Wrobel; Orlen; Krzysztof Rogala; Ernst & Young; Anderson Consulting
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Nuclear Power May Rise Again: Optimism permeates the once-moribund industry that generates electricity from reactors. As atomic power grows more efficient and fossil fuels more costly, there is even talk of building more plants.
According to the article, "Against all expectations, the power people said, the nuclear industry in the United States is in the midst of a renaissance. It has been rescued from the brink of extinction and made into a desirable business, so prosperous, in fact, that there has developed a vigorous market for used nuclear power plants. The price of these plants has increased a hundredfold in just three years."
Tags: Nuclear power; nuclear energy; power; power plants; money; industry
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Making White Elephants Fly
The American Prospect reports that "aging nuclear power plants are going on the auction block -- with yet another big dose of consumer subsidy." The story sheds light on the privatization of nuclear plants at "clearance prices" in the era of energy deregulation. Enormous capital costs have made nuclear power expensive and uncompetitive.
Tags: competition; public utilities; environment; radioactive waste; pollution; safety