They are managing to use less energy, but because they are so reliant on coal and because they are in a phase of heavy industry right now - emitting an awful lot of carbon, and that is probably set to continue.
Republican Governor James Gilmore of Virginia won office two years ago by promising to phase out the state's heavy tax on cars, a levy that costs motorists several hundred dollars a year.
In a surprising bit of news, we learned that Germany is set to export more energy than ever despite its nuclear energy phase-out, because of the country's heavy investment in green energy.