In the news today…

Media Alert:

• Thanks to the Scranton Times Tribune (Pa.) for carrying my op-ed where I argue that there’s a responsible way to navigate America’s energy future, but the path being taken by the Biden administration and the EPA simply isn’t it.

Grid:

• KRCG reports that Missouri regulators open a formal evidentiary hearing for a proposed 40-mile transmission line that would distribute wind power to local customers.
• Utility Dive reports that industry officials are calling California regulators’ goal of shifting 7,000 MW of load — enough to power 7 million homes without building any new generation — a “starting gun for a dramatic expansion of flexible demand.”

Energy:

• E&E Energywire reports a new rule proposed last month by EPA could spell the end of coal-fired power plants as they currently exist.
• E&E Daily reports Republicans and Democrats clashed at a hearing Tuesday that examined EPA’s planned actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at power plants around the country. It served as yet another example of the political challenges inherent in addressing the climate crisis.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Business North reports that Minnesota Power files a nearly $1 billion plan to upgrade its transmission system that delivers wind power from North Dakota to customers in Minnesota.
• Canary Media reports that with transmission snubbed in the recent debt ceiling deal, grid experts say “minimum transfer capacity” requirements between the regional grids are key to getting more power lines built.

Coal:

• The Economist reports financiers are saving coal from extinction.
• Hellenic Shipping News reports total quarterly coal production across the United States has held relatively flat since late 2021, but average employment in the sector has grown steadily since the third quarter of 2021, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data.
• Argus reports coal exports out of Hampton Roads, Virginia, rose from year-earlier levels for a fourth straight month in April.

Minerals:

• Wall Street Journal reports to make batteries for EVs, companies need to mine and refine large amounts of nickel. The process of getting the mineral out of the ground and turning it into battery-ready substances, though, is particularly environmentally unfriendly.

Energy:

• Washington Examiner reports opponents of the Biden administration’s new power plant rule are expected to put the rule to the test on a few key legal grounds, including the “major questions” precedent established by West Virginia v. EPA, with which the Biden administration is confident the proposed rule complies.

Permitting:

• E&E Daily reports the debt ceiling deal included major revisions to National Environmental Policy Act reviews, but the changes are not enough to satisfy Republicans and industry groups on permitting.
• Politico Pro reports Congress spent weeks obsessing over the relatively modest changes to federal environmental reviews included in the debt ceiling deal. But a recent Supreme Court decision shrinking federal wetlands protections may have already given project developers one of their biggest wins in decades.

Good Monday morning!

In the news today and from the weekend…

Media Alert:

• Thanks to the Steubenville Herald Star (W.Va.), Wheeling Intelligencer (W.Va.) and Casper Star Tribune (Wyo.) for carrying my op-ed where I argue there’s a responsible way to navigate America’s energy future, but the path being taken by the Biden administration and the EPA simply isn’t it.

Grid:

• The Wall Street Journal reports on the other green-energy crisis. A lack of transformers has led to a housing shortage, frequent power outages, and dependence on China.
• The Texas Tribune reports that a Gov. Abbott appointee has resigned as chair of the Texas power grid regulator. Public Utility Commission chair Peter Lake had spearheaded a plan to help the state’s power grid withstand weather disasters, but the plan lacked support in the Texas Legislature.

Coal:

• Argus reports environmental groups want to halt two recently enacted laws in Montana that change state coal mining regulations.

Carbon Markets:

• Bloomberg reports that a major showdown is brewing over what counts as a carbon credit. The United Nations is in the process of defining global carbon markets for decades to come, and it could make or break the fledgling carbon removal industry.

Solar:

• A BBC News editorial asks, solar panels—an eco-disaster waiting to happen?

TGIF!

In the news today…

Update:

• Fox News carries an opinion piece by Alex Epstein, CEO of Center for Industrial Progress, where he posits that “green energy,” particularly wind and solar, are neither green nor energy. Calling solar and wind “green energy” makes them seem like other forms of energy, just “green.” But they’re not. All other forms of energy provide reliable energy—real energy—whereas solar and wind are unreliable parasites of reliable energy. He continues by saying that solar and wind’s basic problem is unreliability, to the point they can go near zero at any time. Thus, they don’t replace reliable power, they parasitize it. This is why they need huge subsidies and why no grid is near 50% solar and wind without huge parasitism on reliable neighbors.

Media Alert:

• Thanks to the Jacksonville Courier Journal (Ill.) for carrying my op-ed where I argue there’s a responsible way to navigate America’s energy future, but the path being taken by the Biden administration and the EPA simply isn’t it.

Grid:

• E&E News reports that Federal regulators prepare a new rule governing how energy projects connect to the grid, with a goal of more efficiently getting solar, wind and storage projects plugged in.

Minerals:

• Washington Post reports on the importance of copper to the energy transition.

Energy:

• E&E Energywire reports some grid experts are eyeing 2028 as the year when a collision between clean energy and reliable power may become unmanageable.
• E&E Daily reports lawmakers on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee aired fears Thursday that a proposed EPA rule would spur coal plant closures and hamper grid reliability.

Mining:

• Ticker News reports on the Biden’s administration’s work concerning rare earth minerals mining. Video in link for details.

Permitting:

• Argus reports the US Senate has passed a bipartisan bill to suspend the limit on federal debt and accelerate the permitting of energy projects, ensuring its enactment before a potential first-ever US default.
• E&E Daily reports the Senate voted 63-36 late Thursday night to extend the nation’s borrowing authority ahead of a June 5 deadline after disposing of several contentious amendments — including on the Mountain Valley pipeline.

Welcome to June!

In the news today…

Grid:

• Associated Press reports that a U.S. House-passed bill to resolve the debt ceiling dispute does not include permitting reforms to speed construction of large transmission projects.
• Utility Dive reports that grid operator PJM is asking federal regulators to dismiss eight complaints from power plant owners seeking to eliminate or reduce penalties against them for failing to operate during a winter storm in late 2022.
• Bloomberg reports that Texas falls short of its big grid overhaul after deadly winter storm. Texas lawmakers had ambitious plans this year to overhaul the state’s electricity market with proposals that favored fossil-fuel plants and hampered renewable-power development.

Minerals:

• The Wall Street Journal reports a onetime paper maker is now the king of lithium. Albemarle, started as a paper mill in 1887, is key to making electric cars and smartphones.

Mining:

• Wall Street Journal reports on the struggles of recruiting for mining jobs for the energy transition.

Permitting:

• E&E Daily reports New Mexico Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich is expected to release two bills Thursday to enhance the nation’s grid, a bid to keep momentum going on permitting reform and to move beyond what was hammered out in the debt ceiling bill.

In the news today…

Media Alert:

• Thanks to the Kokomo Tribune (Ind.) for carrying my op-ed where I argue that there’s a responsible way to navigate America’s energy future, but the path being taken by the Biden administration and the EPA simply isn’t it.

Grid:

• The Hill reports that the California Senate advances a bill to expedite new transmission projects and modernize the electricity grid. As California ramps up renewable energy production to meet statewide climate goals, new legislation is aiming to expedite the integration of equipment that shuttles electricity from point A to point B.
• Reuters reports that BlackRock, Korea’s SK, Switzerland’s UBS and other companies are chasing an investment boom in battery storage plants in Texas, lured by the prospect of earning double-digit returns from the power grid problems plaguing the state, according to project owners, developers and suppliers.
• Crain’s Detroit Business reports that Michigan’s two major investor-owned utilities face unprecedented scrutiny for more frequent and extended outages despite claims from executives that they are improving grid reliability.

Energy:

• Wall Street Journal carries an op-ed which argues in favor of permitting reform to bolster grid reliability.
• Wall Street Journal carries an op-ed which argues against the speed of the energy transition.

Congress:

• E&E Daily reports the House is set to vote Wednesday evening on legislation to avert a catastrophic breach of the U.S. debt limit amid frustration with the process on both sides of the aisle that is ranging from simmering dissatisfaction to full-boil rage.
• E&E Daily reports Democrats came up short on permitting in the debt ceiling deal, and key lawmakers are casting doubt on whether there’s still a viable path this year to bolstering the nation’s electric grid.
• E&E News PM reports the White House sees more work to be done on overhauling the federal permitting process after reaching a deal to include permitting changes in legislation to increase the federal debt limit.

In the news today:

Media Alert:

• Thanks to the Waco Tribune Herald (Texas), Fargo Inforum (N.Dak.), Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Colo.), Carlsbad Current Argus, (N.M.), Yahoo News (USA), Farmington Daily Times (N.M.), Las Cruces Sun Times (N.M.), Alamogordo Daily News (N.M.) and Ruidoso News (N.M.) for carrying my op-ed where I argue that there’s a responsible way to navigate America’s energy future, but the path being taken by the Biden administration and the EPA simply isn’t it.

Permitting:

• E&E News reports that ahead of a planned Wednesday vote, lawmakers are looking for ways to garner enough support for a debt-ceiling deal that would approve the controversial Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline along with changes to the National Environmental Policy Act that include a one-year deadline for environmental assessments and a two-year deadline for environmental impact statements. The deal struck over the weekend is a hard sell for some conservatives who believe House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) did not get as much as he could from Democrats, while progressives believe President Joe Biden conceded too much.
• Argus reports an agreement reached between President Joe Biden and Republicans to raise the ceiling on federal debt would also include some changes intended to expedite energy and infrastructure project permitting.

Grid:

• Canary Media reports a new NRDC report warns that backlogs at PJM could undermine state decarbonization targets if the grid operator doesn’t undertake decisive reforms soon.
• E&E Daily reports the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing this week to examine the reliability and resilience of the electric grid ahead of what could be a tumultuous summer.
• Utility Dive reports that as the Southwest Power Pool expands its grid footprint into the West, some experts worry the changes could isolate California and cut off access to renewable energy and other power imports.

In the news today…

Media Alert

• Thanks to The Fayette Tribune (W. Va.) and Elko Daily Free Press (Nev.) for carrying my op-ed on the implications of the EPA’s power plant rule.

Grid:

• E&E News reports that the White House is closing in on including a Democratic-led permitting overhaul plan as part of its negotiations with Republicans over the debt limit, according to two people familiar with the negotiations, though whether it winds up in a final deal remains in question.

Permitting:

• The Arizona Daily Star carries an op-ed arguing for permitting reform to support the additional domestic mining necessary to achieve our climate goals.

Coal:

• Reuters reports that global thermal coal prices have settled after a volatile 2022.

In the news today…

Media Alert:

• Thanks to The Frankfort State Journal (KY) and The Bakersfield Californian (CA) for carrying my  op-ed arguing that the EPA’s suite of rules targeting the coal fleet is undermining grid reliability.

Grid:

• Reuters reports that grid connection applications surge in the Western U.S. amid soaring demand for renewable energy projects, posing a test for grid operators.
• Capital-Journal reports Kansas regulators approve plans for a controversial transmission line that would connect a nuclear plant to a substation in Missouri.
• KSTP reports that transmission build-out delays threaten Minnesota’s ability to reach a 100% carbon-free electricity target by 2040.
• NPR reports the Oglala Lakota Nation’s attempt to build wind energy on tribal land in South Dakota has been delayed by grid interconnection delays.
• Reuters reports that electric utilities and other stakeholders have asked President Joe Biden to convene an “Electrical Steel Summit” with manufacturers to address the “supply chain crisis.” A U.S. electrical steel shortage threatens the energy transition and recovery from power outages.

In the news today…

Media Alert:

• Thanks to The Johnstown Tribune Democrat (PA) and The Huntington Herald Dispatch (WVa.) for carrying my op-ed arguing the EPA’s suite of rules targeting the coal fleet is undermining grid reliability.

Debt Ceiling:

• E&E Daily reports Garrett Graves is floating more energy provisions in debt limit talks.

Mining:

• The Minn Post reports that the fate of Rep. Stauber’s mine permitting bill rests on debt limit talks.
• E&E News reports USGS rejects effort to make copper a critical mineral.
• The Washington Post reports on the fight over a potential monument near the Grand Canyon to prohibit uranium mining.
• EnergyWire reports DOE’s Jigar Shah says the LPO’s loan to Syrah Resources is likely to lose money.
• E&E Daily reports the House Judiciary Committee will vote on legislation to give Congress more power over rulemaking.

Grid:

• The New York Times reports a heat wave and blackout would send hundreds- of-thousands of Americans to the ER in some cities. A growing concern with eroding grid reliability.
• Reuters reports the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission aims to finalize its plan to speed up the process of connecting power projects to the grid over the coming months, FERC Chairman Willie Phillips said on Tuesday, calling the issue his top priority.

In the news today…

Media Alert:

• Thanks to the Pottstown Mercury (PA) carrying my new op-ed where I argue that the EPA’s new carbon rule could have disastrous effects on the reliability of the power grid.

Grid:

• KSTP reports that grid congestion on transmission lines is creating a wind energy bottleneck in southwestern Minnesota and restricting additional development.
• Utility Dive reports that interconnection delays in grid operator PJM’s territory are harming states’ ability to reach clean energy goals, according to a new Natural Resources Defense Council report.
• Utility Dive reports that as Texas eyes new gas power plants, ‘probably the most important bill for grid reliability is effectively dead.’ Senate Bill 258 would have set a 1% annual energy savings target but the Texas House Committee on State Affairs did not advance the measure last week.

Permitting:

• E&E News reports that a permitting law overhaul remains on the table as part of debt-ceiling negotiations, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said, hinting at the possibility that President Joe Biden could be on board to expedite energy project approvals for both oil and gas and renewable developments, although the White House did not comment on the talks. McCarthy told E&E News that any permitting policy changes that could not be agreed on by the debt-limit deadline could be taken care of later, delivering on an earlier promise he made to Biden.

Mining:

• E&E News reports that the Biden administration has paused finalizing an environmental impact statement for a controversial copper mine in Arizona in order to meet with opposing tribes and review the Forest Service’s consultation.

Good Monday morning!

In the news today and from the weekend…

Grid:

• Reuters reports that California’s electric grid operator has approved a plan expected to cost $7.3 billion for 45 new power transmission projects over the next decade and made it easier for new power plants in high-priority areas to connect to the grid.
• Michigan Advance reports that a new assessment from grid reliability regulators warns that much of the central U.S. faces an elevated risk of electricity shortages this summer in the event of severe and protracted heat waves.
• Utility Dive reports that grid operator MISO holds its first-ever seasonal capacity auction, with prices plunging across its central and northern regions but observers warning that there is still a longer-term need for more generation.
• Guardian reports that pushback to large-scale transmission projects across the country highlights the challenges of building the transmission lines needed to transport new clean energy from where it’s generated to population centers.

Permitting:

• The Hill reports that nearly 80 House Democrats wrote a letter expressing concern about tying pieces of a Republican-led permitting reform package to must-pass legislation amid efforts to get a permitting reform deal into a compromise debt limit bill.

Mining:

• E&E Greenwire reports the U.S. Geological Survey is investing nearly $6 million to map critical mineral deposits in Alaska using money from the bipartisan infrastructure law, an effort that’s accelerating as a shift to electric vehicles and renewables ramps up the need for materials used in those technologies.
• Reuters reports Ford has signed a flurry of lithium supply deals to take advantage of domestic tax credits.
• The Wall Street Journal reports Exxon has joined the hunt for lithium buying up significant acreage in Arkansas.
• The New York Times reports The United States is entering an array of agreements to secure the critical minerals necessary for the energy transition, but it’s not clear which of the arrangements can succeed.

Coal:

• Mining.com reports while many majors are walking away from the coal business to improve ESG metrics and appease investors, some savvy miners are looking at ways to advance clean energy projects on current and former coal mine sites.

Happy Friday!

In the news today…

Grid:

• Wall Street Journal carries an op-ed which argues EPA’s policies are destabilizing the energy grid.
• Reuters reports that the electric grid operator for the U.S. Midwest, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), on Thursday drew attention to the pressing need to reform power markets in the face of a shifting generation fleet and worsening extreme weather, even as it had enough capacity to meet demand in 2023-24.
• Associated Press reports that the Biden administration greenlights the proposed SunZia high-voltage transmission project designed to carry power from eastern New Mexico wind facilities to urban areas in Arizona and California.

Mining:

• Washington Examiner reports the House Natural Resources Committee advanced two measures yesterday designed to rebuke and reverse Biden administration actions blocking new mineral development in Minnesota’s Superior National Forest, where developers seek to construct the Twin Metals mine.
• E&E Daily reports Democrats in both chambers of Congress are poised to introduce legislation Friday aimed at reforming the nation’s 150-year-old mining law as the focus on critical minerals intensifies.

Permitting:

• E&E Daily reports progressive Democrats and climate hawks are firing warning shots at party leaders and President Joe Biden not to compromise with Republicans on permitting reform as a way to raise the debt ceiling.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Reuters reports that large parts of the United States and some areas in Canada, home to around 165 million people, could face energy shortfalls during periods of extreme heat this summer, according to NERC, the group that sets reliability standards for North American electric grids.

Mining:

• E&E Greenwire reports the Biden administration this week moved to defuse one of the last remaining legal challenges facing the contentious Thacker Pass lithium mine in Nevada, a project seen as a critical U.S. source of the mineral key to making electric vehicle batteries.
• Axios reports new Biden administration guidance clarifies how officials will treat a court ruling that has threatened to throw mining projects into legal danger.
• Washington Examiner reports EPA’s new Good Neighbor Plan could hurt reliability of the bulk power system as operators limit generation from coal and natural gas plants in order to comply with the rule’s tighter requirements, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation said in its 2023 Summer Reliability Assessment.

Permitting:

• E&E Daily reports Senate Environment and Public Works Chair Tom Carper is backing an accelerated two-year timeline for environmental reviews for projects solely related to climate mitigation and resilience as part of his vision for a permitting overhaul.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Detroit News reports that the CEO of Detroit-based DTE Energy details the utility’s five-year, $9 billion plan to build a “grid of the future” to prevent extended outages that were experienced last year.
• Politico reports that House Republicans are working on a debt-ceiling deal that would include changes to the National Environmental Policy Act to speed up the buildout of fossil fuel and clean energy projects but would leave Democratic priorities like granting the federal government a bigger role in interstate power transmission line approvals up for discussion at a later date, according to a GOP House leadership aide familiar with the negotiations.

Mining:

• Wall Street Journal reports a scarcity of EV battery materials pushes car companies and miners to work closer together; for both, there is a learning curve.
• E&E News PM reports the Biden administration on Tuesday waded into a legal fight in the mining sector by offering guidance tied to the storage of mining waste — an issue that’s delayed or derailed projects and attracted bipartisan attention on Capitol Hill.
• Washington Post reports the Biden administration says it has completed a court-ordered review that should ensure construction continues at a Nevada lithium mine, despite legal challenges brought by conservationists and tribal leaders.

Minerals:

• New York Times reports on China’s control over materials necessary for EVs.

EPA:

• E&E Climatewire reports EPA strengthened its climate rule on power plants after White House officials pressed the agency to expand the proposal before it was released last week.
• E&E Climatewire reports it’s last year’s climate law — not this year’s carbon rules — that will end U.S. power generation as it exists today.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports that PJM Interconnection asks federal regulators to allow it to include wind, solar and energy storage projects in its definition of “black start” generators and offer such facilities incentives to maintain assured fuel supplies.

WOTUS:

• EHS Daily Advisor reports North Dakota Federal District Court Judge Daniel Hovland granted a preliminary injunction that will block the EPA from enforcing its new waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule in 24 states.

Mining:

• Mining.com reports Newcrest Mining Ltd. has agreed to a takeover deal with Newmont Corp. worth about A$28.8 billion ($19.2 billion) to create the world’s biggest gold producer.
• Mining.com reports Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd on Monday raised doubts about its ability to continue as a going concern if the company is unable to raise the necessary capital for the Pebble copper and gold mining project in Alaska.
• Maine Monitor reports a Maine legislative committee tables a bill recommended by state officials and a nonprofit that would shift mining policies after a massive lithium deposit was discovered.
• E&E News PM reports the nonprofit Greater Yellowstone Coalition said it plans to spend $6.25 million to buy out a proposed gold mine on the northern border of Yellowstone National Park in Montana.

Nuclear:

• Washington Post reports legislation to ban Russian uranium imports is gaining momentum on Capitol Hill, as lawmakers look to further punish Moscow for invading Ukraine.

Good Monday morning!

In the news today and from the weekend…

Grid:

• The Associated Press reports that the largest US public utility is switching from coal to gas, despite the proposed EPA carbon pollution limits. The Tennessee Valley Authority released plans Friday to build a new natural gas plant in Tennessee, largely dismissing renewable energy alternatives one day after the Biden administration proposed strict new limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. TVA’s draft environmental impact statement says constructing a 1500-megawatt gas plant along with 3-4 megawatts of solar and 100 megawatts of battery storage is “the best overall solution to provide low-cost, reliable energy to the TVA power system.”

EPA:

• Energy Law360 (subscription) reports that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed new greenhouse gas emissions standards will force states and utilities to take a hard look at how long they can realistically keep their coal- and gas-fired power plants up and running, experts say.

Minerals:

• E&E Greenwire reports White House clean energy adviser John Podesta this week touted a cobalt mine in Idaho as just one example of a new domestic critical mineral project getting permits and coming online to support a booming electric vehicle industry.
• Associated Press reports federal authorities have proposed new regulations that would force the Minnesota and Michigan iron mining industry to slash its mercury emissions.

Permitting:

• E&E Daily reports the White House is preparing to meet with congressional leaders early this week on debt ceiling negotiations, but time is running short to hammer out a deal. One potential negotiating point is an overhaul of the nation’s permitting system, an effort that both parties have been eyeing the past several months.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Politico and Utility Dive report as utilities warn the U.S. EPA’s new power plant emissions rules could threaten grid reliability by forcing fossil fuel facility shutdowns, the agency says it is confident that reliability won’t be affected.
• Reuters reports that the nation’s coal-fired power plant fleet is projected to decline by more than half by 2050, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, as aging fleets are replaced by new plants powered by natural gas and renewable energy and as environmental regulations make it more costly to operate the facilities. Meanwhile, the combined capacity from solar and wind power generation is expected to more than triple by 2050.
• Reuters reports that several parts of North America are at elevated risk of energy shortfalls this summer during periods of extreme air conditioning demand, according to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), the organization responsible for the reliability of the North American power grids.

EPA:

• Washington Post reports from Bloomberg on the new EPA power plant rules.
• Wall Street Journal carries an op-ed which argues against the damaging effects of the new EPA rules.
• E&E Daily reports many congressional Democrats are defending the EPA’s latest move to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions at power plants around the country — despite ferocious pushback from Republicans and skepticism from industry allies.

Mining:

• E&E Daily reports House Democrats on Thursday blasted as unconstitutional a Republican resolution that would undo federal protections near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to allow mining.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports that the U.S. Department of Energy proposes a national framework for locating transmission projects in areas where they are needed most.

EPA:

• E&E News reports that the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled the most stringent emissions limits ever for coal- and gas-fired power plants as part of a proposal that would require coal facilities to capture 90% of their emissions by 2030 or shut down the plants by 2032 at the earliest, while large natural gas facilities that run consistently would be required to capture 90% of their emissions by 2035 or burn low-carbon hydrogen by 2038. The proposal, if finalized by June 2024, would regulate existing coal- and gas-fired power plants for the first time, as earlier proposals have been overturned by federal courts.
• Washington Post and Fortune report the Biden administration is proposing new limits on greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas-fired power plants, its most ambitious effort yet to roll back planet-warming pollution from the nation’s second-largest contributor to climate change.
• Roll Call reports the Environmental Protection Agency proposed regulations Thursday to cut climate-warming emissions from power plants that burn fossil fuels to generate electricity, one of the most significant policy levers the Biden administration can use to lower domestic carbon pollution.

Coal:

• Politico reports some Democrats are distancing themselves from anti-coal policies.

Permitting:

• Reuters reports that the White House is putting pressure on Congress to pass permitting legislation as the Biden administration reiterated its support for Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) permitting reform proposal, which includes two-year limits on environmental reviews of major federal energy projects and the completion of the $6.6 billion Mountain Valley Pipeline. While President Joe Biden earlier this week told House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) that he was open to discussing the permitting issue as part of debt ceiling negotiations, White House climate adviser John Podesta has called for separating the two issues.
• E&E Daily reports the White House’s official rollout of its priorities for permitting reform legislation was met with mixed reviews on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

In the news today…

Grid:

• RTO Insider (subscription) reports that Illinois regulators and consumer advocates raise concerns with regional grid operators MISO and PJM about the delay in connecting renewable energy projects to the grid as a large number of coal plants come offline.
• Utility Dive reports that the Texas House weighs Senate-approved plan to incentivize new gas plants as grid faces dicey summer. The Texas Senate on Thursday voted 27-4 to advance a plan to provide incentives and including 20-year, zero-interest loans to companies building gas-fired power plants and the House of Representatives has scheduled a Wednesday hearing to consider the measure, SB 2627.

Permitting:

• Fox News reports the Biden administration announced a southern Arizona mining project would be the first to ever receive special permitting fast-track coverage despite concerns over ecological impacts.
• Washington Post reports House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has pushed to include Republicans’ energy package — including provisions aimed at speeding up the permitting process for energy projects — in a deal to raise the government’s debt ceiling. But his efforts to include a permitting overhaul face long odds, for at least three big reasons.

Mining:

• Mining.com reports the top lawyer for Lithium Americas’ Thacker Pass project, which is developing the largest lithium deposit in the United States in northwest Nevada, says it could be free of legal challenges by late summer or early fall.
• E&E Daily reports bipartisan lawmakers from mining-heavy Western states are pushing legislation to tackle growing legal challenges facing U.S. mining, triggering pushback from tribal, climate and conservation groups.

EPA:

• E&E Energywire reports the looming EPA rule on power plants is expected to point to carbon capture as a viable option to cut emissions.