Happy Friday!

In the news today…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports that as California grid interconnection requests triple, analysts assess CAISO’s moves to handle the influx. Bringing large amounts of clean energy to the grid over the next decade and beyond — resources that are critical to the state’s climate as well as power reliability goals — experts are increasingly pointing to the need to revamp its interconnection processes.

Energy:

• The Hill reports the House on Thursday passed an energy package that was the Republican conference’s top legislative priority, sending the measure to the Senate where the Democratic leader has said it is “dead-on-arrival.”
• Wall Street Journal carries an op-ed by Sen. Joe Manchin in which he calls on President Biden to implement the Inflation Reduction Act as intended.
• E&E Daily reports two Democrats are set to introduce an energy permitting overhaul, a response to Republicans’ sweeping energy package.
• E&E Daily reports the House Republican energy and permitting bill is poised to become a cudgel in congressional campaigns for both parties, as the GOP looks to defend its narrow majority in the chamber.

Coal:

• Argus reports coal exports from Hampton Roads, Virginia, reached their highest level in nearly four years in February as some rail shipments accelerated and European demand increased.
• E&E Climatewire reports two Washington state utilities have announced plans in recent months to transfer their ownership interests in a massive Montana coal plant to a pair of power companies that intend to operate the facility for years to come.

Minerals:

• E&E Greenwire reports the Biden administration unveiled a long-awaited proposed rule Friday that will make fewer electric vehicles eligible for $7,500 tax credits meant to encourage consumers to ditch gas-powered cars, an at least temporary crimp in the White House’s strategy to address climate change.

In the news today…

Congress:

• The Associated Press reports that the House is set to approve the GOP’s energy package in a vote today despite a veto threat from President Joe Biden and a guarantee that the slate of bills would be “dead on arrival” in the Democratic-controlled Senate. The Lower Energy Costs Act includes provisions that would boost domestic oil and gas production, expedite permitting for energy projects and repeal parts of the Inflation Reduction Act.
• E&E Daily reports Sen. Joe Manchin predicted Wednesday that the Biden administration will interpret new restrictions on electric vehicle tax credits in ways that are too permissive and don’t align with the climate change law he wrote last year.
• E&E Daily reports Senate committees intend to hold hearings as soon as next month on permitting for energy projects, leaders of two key committees confirmed Wednesday to E&E News.

WOTUS:

• Politico Pro reports the Senate voted 53-43 to repeal a contentious Biden administration water rule, with four Democrats joining Republicans in voting to overturn the regulation.
• E&E News PM reports the Senate on Wednesday afternoon approved a resolution against the Biden administration’s signature water policy, in a move all but guaranteed to spark the president’s second veto ever.

Coal:

• Argus reports US coal production has increased slightly this year from the same time in 2022 as export volumes have risen, US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates show.
• E&E Daily reports Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito insinuated Wednesday that President Joe Biden spared his home state of Delaware from EPA’s “good neighbor” smog plan.

Minerals:

• E&E Energywire reports the U.S. government needs to take on more capital risk to spur companies to invest in the critical mineral supply chain and counter Chinese dominance in the sector, top Biden administration officials said yesterday.
• E&E Energywire reports the Biden administration is preparing to announce its most pivotal action to date in carrying out the president’s climate law — setting the rules for determining which kinds of electric cars and trucks can qualify for its $7,500 tax credits.

In the news today…

Minerals:

• Washington Post reports House Republicans pressed Interior Secretary Deb Haaland yesterday on a central tension surrounding President Biden’s ambitious climate and clean-energy goals: his administration’s blocking of domestic mining for the minerals needed to achieve those targets.
• E&E Greenwire reports former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and his fellow Republicans pointedly confronted current Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on energy production and critical minerals during a hearing Tuesday that showcased policy differences that could dominate the coming budget season.
• New York Times reports lawmakers on Tuesday issued a sharp rebuke of a limited trade deal the Biden administration reached with Japan, saying that it should have been made available to Congress and the public for review and that it lacked important protections for the environment and workers.
• Bloomberg reports the European Union and the US are nearing an agreement on critical minerals that would provide EU companies access to some of the massive green subsidies offered in President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.

Energy:

• E&E Energywire reports the nation’s largest power grid operator is facing pushback from environmental groups, which say the findings of a recent report paint an alarmist picture of the shift to cleaner energy.
• E&E Energywire reports New Mexico’s largest electric provider wants the state’s highest court to overturn a 2021 decision by regulators who rejected a proposal to transfer its shares in a coal-fired power plant to a Navajo energy company.

Permitting:

• E&E Greenwire reports the Bureau of Land Management says it is set to significantly advance commercial-scale renewable energy development on federal lands across the West over the next three years.

In the news today…

Coal:

• St. Louis Post-Dispatch carries an editorial which argues the Environmental Protection Agency issued a “good neighbor” rule last week that probably should have been implemented decades ago.
• Prescott News reports from Inside Sources that modern economies like the U.S. and Europe aren’t ready to walk away from coal quite yet.
• Argus reports the US Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) awarded $126.5mn to 24 states and two Native American tribes for abandoned mine cleanup projects.
• Argus reports a Kentucky bill to make it harder to retire coal- and natural gas-fired power plants became law without governor Andy Beshear’s (D) signature and despite utility objections.

Minerals:

• Roll Call reports lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are scrutinizing how the Biden administration handles new incentives for buying electric vehicles with the first formal guidance on which cars qualify for subsidies expected this week.
• Reuters reports the United States and Japan on Tuesday announced a trade deal on electric vehicle battery minerals that is key to strengthening their battery supply chains and granting Japanese automakers wider access to a new $7,500 U.S. EV tax credit.
• Axios reports the U.S. and Japan have struck a deal on critical battery minerals that could enable Japanese companies to capture some benefits of EV subsidies in the U.S. climate law.

WOTUS:

• E&E Daily reports the Senate is poised to vote this week on a resolution against President Joe Biden’s Clean Water Act rule.

Good Monday morning!

In the news today and from the weekend…

Grid:

• Portland Press Herald reports that in a trial scheduled to begin next month, the developers of the New England Clean Energy Connect power line will argue they have vested rights to continue building it, despite a 2021 voter referendum in Maine to block the project.
• Reuters reports that the Iowa Supreme Court temporarily blocks a state law that had given incumbent utilities first rights to build new transmission projects, a case that could have high stakes amid plans for a major transmission buildout.

Minerals:

• Politico Pro reports Canada has the minerals required for electric vehicles, solar panels and other clean-energy technologies. The United States wants them.
• E&E Greenwire reports President Joe Biden’s long-awaited trip to Canada this week is poised to highlight the administration’s openness to using a Cold War-era law to fund Canadian mining and mineral processing sectors — part of a broader effort to secure electric vehicle battery materials that China currently dominates.
• Politico Pro reports President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged a joint effort Friday to develop critical mineral resources that are needed to reduce reliance on China for a key raw material used in electric vehicles and other clean technology products.
• Bloomberg reports US labor unions are pushing back on White House efforts to allow European Union and Japanese firms mining and processing critical minerals to tap some of the lucrative subsidies available in the Biden administration’s massive climate law, fearing the move will sap American jobs.
• Politico Pro reports a major U.S. battery manufacturer and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) are making an eleventh-hour push to persuade the Treasury Department to reverse its interpretation of Inflation Reduction Act domestic content provisions that could boost foreign components used in electric vehicles that qualify for federal incentives.

Coal:

• Argus reports US exports of coking coal rose by 37.5pc on the year in January to nearly 3.7mn t, with the increase driven by sharp increases in shipments to China, the EU and India.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Reuters reports that tens of thousands of storm-weary Californians were without power and under evacuation warnings on Wednesday as the latest storm packing wind-blown rain and snow threatened to bring more flooding to the rain-soaked state.
• APPA reports that the PJM Interconnection recently presented stakeholders with an early outline of its initial proposal aimed at improving key aspects of the PJM capacity market construct.
• PV Magazine reports Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy is funding a Minnesota organization that advocates for building new transmission lines along infrastructure corridors, such as highways and existing transmission rights of way.
• KNSI reports that Xcel Energy is proposing a 160-180 mile transmission line that would move clean energy from the site of a coal plant that’s scheduled to close in the coming years and be replaced by solar.

Energy:

• Wall Street Journal reports companies pursuing subsidies for green energy are trying to shape the Treasury Department’s definition of ‘made in America’.
• Washington Examiner reports NERC CEO and President Jim Robb said yesterday that reliability problems for U.S. power grids are continuing to increase due to to an increasingly diverse resource mix, retirements of traditional power generation sources, and an increase in extreme weather events across the country.
• E&E Energywire reports for the first time, no coal-burning power plants in New England qualified for payments in the region’s annual electricity auction.

Lands:

• Washington Post reports a Native American group that’s trying to stop an effort to build one of the largest copper mines in the United States told a full federal appeals court panel Tuesday that the project would prevent Apaches from exercising their religion by destroying land they consider sacred.
• E&E Greenwire reports a lawyer for the Biden administration on Tuesday signaled that a controversial land swap in Arizona is likely to move forward in the coming months, paving the way for an Apache holy site to be developed into one of the nation’s largest copper mines.

Permitting:

• Washington Examiner reports Sen. Ed Markey is staking out progressives’ position on how Congress should go about speeding up environmental permitting with new suggestions that would explicitly exclude fossil fuel projects from special project designations and enable local communities to be included in project planning itself.

In the news today…

Lands:

• The Hill reports President Biden on Tuesday designated two new national monuments in Nevada and Texas.
• E&E Greenwire reports the White House announcement that President Joe Biden on Tuesday will designate two long-sought-after national monuments in Nevada and Texas drew widespread praise from Native American tribal leaders, residents and conservation groups.

Coal:

• Argus reports Indiana lawmakers are on the cusp of passing legislation that could slow or halt retirements of coal-fired power plants in the state.

Energy:

• E&E Daily reports as they put the finishing touches on their massive energy package, House Republicans plan to pressure Democrats on a core kitchen table issue: energy costs.
• Politico Pro reports Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) on Tuesday laid out what he framed as the progressive alternative to changing U.S. permitting laws — an approach he said will speed clean energy projects while bolstering community participation and preserving their rights to weigh in on projects.

Minerals:

• Axios reports lithium prices are plunging, making EVs more affordable.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Kansas Reflector reports that Ameren Missouri supports state legislation giving it first rights to build transmission lines after opposing a similar bill in Kansas that would have prevented it from competing for projects with local utilities in that state.
• Utility Dive reports that a transmission link between Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland would not trigger FERC jurisdiction, the agency declares. The clarification could affect Alternative Transmission’s proposed undersea cable project that aims to bolster Puerto Rico’s grid.

Coal:

• Washington Examiner reports coal and natural gas interests are locked in an existential cage match over which fuel source is best positioned to stop the bleeding as regulators at FERC and NERC warn about diminishing grid reliability.
• Argus reports a coal miner died and others were injured in two separate incidents at Alliance Resource Partners’ Hamilton coal mine in southern Illinois on 18 March.

Minerals:

• E&E Climatewire reports lithium is critical to the production of batteries for electric vehicles, but the United States mines very little of the mineral compared to countries such as China or Chile. California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to change that.
• Casper Star Tribune reports the company digging for critical minerals in southeastern Wyoming is becoming more and more confident that it’s found the biggest known deposit of rare earth elements in North America.

Happy first day of Spring!

In the news today and from the weekend…

Grid:

• Floodlight reports that electric utilities spent billions after 2014’s polar vortex to ensure power plants and the grid could handle extreme cold, but this winter it still wasn’t enough.
• Bloomberg reports that a Texas appeals court has reignited a fight over soaring power prices during the deadly 2021 winter storm that crippled the state’s electric grid.

Mining:

• E&E News PM reports the Biden administration is considering barring mining and geothermal leasing in a critical South Dakota watershed for two decades, a move that would block a controversial bid to explore for gold there.
• Indiana Capital Chronicle reports how quickly can — or should — Indiana transition away from coal? That’s a key question in the state legislature as lawmakers debate a bill that seeks to slow down the retirement of certain coal-fired power plants.

WOTUS:

• Politico Pro reports a federal judge in Texas has blocked the Biden administration’s new rule defining the scope of the Clean Water Act, but only within Texas and Idaho.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, and Happy Friday!

In the news today…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports that FERC, governors, state regulators and utilities should focus their efforts on interregional transmission development by encouraging investments that will yield significant long-term benefits.

EPA:

• The New American reports the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Wednesday its Good Neighbor Plan, which limits nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from coal-fired power plants and other industrial sources that cause downwind smog pollution in other states.

Permitting:

• E&E Greenwire reports a proposal the European Union unveiled Thursday calling for the creation of a “critical minerals club” and truncated permitting reviews for specific mining, recycling and processing projects is fueling a partisan clash over the scale and pace of mining regulation changes needed in the U.S.

Coal:

• RealClearEnergy carries an op-ed which argues that we must stop the push to remove coal-fired capacity.
• Argus reports coal may continue to be a part of the US energy mix through 2050, but at a significantly reduced level, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in its latest long-term outlook.

Minerals:

• Foreign Policy carries an op-ed which argues for our national defense, we must build a robust domestic supply chain for minerals.

In the news today…

EPA:

• NPR reports a new “good neighbor” rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency will restrict smokestack emissions from power plants and other industrial sources that burden downwind areas with smog-causing pollution they can’t control. Nearly two-dozen states will have to cut harmful industrial emissions of nitrogen oxide and other pollutants to improve air quality for millions of people living in downwind communities.
• Washington Post reports the Biden administration announced tougher limits Wednesday on smog-forming pollutants from power plants and other industrial facilities, a move that officials said would reduce air pollution in downwind communities and help Americans suffering from asthma and other respiratory problems.
• E&E Greenwire reports EPA is significantly bolstering regulation of smog-forming emissions from power plants and more than a half-dozen other industries in the latest milestone of the Biden administration’s quest to prod the United States away from coal.
• Inside EPA reports EPA has unveiled its expanded and strengthened Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) to curb interstate ozone, imposing emissions reduction obligations on a host of new states, ratcheting down power plants’ allowances for ozone-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) and regulating a series of manufacturing and energy sectors for the first time.

Mining:

• Elko Daily Free Press reports on the progress of mining projects in the U.S.
• E&E Greenwire reports a proposal to ban future mining near the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp and its vast wildlife refuge received a hearing Tuesday before a panel of Georgia lawmakers, who asked no questions of testifying experts and advocates before adjourning without a vote.

Coal:

• Argus reports West Virginia governor Jim Justice (R) received multiple coal bills seeking his approval last week, and he signed one into a law.
• Bloomberg carries an op-ed which discusses how for the first time ever last week, Britain had to call on emergency coal generation to keep the lights on, after keeping plants in reserve all winter.

The Ides of March are upon us!!

In the news today…

EPA:

• E&E Greenwire reports only days before EPA is set to issue its latest crackdown on interstate smog pollution, advocacy groups are making last-ditch closing arguments to White House officials reviewing the final version.

Mining:

• Associated Press reports a proposal to ban future mining near the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp and its vast wildlife refuge received a hearing Tuesday before a panel of Georgia lawmakers, who asked no questions of testifying experts and advocates before adjourning without a vote.

Congress:

• The Hill reports that House Republicans unveiled their nearly 200-page energy package that aims to boost fossil fuel production, limit environmental reviews for infrastructure projects and speed up their approvals, although the measure serves more as a way to outline GOP goals as the bill is unlikely to pass through a divided Congress. The bill would also repeal climate provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act that target methane emissions in the oil and gas industry and raise fees for drilling on public lands and waters.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Washington Post reports that a new iPhone feature is transforming the 118 million devices into a U.S. grid management resource, automatically turning charging on and off as clean electricity supplies peak and fall.
• West Virginia Public Broadcasting reports that U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin cites grid reliability concerns as he requests the U.S. EPA delay its proposed “Good Neighbor Rule” to require a reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions from coal-fired power plants.

Mining:

• Axios reports permitting overhaul efforts have veered left into an unexpected conversation: how to hold mining companies accountable for their environmental and human rights problems.
• E&E Energywire reports Europe needs minerals like lithium for batteries to power its clean energy future. Beijing is decades ahead.

World News:

• E&E Energywire reports Volkswagen AG has chosen Canada to build its first battery plant outside Europe in a bid to fast-track an expansion in the key U.S. market.

Good Monday morning!

In the news today and from the weekend…

Grid:

• Jefferson City News Tribune reports that Missouri regulators heard competing concerns and support for the Grain Belt Express transmission project during public hearings last week.
• Bloomberg reports that the Texas power grid may need the “Breath of God” to keep cool this summer. The Texas electric grid’s ability to provide enough summertime energy may hinge on whether renewable sources can meet growing demand that’s already sapped fossil fuel and nuclear power supplies.

Mining:

• Wall Street Journal reports U.S. and EU talk of collaborating to ensure energy security in the renewable age. A bigger priority should be strengthening trade links with big mining nations.
• E&E Greenwire reports President Joe Biden is seeking a funding boost for federal oversight of mine safety as the nation scrambles to ramp up mineral production for the energy transition, warning that a loss of federal staffers has fueled unsafe conditions.

Coal:

• Argus reports US green petroleum coke exports rose in January to the highest since January 2020, reaching the eighth-largest monthly total in data going back more than 20 years. Shipments to Asia-Pacific nearly doubled on the year, and the US also increased dispatches to Europe and Africa.
• E&E Climatewire reports Utah’s largest coal company will relinquish two mining leases and apply the social cost of carbon in the environmental analysis of a third lease as part of a settlement agreement reached last week with environmental groups and the federal government.

In the news today…

Mining:

• Mining.com reports officials from President Joe Biden’s administration warned leaders of the US clean energy transition this week to decarbonize quickly and keep the supply chain out of China’s control.
• E&E Daily reports the House Natural Resources Committee on Thursday approved a Republican-authored permitting and energy bill with no Democratic support.
• Politico Pro reports House Republicans on the Natural Resource Committee advanced legislation Thursday designed to boost energy production on federal lands, streamline mining permitting and overhaul the National Environmental Policy Act process, sending a key piece of of the GOP’s broader energy package to the floor.

Minerals:

• PoliticoPro reports the United States and the European Union plan to launch talks Friday on a critical minerals agreement that will allow EU manufacturers to qualify for more electric vehicle subsidies under the Inflation Reduction Act, a senior administration official told reporters.
• E&E Climatewire reports the U.S. and the European Union will likely launch negotiations on Friday for a new critical minerals agreement aimed at reducing their dependence on China and bolstering the clean energy transition.
• E&E Daily reports Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin blasted White House senior adviser John Podesta on Thursday for asserting that China and Chinese companies will benefit from a surge of money under the Inflation Reduction Act.

Coal:

• Argus reports US thermal coal exports rose from year-earlier levels in January for the first time in five months as shipments to Europe held near a four-year high.
• Wall Street Journal reports some major coal-exporting countries are reaping the benefits of higher demand for the fossil fuel after sharply raising levies on miners with plans to direct the windfall to everything from hospitals to roads, welfare programs to power-system upgrades.
• Wall Street Journal carries an op-ed which argues coal has kept the lights on in Germany.

WOTUS:

• E&E Daily reports House lawmakers voted Thursday to head off the Biden administration’s signature water policy, possibly clearing the way for what could be the president’s second veto this year.
• Politico Pro reports the House voted 227-198, largely along party lines, to nullify a contentious Biden administration water rule defining which streams and wetlands get federal protection.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Bloomberg NEF reports a new report says global grid capacity will need to more than double to accommodate clean energy needed to avert the worst impacts of climate change.
• Columbia Missourian reports the University of Missouri begins a roughly $40 million plan to connect to the surrounding city’s electric grid to ensure reliability as the school’s power demand grows.
• WTAD reports that Illinois regulators approved construction plans for the multi-state Grain Belt Express clean energy transmission project.

Mining:

• Deseret News reports on the rising demand for minerals and the importance of mining in Utah.

Coal:

• The Washington Post reports the Biden administration moved Wednesday to strengthen a rule limiting millions of gallons of toxic water pollution from coal power plants, a change that could lead some plants to shut down or switch to burning natural gas, rather than pay increased compliance costs.
• ABC News reports from Associated Press the Biden administration on Wednesday proposed tighter limits on wastewater pollution from coal-burning power plants that has contaminated streams, lakes and underground aquifers across the nation.
• E&E Greenwire reports coal-fired power plants are facing another crackdown as the Biden administration moves forward with plans to limit toxic discharges into lakes and rivers in a major strike at one of the largest sources of industrial water pollution.

Minerals:

• E&E Greenwire reports a landmark climate law meant to spur adoption of electric vehicles could actually slow that transition, given potentially “unreachable” goals for sourcing battery minerals tied to tax credits of up to $7,500, according to new research.
• E&E Greenwire reports copper producers unveiled a plan Wednesday to slash emissions and reach “net zero” by 2050 in the face of rapidly increasing demand to use the material in electric vehicle batteries, transmission projects and renewable energy technology.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Axios reports that attacks on the power grid raise alarm among top officials.
• Detroit News reports that Michigan lawmakers plan hearings next week to probe utilities’ response to storms last week that caused outages for hundreds of thousands of customers.
• MLive reports that Ann Arbor, Michigan, officials call on state lawmakers to adopt policies promoting more grid resilience, such as community solar programs and helping municipalities invest in renewable energy.

Minerals:

• E&E Greenwire reports electric vehicle buyers and makers, as well as mining companies, are eagerly anticipating the Biden administration’s expected announcement this month on which vehicles can get credits worth up to $7,500 under last year’s climate law.
• Reuters reports the European Union aims to set up a central purchasing agency for critical materials such as lithium and rare earths and force member states to speed up permitting for new mines and processing plants, according to draft legislation.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Crain’s Chicago Business (subscription) reports that grid operator PJM warns of potential electricity shortages over the next seven years as fossil fuel generation comes offline despite growing demand, specifically citing Illinois’ sweeping clean energy law.
• Utility Dive reports that a draft Department of Energy study finds U.S. transmission capacity will need to increase by more than 50% by 2035 to accommodate clean energy growth.

Mining:

• E&E Energywire reports the White House is banking on the six-month-old Inflation Reduction Act to shift global investment away from China and into a new wave of U.S. clean energy projects, a top Biden official said Monday at one of the world’s most important energy conferences.

Permitting:

• Reuters reports that the Biden administration’s climate law, which provides hundreds of billions of dollars in clean energy incentives to fight global warming, won’t be fully effective without permitting reform, executives told the CERAWeek energy conference on Monday.
• E&E Daily reports last month’s train derailment and chemical spill in Ohio has led to finger-pointing from both sides of the political aisle, but it is also now hardening attitudes on a still-live issue on Capitol Hill: permitting overhaul.

Minerals:

• E&E Daily reports House Natural Resources ranking member Raúl Grijalva is reviving legislation to block a contentious copper mine from moving forward on land considered sacred among indigenous tribes in his home state of Arizona.
• Bridge Michigan reports that Michigan should tap its abundant mineral resources to build an in-state supply of materials needed to build electric vehicles and batteries, a policy expert writes.
• The Hill carries an op-ed arguing not enough is being done to allow for domestic mining in favor of importing minerals.

Energy:

• E&E Energywire reports Texas energy giant Vistra Corp. announced plans Monday to purchase Energy Harbor, acquiring the nation’s second-largest nuclear generation fleet as the company eyes deep emissions cuts.

Good Monday morning!

In the news today and from the weekend…

Media Alert:

• Thanks to the Harrisburg Patriot News (Pa.), Casper Star Tribune (Wyo.), Wheeling Intelligencer (W.Va.) and Las Vegas Sun (Nev.) For carrying my new op-ed where I urge Congress and the states to push back on EPA’s misguided agenda to prematurely close coal-fired power plants that are needed for grid reliability.

Grid:

• Bloomberg reports that suddenly several big power-line projects in the US are moving ahead, bringing with them a flood of potential wind and solar power.

Congress:

• Politico reports that House Republicans are aiming to pass an energy package by the last week of March, almost three months after the GOP narrowly secured the majority in the chamber. The package, which contains about 20 bills and so far has broad support in committee, includes more support for oil and gas drilling on federal lands and an overhaul of the permitting review system under the National Environmental Policy Act.

Coal:

• E&E Energywire reports West Virginia is at an impasse over how much to run some of its largest coal-fired power plants, with implications for carbon emissions and the future of coal in the eastern United States.
• E&E Climatewire reports one of the world’s largest banks plans to slash the planet-warming emissions associated with its investments in thermal coal mining by a whopping 90 percent over the next seven years.

Minerals:

• E&E Daily reports the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is set to discuss issues with fueling the nation’s nuclear reactors during a hearing this week, as larger Capitol Hill discussions linger to potentially bolster the domestic uranium industry.
• E&E Greenwire reports what could become the nation’s largest lithium mine broke ground in Nevada this week, positioning the political swing state as a likely leader in pumping out battery minerals critical for making electric vehicles and meeting President Joe Biden’s climate goals.

World News:

• E&E Energywire reports China signaled coal will retain its role as the country’s mainstay fuel even as the government continues to support the expansion of its world-leading clean energy industry.

Happy Friday!

In the news today…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports that partially approving ISO New England’s aggregated distributed energy resources plan, federal energy regulators say the grid operator “needs to roll up its sleeves” to open markets to behind-the-meter DERs.
• Grist reports that, as North Dakota prepares to sue Minnesota over clean energy, interstate feuds threaten to make the difficult task of getting regional power grids off fossil fuels even more complicated.

Minerals:

• Reuters reports that construction begins at the controversial Thacker Pass mine in Nevada after environmentalists’ and tribes’ legal bids to halt work were denied.
• E&E Daily reports Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) is probing the Energy Department’s connection to a report that he says improperly advocates for mass transit and urban living to ease demand on lithium needed to produce electric vehicles.

Mining:

• North of 60 Mining News carries an op-ed which argues America’s regulatory system is broken.
• Inside EPA reports EPA is planning to include “flexibility” measures in its forthcoming expansion of the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) in order to allay grid operators’ fears that the proposal could lead to reliability problems, EPA’s air chief nominee Joe Goffman told the Senate environment committee during his confirmation hearing.

Nuclear:

• The Associated Press reports the Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted PG&E Corp. an exemption that would allow the operator to continue running the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in California — scheduled to shut down by 2025 — while the regulatory agency reviews an expected operating license renewal for the facility. The NRC’s exemption faced backlash from environmentalists who have cited concerns about the safety of the facility, which is located by earthquake faults.