Monthly Archives: June 2019

In the news today…

Coal:

• Colorado Public Radio reports analysis by the Sierra Club states that retiring Colorado’s coal fleet could cut carbon and save utility customers billions of dollars.
• The San Antonio Current reports the Sierra Club states San Antonio’s CPS Energy could save $1 billion from 2026 through 2040 by shuttering its coal-fired plants and switching to renewables.
• The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports the Tennessee Valley Authority will replace its coal plants with solar and gas generation according to it new 20-year power plan.
• The Lexington Herald Leader reports only 57 percent of surface coal mine permits in Kentucky were free of violations during oversight inspections in the most recent evaluation.
• West Virginia Metro News reports U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin criticized Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell after an amendment on health care and pensions for coal miners was blocked.
• Politico Pro reports a senior DOE official told commissioners that FERC should recognize the spirit of the Trump administration’s plan to support struggling power plants by ordering a study of whether utilities keep enough fuel on site to maintain grid reliability.

Minerals:

• The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports a government watchdog group is suing the Trump administration for access to emails, notes and memos regarding its decision to renew two federal mineral leases for Twin Metals Minnesota.
• The Salt Lake Tribune carries a letter in response to an editorial on uranium mining in Utah; the letter argues in favor of uranium mining and states that the original editorial misrepresented the industry.

Energy Policy:

• Utility Dive reports Sen. Tom Udall introduced a bill that would establish a 50 percent renewable energy standard across the U.S. by 2035.

EPA:

• Inside EPA reports EPA is seeking strict penalties against the utility Ameren Missouri in a long running Clean Air Act new source review permit program violation case, in which the utility was found to have a coal power plant that failed to obtain a necessary NSR permit.
• Inside EPA reports EPA is formally reopening its Obama-era proposal to block a Clean Water Act permit for the long-planned Pebble Mine in Alaska.

In the news today…

Mining:

• The Oklahoman and Rasmussen Reports carry an op-ed by Stephen Moore, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, in which he argues that the anti-mining movement in America will impede any effort of the green revolution since minerals are necessary for green technology.

ACE rule:

• Politico Pro and Bloomberg report the ACE rule is expected to be released today, Wednesday, in the morning.
• Washington Examiner reports the anticipated ACE rule would encourage heat rate improvements in power plants, increasing efficiency.
• Clean Energy.org reports the ACE rule could lead to higher emissions, stating that the Clean Power Plan would have had more benefits for the southeast.
• E&E Climatewire reports EPA will address the issue of how many people might die from air pollution when rolling out the ACE rule.

Coal:

• WyoFile reports Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon sees carbon capture through the use of coal as a solution to climate change through bio-energy carbon capture storage.

Minerals:

• Salon carries an article which states that lithium mining for electric cars is damaging the planet, meaning the green revolution isn’t truly “green” after all.
• E&E Daily reports Sen. Lisa Murkowski is “not rushing” to hold a hearing on a broad hardrock mining reform proposal.

Carbon Capture:

• E&E Climatewire reports on a Democrat led hearing to support a measure to boost technologies such as carbon capture.

In the news today…

Coal:

• E&E News PM reports coal, oil and gas companies have six months to recalculate several years of royalties they owe the federal government after the Obama-era accounting standards were restored.
• WSAZ reports a West Virginia company has decided to build a coal to liquids facility in Mason County that will turn coal and natural gas into fuel that burns cleaner than petroleum-based fuel.
• The Energy and Policy Institute says that American Electric Power wants to use customer money to fund a clean coal group involved in misleading attacks on wind and solar power.
• E&E Daily reports a new hearing on black lung entitled “Breathless and Betrayed” stems from a spike in the number of black lung cases which has fired up House Democrats.
• Argus reports coal producer Contura Energy has completed refinancing its term loan for a new $561.8 million five-year secured loan.

ACE Rule:

• Inside EPA reports OMB and EPA took a flurry of last minute meetings in recent weeks concerning the ACE rule, but the rule is expected to be finalized imminently.
• Inside EPA reports state air regulators are warning that EPA’s ACE rule will leave them vulnerable to lawsuits from regulated utilities, their competitors and environmentalists because it does not set a GHG reduction target against which their plans would be assessed.
• E&E Energywire reports the ACE rule, a Trump administration lifeline to coal plants, may not help save coal in the long run.

Minerals:

• Politico Pro and E&E Greenwire report the Supreme Court upheld Virginia’s 37-year-old ban on uranium mining, ruling that state mining laws are not preempted by the federal Atomic Energy Act.
• E&E Greenwire goes into depth on the Supreme Court decision to uphold Virginia’s uranium mining ban.
• Politico Pro reports the Supreme Court decision to uphold a Virginia mining ban on uranium is good news for Western uranium miners, who also seek tariffs on foreign imports to boost the domestic uranium industry.
• The Washington Times carries an op-ed in which the author argues that the “Green Energy Revolution” is impossible without mining, and therefore environmentalists should rethink their anti-mining stance and support domestic mining.
• Bloomberg reports mining lithium and copper for electric vehicles is causing ecological damage in Chile.
• The Albuquerque Journal reports Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich have requested a hearing on the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act, which would require hardrock mining companies to pay royalties.

Carbon Capture:

• Utility Dive reports the Carbon Capture Improvement Act of 2019 would authorize the use of tax-exempt private activity bonds to finance the purchase of carbon capture equipment for power plants and industrial facilities.

In the news today…

Mining:

• The Hill reports the Trump administration is signaling a renewed push to consider uranium mining near the Grand Canyon, a move that would undoubtedly ignite a political fight involving environmentalists and the mining industry. NMA is mentioned.

Electric Vehicles:

• E&E Energywire reports Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk said yesterday that the automaker could expand into mining as it casts about for ways to bring down costs and scale up production of its batteries.

Coal:

• Politico Pro reports U.S. coal consumption hit its lowest level in nearly four decades last year and is on track to keep falling, according to the latest forecast from the U.S. EIA.
• Politico Pro reports Secretary of Energy Perry today gave the clearest indication yet that his agency isn’t planning to provide financial support to keep struggling coal and nuclear plants from closing.
• WBUR reports a Kentucky county struggles to figure out what comes next now that a coal-fired power plant that was its main source of income is closing.
• Daily Energy Insider reports the DOE’s Office of Fuel Energy this week announced investments of $39 million into 17 projects meant to improve various elements of existing coal plants.

Energy:

• CNN Business reports the renewable energy sector had slightly more installed capacity than coal in April, according to a FERC report.

Nominations:

• E&E Daily reports Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Democrats pressed William Kilbride, President Trump’s nominee for the Tennessee Valley Authority board, about the utility’s ties to pro-fossil fuel interests.

World News:

• Greentech Media reports adverse economic conditions are driving coal out of European energy markets even faster than previously thought.

Thanks to the following newspapers for publishing my new op-ed on the ACE Rule this past week!

• May 30: Fargo Inforum (ND)
• May 31: Weber Sentinel News (UT)
• June 1: Roanoke Times (VA)
• June 1: Union Daily Times (SC): Print edition only.
• June 1: East Liverpool Review (OH)
• June 1: Delaware County Times (PA)
• June 1: Harrisburg Patriot News (PA)
• June 3: Mainline Media News (USA)
• June 3: Lisbon Morning Journal (OH): Print edition only.
• June 3: Pottstown Mercury (PA)
• June 4: Exton Daily Local (PA)
• June 3: Phoenix Reporter and Item (PA)
• June 4: San Antonio Express News (TX)