Monthly Archives: November 2020

This is just too cool not to share–from Ranker:

• Maps Of The USA That Made Us Say “Whoa”

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!!

In the news today…

Electric Grid:

• Bloomberg reports that more than 70,000 homes and businesses in five Southern California counties are slated for potential Thanksgiving power outages by the utility Edison International. A National Weather Service forecast said critical fire conditions could develop on Thursday afternoon through the weekend, potentially causing power lines to spark and ignite the dry landscape and prolonging the state’s already record-breaking fire season.

Coal:

• West Virginia Public Broadcasting reports a coal miner died Monday in a workplace accident in southern West Virginia, the governor’s office said.
• WV News reports West Virginia and Welsh companies will collaborate on a business to manufacture coal into hard carbon battery and supercapacitor cells.
• Mining.com reports the leader of UMWA thinks it’s time for President Trump to concede.
• Argus reports US coal-fired generation fell by 20pc in September from a year earlier amid cooler weather and steady competition from natural gas and renewable generation.
• S&P Global reports seven of the top 10 destinations for U.S. coal exports reduced shipments in the third quarter and total exports dragged while only mildly improving quarter over quarter as the global economy rebounded from the initial shock of the coronavirus pandemic.

Mining:

• Argus reports the US Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has proposed modifying the approval process for electric motorized equipment used in some US mines to include voluntary consensus standards from industry groups.
• The Guardian reports the date for the environmental review of the Resolution Copper mine in Arizona has been moved up, and local tribes are fighting the effort.

Renewables:

• Axios reports that the renewable energy generation and storage company Invenergy LLC will develop the largest solar farm in the United States, spending $1.6 billion on the 1,310-megawatt facility in Texas over the next three years. The Chicago-based Invenergy aims to supply 300,000 homes in three cities with power, while also helping major consumer brands based in the northeastern part of Texas – such as Honda Motor Co. and AT&T Inc.-  meet their clean energy goals.

As the Mamas and the Papa’s sang, “Monday, Monday…don’t trust that day…”

In the news today and from the weekend…

Coal:

• IEEFA reports just three-and-a-half years after emerging from its previous bankruptcy, Peabody Energy—the world’s largest private coal miner—admitted to investors on Monday that it could face yet another trip to bankruptcy court in the coming months.
• Argus reports US mining firms expect Joe Biden’s presidency to raise some obstacles for the coking coal industry, but there is confidence that infrastructure investment and a different approach to diplomatic relations will foster more favorable market conditions.
• CNN reports coal giant Peabody Energy emerged from a near-death trip through bankruptcy in April 2017, just in time to benefit from President Donald Trump’s efforts to revive coal country.

Energy:

• Argus reports coal inventories at regulated Kentucky utilities edged down from a year earlier in August to a 17-month low.
• Argus reports coal-fired generation in the PJM Interconnection fell by 25pc through the first nine months of 2020 as low power prices limited coal dispatch, according to the grid operator’s independent market monitor.
• E&E Energywire reports an electric utility is calling for the Supreme Court to weigh in on a “protectionist” Minnesota state law that the power company argues could hinder regional shifts toward clean energy.

Minerals:

• Streetwise Reports reports Cyon Exploration’s project, in “Elephant Country,” near the huge Cortez mining complex, offers the potential of both placer and hard-rock mining.

WOTUS:

• E&E Greenwire reports a federal court yesterday allowed two environmental groups to withdraw from a challenge to the Trump administration’s weakened Clean Water Act protections for wetlands and streams.

TGIF!

In the news today…

Coal:

• St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Peabody may be headed towards bankruptcy again.
• Argus reports the proposed Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal (OBOT) coal and petroleum coke export terminal in Oakland, California, is getting a new developer.
• S&P Global reports Contura Energy reached an agreement with Iron Senergy Holding for the divestment of Contura’s Pennsylvania coal operations, including the Cumberland coal mine in Greene County, Pennsylvania, Contura said Nov. 12.

Coal FIRST:

• Pennsylvania Business Report reports the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy recently announced the selection of four projects to share approximately $80 million in federal funding for Coal FIRST Concepts.

Minerals:

• E&E Climatewire reports the world’s largest gold miner, Newmont, has just set new targets to cut emissions by 2030 and said it wants to go carbon neutral two decades later.

Happy Veterans Day!! Thanks to all for their service to our country.

In the news today…

Coal:

• Axios reports total installed wind and solar capacity will surpass natural gas in 2023 and coal in 2024.
• S&P Global reports six Midwest utilities have said they expect to spend more than a combined $15 billion over the next several years to install or buy roughly 4 GW of solar generation, more than 3.6 GW of wind generation and just over 1 GW of electric battery storage while retiring coal capacity.
• Argus reports US power generator Talen Energy will stop using coal at its wholly owned plants as it changes the makeup of its generation fleet.
• Argus reports the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) raised its outlook for coal consumption at US power plants in 2021 as higher natural gas prices are expected to result in fuel switching.
• Argus reports US coal producer White Stallion has terminated 87 employees at its Eagle River Mine No. 1 in Illinois, effectively eliminating all positions at the mine.

Emissions:

• The Weirton Daily Times reports Rep. McKinley, R-W.Va., is working on a bill that would phase out carbon emissions to 20 percent by 2050.
• Argus reports US utility FirstEnergy plans to retire its two remaining coal-fired power plants by 2050 as part of its pledge today to achieve carbon neutrality in the next 30 years.
• Energy News Network reports the Prairie Island Indian Community in Minnesota is expected to name a consultant this month to help propel the tribe toward net-zero emissions.

Mining:

• E&E News PM reports Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) reiterated that the Army Corps of Engineers has set an “appropriately high bar” for the Pebble copper and gold mine planned upstream from Alaska’s Bristol Bay.

Minerals:

• Mining.com reports Canada’s Search Minerals (TSXV: SMY) and USA Rare Earth announced Tuesday that they have entered into a technical collaboration framework agreement to govern initial cooperation to advance the development of the mineral resources held by each company.

Nuclear:

• E&E News PM reports Senate Republicans endorsed the Trump administration’s push to establish a national uranium reserve as a way to bolster the sagging domestic production industry.

In the news today…

Energy:

• Washington Post, Reuters  and KFGO report energy lobbyists are gearing up to work with a Biden administration.

Coal:

• Arizona Republic reports Arizona Public Service is proposing to offer $144 million in help to three coal-country and tribal communities where the company eventually will close its remaining coal-burning power plants.
• WTMA reports President-Elect Biden’s victory could spell the end of coal.
• The Wall Street Journal reports Peabody Energy Corp. warned it faces fresh challenges under a loan agreement as it grapples with lower demand in the market for coal used in power plants and a recent setback in court.

Minerals:

• CTV News reports there’s opportunity for Canada to help supply the world’s growing need for “energy transition metals” used in electric vehicle and power storage batteries but it faces stiff competition from other countries, especially China, observers say.

Election:

• Argus reports Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is getting closer to getting the 270 electoral votes needed to declare victory, as President Donald Trump makes a plea to stop counting ballots in states where he holds a slim advantage.
• E&E Daily reports President Trump remained defiant last night in the face of his shrinking chances at winning reelection, while Democrat Joe Biden continued to express optimism.
• S&P Global reports as the United States awaits the results of the U.S. presidential election, much of the U.S. coal sector is expecting the impact to be more a question of pace than a change in direction.

FERC:

• Utility Dive reports President Donald Trump on Thursday appointed Commissioner James Danly to chair the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, replacing Chairman Neil Chatterjee.
• E&E Energywire reports Neil Chatterjee told E&E News last night he may have been demoted as Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chairman because of recent moves to break down barriers to renewable energy.

Carbon Capture:

• The University of Wyoming reports the School of Energy Resource’s (SER) Center for Economic Geology Research (CEGR) at the University of Wyoming officially launched Phase 3 of the CarbonSAFE project last month.

Coal:

• Argus reports utility American Electric Power (AEP) has set dates to remove another 1,633MW of coal-fired power plant capacity as part of its plan for complying with federal coal ash and effluent limitation guidelines.
• Argus reports coal production in Utah rose in the third quarter over a year earlier, but its effect on western bituminous output was more than offset by a continued decline in production out of Colorado.
• Reuters reports some of the world’s largest insurers and pension schemes are warning companies they invest in not to finance, insure, build, develop or plan new thermal coal plants or face sanctions, including possible divestment.
• E&E Energywire reports two major power plants in East Texas will stop using coal within the coming decade, American Electric Power Co. said yesterday

In the news today…

Elections:

• Argus reports President Donald Trump holds a poll-defying lead against Democratic candidate Joe Biden in some battleground states in the US presidential election, but it could still take days or weeks to determine the winner — potentially compounding recent volatility in oil markets.

Coal:

• E&E Greenwire reports an insurance company sued Peabody Energy Corp. last week because the multinational coal operator hasn’t provided collateral for bonds meant to secure mine reclamation.
• E&E News PM reports engineering firm Black & Veatch will no longer participate in coal-based power design or construction.

Mining:

• E&E News PM reports North Dakota tribes challenging the Interior Department over valuable mineral rights have taken the fight to two different federal courts and raised claims that political muscle shaped a crucial Interior legal opinion.

Happy Election Day!! Please remember to vote.

In the news today…

Election:

• Fox News reports Biden’s energy policy could disrupt the coal industry in the U.S.
• E&E Energywire reports if Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden wins the White House, a sweeping plan to help struggling coal communities may take root.
• Inside EPA reports West Virginia voters connected to the coal industry are backing the re-election of President Donald Trump for helping create a “stabilization” of the declining sector through rollbacks of Obama EPA rules, in contrast to Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden who is floating a broad plan to transition away from coal and other fossil fuels.
• WSAZ reports West Virginia voters applaud President Trump’s efforts to save coal and still back him in the coming election.
• S&P Global reports coal has seen a diminished role in the U.S. presidential elections, and it is unlikely new plants will be built.
• Casper Star Tribune reports Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s proposed plan to combat climate change has left Wyoming’s energy industries apprehensive.

Coal:

• The Waterways Journal Weekly reports Robert Murray has died.
• The Colorado Sun reports Craig, Colorado, is trying to find a future after coal.
• Kingsport Times News reports as coal-burning power plants are phased out, the coal industry’s future is increasingly tied to steel production.

Energy:

• Argus reports utility holding company PNM Resources has reached an agreement to transfer its stake in the Four Corners power plant in New Mexico to the Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC) at the end of 2024.
• E&E Energywire reports the Navajo Nation would expand its investment in coal-fired electricity generation as part of a plan announced yesterday to acquire more shares in one of the Southwest’s last remaining coal power plants.

In the news today and from the weekend…

Mining:

• Alaska Public Media and E&E Greenwire report the environmental group that captured executives of the Pebble Mine bragging about their sway over Alaska’s senators and governor have released new footage from those secretly recorded sessions.

Coal:

• Yahoo! Finance reports the upcoming election could have enormous effects on the coal industry if Biden is elected.
• The Observer-Reporter reports a CONSOL Energy project will receive DOE funding through the Coal FIRST program.