Monthly Archives: December 2020

In the news today…

Coal:

• Forbes has a piece on the Navajo Transitional Energy Co. (NTEC).
• The Charleston Gazette Mail carries a piece from the West Virginia Coal Association highlighting the importance of preserving West Virginia’s coal industry for the future.

Department of Interior:

• The Washington Post carries an op-ed calling on the Biden administration to restore Bears Ears to its original borders, and consider instituting true co-management of the monument.

Nuclear Power:

• The Guardian reports that floating barges fitted with advanced nuclear reactors could begin powering developing nations by the mid-2020s, according to a Danish startup company.

Good Monday Morning! In the news today and from the weekend…

Coal:

• Inside Sources ran an op-ed arguing that the current need to improve America’s infrastructure will also require an increase in raw materials for construction, with U.S. met coal producers well-positioned to supply the coal needed for the world’s increasing steel needs.

Minerals:

• E&E News reported that a proposed land swap to accommodate the Resolution Copper project in Arizona could face delays after an advisory council found flaws with the Forest Service’s tribal consultation.
• The Financial Times ran an op-ed highlighting the need for increased production of metals and minerals required for electric or hydrogen economies, noting that any decarbonization goals must take into account the minimum of seven to 10 years required for developing the new mines we will need.
• The Anchorage Press reports that, in a down year for most industries, the mining industry is doing well.

Energy:

• Utility Dive reports on how COVID-19 is affecting the energy sector. The industry could face declines in demand, distracted regulators and disrupted supply chains, according to experts.

It’s Christmas Eve Eve! In the news today…

COVID-19 Relief Bill:

• E&E breaks down the energy and environment provisions in the omnibus.

Coal:

• The Financial Times reports that developing economies in Asia are turning away from coal.

Climate:

• Real Clear Politics reports that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has urged President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to submit both the Paris climate pact and the Iran nuclear deal to the Senate for a vote, potentially blocking President-elect Joe Biden’s path to bring the country back into both agreements should the Senate fail to ratify them. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said on Twitter last week that he is working to secure a Senate vote on both deals.

In the news today:

Renewable Energy:

• Utility Dive reports that Congress on Monday passed another stimulus package as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The package includes extensions on the solar and wind production tax credit (PTC) and investment tax credit (ITC), energy efficiency incentives, research and development “enhancements” for clean energy technologies and more, according to a joint statement from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

EPA:

• The Hill reports that the CDC warned that the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rationale for keeping Obama-era standards on particulate matter was “not scientifically defensible” before the agency finalized the rule earlier this month.

Coal:

• Utility Dive reports that the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) on Wednesday backed away from a plan to accelerate the closure of three coal plants, after regulators expressed concerns about the “feasibility of the transitions if the closure dates are moved up.” The plants impacted by the decision include Tri-State Generation and Transmission’s Craig 3 unit; Platte River Power Authority’s Rawhide plant, and Colorado Spring’s Nixon facility.

Congress:

• E&E reports that green groups are stepping up their fundraising and bringing in millions in support of the Democratic candidates in the Senate runoff elections set for next month in Georgia.

Good Monday morning! I hope everyone had a safe and relaxing weekend!

In the news today and from the weekend…

News from the Hill

• E&E reported that House and Senate leaders yesterday announced they had reached a deal on a $1.4 trillion fiscal 2021 spending omnibus, pandemic relief legislation and a number of major items that will ride along including: language from the “Water Resources Development Act of 2020;” directions for increased spending and the demonstration of a number of new technologies needed to help combat climate change, including carbon capture; an extension of the Black Lung Excise Tax; a delay of the phaseout schedule for the renewable and investment tax credits, with the PTC extended for one year and the ITC extended for two; and a two year extension of the Section 45Q carbon capture incentive; among other items.

 Coal 

• E&E reports on IEA’s projections that global demand for coal is projected to increase 2.6% next year due to rising consumption in Asia and an anticipated spike in electricity use worldwide.
• The Roanoke Times published an editorial about the shift in the Virginia Coal industry towards met coal.

Minerals

• The New York Times reports that, in its final days, the Trump administration is pushing through approvals of certain mining projects.
• The Minneapolis Star Tribune has a point, counterpoint examining both sides of the arguments around the Twin Metals mining project.

International News

• The New York Times reports that a coal shortage in China has the government rationing electricity for millions.

Happy Friday!

In the news today…

Coal:

• The Durango Herald reports a lawsuit was filed Tuesday by conservation groups calling for GCC Energy’s King II coal mine to comply with a stricter water protection rule, a move the groups say will lead to the closure of the mine in western La Plata County.
• Casper Star Tribune reports an economist says Tri-State Generation and Transmission’s Association proposal to retire a Wyoming coal plant by 2033 is “disconcerting” for the state’s coal industry.
• Axios and Politico Pro report global coal demand is slated to rise by 2.6% next year after 2020’s steep pandemic-fueled decline, the International Energy Agency said in a report Friday.

Carbon Capture:

• Forbes reports an energy consultant says the omission of carbon capture from a California climate report highlights the uncertainty of the technology.

Mining:

• Politico Pro reports Northern Dynasty Minerals, the Canadian company trying to develop the Pebble copper and gold mine in Alaska, on Thursday said it will appeal the Trump administration’s Nov. 25 denial of necessary permits.
• E&E News PM reports a federal judge denied a bid by Blackjewel LLC’s former chief executive today to convert the coal mining company’s bankruptcy case to a liquidation.
• Argus reports US coal producer Ramaco Carbon’s Brook mine avoided another road block to its future operation, after Wyoming regulators dismissed an appeal by environmental groups challenging the mine’s permit.

EPA:

• E&E Daily reports news of Michael Regan’s forthcoming nomination to be President-elect Joe Biden’s EPA chief was mostly welcomed by Democrats and liberal activists, though some had misgivings.

In the news today…

Climate:

• Fox News cites a report from junkscience.com saying that dire climate predictions have failed to materialize. For example, Glacier National Park has removed warnings that its glaciers will disappear by 2020. Other reports relayed failed predictions such as “Snowfalls are now just a thing of the past” (The Independent in 2000), “Snows of Kilimanjaro to Vanish by 2020” (The Vancouver Sun in 2008), and “Arctic summers may be ice free by 2020” (Lancaster Eagle-Gazette in 2013).

Emissions:

• Inside EPA reports future fossil fuel production planned by the United States and other countries is more than double the limit needed to restrict global warming 1.5°C or 2°C to prevent damaging climate change from occurring, according to a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and other climate policy organizations.
• E&E Daily reports Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) yesterday suggested the Senate vote on the Paris climate agreement after President-elect Joe Biden rejoins next year.

Energy:

• Politico Pro reports two appellate judges on Wednesday appeared skeptical of a lower court’s order for the Missouri utility Ameren to install pollution controls at one power plant to offset illegal emissions from another.
• E&E News PM reports on a timetable that will punt a final decision to the Biden administration, EPA is belatedly moving to address a call from ozone-plagued Northeastern states for tighter controls on Pennsylvania’s coal-fired power industry.
• Argus reports renewable electricity generation continued to advance in the US this quarter, supplanting some coal, natural gas and nuclear power.

Coal:

• Twin Falls Times News reports Wyoming continues to value coal, despite the movement of other states away from the fuel.
• Argus reports about $2bn in tax credits will soon be available for advanced coal-fired generation projects in the US, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said this week.
• E&E Energywire reports speeding up the retirement of coal-fired power plants in West Virginia and replacing that power with renewable energy could reduce electric utility costs in the Mountain State by up to 5%, according to a new report from West Virginia University College of Law.
• Japan Times reports that China will expand its coal power fleet 10% by 2025. Consumption of coal currently accounts for nearly 58% of China’s energy mix.

WOTUS:

• Inside EPA reports environmental economists are outlining several concerns with the Trump administration’s economic analysis to support its narrowed definition of waters of the United States (WOTUS), criticisms that they hope will aid the incoming Biden administration in “correcting” the rule and other Trump policies that used similar analyses.
• E&E Greenwire reports Democrats in both chambers of Congress are urging a district court to hear a case challenging the Trump administration’s controversial rule determining which waters are afforded protections under the Clean Water Act.

In the news today…

Energy:

• Politico Pro reports congressional negotiators have reached agreement on a compromise energy package that would boost a host of technologies, including energy storage, advanced nuclear power and direct air carbon capture, according to draft text obtained by POLITICO and three lobbyists tracking the bill.
• Energy News Network reports an energy think tank has issued a dire warning to Dominion Energy: Devise a transition plan for its 8-year-old underperforming coal plant now or risk leaving a Southwest Virginia county in more of an economic lurch when market and policy changes likely force an abrupt shutdown.
• Charleston Gazette-Mail reports a report from the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development at West Virginia University’s College of Law lays out a roadmap to a future in which West Virginia is powered by renewable energy.

Minerals:

• E&E Daily reports measures supporting a bipartisan goal to shore up mineral supply chains made it into the clean energy innovation package lawmakers hope to pass this month.
• Click Orlando reports central Florida officials consider a pilot program to install electric coils in roads to charge electric vehicles as they drive.

WOTUS:

• Inside EPA reports environmental economists are outlining several concerns with the Trump administration’s economic analysis to support its narrowed definition of waters of the United States (WOTUS), criticisms that they hope will aid the incoming Biden administration in “correcting” the rule and other Trump policies that used similar analyses.

In the news today…

Minerals:

• Inside Sources reports the spike in COVID-19 cases has short-term economic trends heading down, but if the metals market is any indication, the long-term prospects for the economy are looking up.
• Mining.com reports Energy Fuels is prepped to become a rare earth producer in 2021.

Coal:

• The Exponent Telegram carries an op-ed which argues coal’s future will involve shifting from thermal coal to depend almost entirely on metallurgical, or steel-making, coal.

Technology:

• E&E Energywire reports the United States could transition to 100% carbon-free electricity more cheaply if it focuses on existing technologies and a national build-out of transmission, rather than next-generation technologies like carbon capture and small nuclear plants, according to a new study.

Congress:

• Argus reports a bipartisan group of US senators is floating a deal to offer $908bn in Covid-19 relief, with the option for legislative leaders to drop parts of the last-minute package, if necessary, to ensure passage this week.

World News:

• Reuters reports the British government has opened a consultation on bringing forward a ban on coal-fired power generation by one year to Oct. 1, 2024, it said on Monday.

I hope everyone enjoyed a safe and relaxing weekend!

In the news today and from the weekend…

Coal:

• WVNS reports a West Virginia company wants to turn coal into fertilizer and other by-products.

EPA:

• Reuters reports that President-elect Biden is considering former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy to serve as his domestic “climate czar” tasked with coordinating policies on climate change across agencies, according to two people familiar with the situation. They also said Biden is considering North Carolina environmental official Michael Regan to lead the EPA.

In the news today…

EPA:

• E&E Greenwire, Argus, News 18 and Deseret News report EPA raised new barriers to protecting public health with a thicket of cost-benefit forecasting requirements for future climate and air pollution regulations.
• DeSmog reports the new cost-benefit rule is a gift to industry and must be overturned.
• Politico Pro and Inside EPA report EPA finalized a rule on Wednesday that requires the agency’s cost-benefit analyses to segregate and downplay co-benefits and international benefits for Clean Air Act regulations, a move environmentalists and other critics say is aimed at making future regulations harder to justify.

Congress:

• Argus reports the US House of Representatives approved a bill authorizing spending on river and port infrastructure, including more than $765mn to expand the Houston Ship Channel and Matagorda Ship Channel along the Texas Gulf coast.

Emissions:

• Mining.com reports gold miners must rapidly switch to renewable electricity generation if the industry is to curb emissions sufficiently to align with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5-degree Celsius (2.7-degree Fahrenheit) global warming target, the World Gold Council (WGC) said on Wednesday.
• Argus reports emissions from US coal-fired power plants are expected to fall to historic lows this year, with natural gas and renewable generation cutting into the use of the fuel, the US Energy Administration (EIA) said.

Coal:

• Billings Gazette reports citing a need to “level the playing field” on energy taxes, Montana’s majority Republican Legislature will consider raising taxes on wind and solar developments as the coal industry struggles.
• CNN reports President Donald Trump promised he would save the US coal industry. But as his tenure winds down, the industry is struggling through some of its darkest days, plagued by falling demand, bankruptcies and job losses.

Mining:

• E&E News PM reports environmentalists are strongly disputing the Fish and Wildlife Service’s conclusion that white-tailed antelope ground squirrels destroyed thousands of rare Nevada wildflowers at a proposed lithium mine site.
• E&E Greenwire reports the Forest Service is on the verge of trading an Apache holy site in Arizona — Oak Flat — to a pair of major mining companies that want to extract the copper beneath it.
• Politico Pro reports as the incoming Biden administration and like-minded leaders around the world try to wean the world off fossil fuels, they’re relying on a non-renewable resource: the rare earths and minerals needed for the production of rechargeable batteries, wind turbines and solar panels.

In the news today…

Coal:

• Cronkite News reports a Navajo Transitional Energy Company program continues to provide coal to tribal citizens for free during the winter months.
• Argus reports the potential impact of president-elect Joe Biden’s presidency on the US coal market remains murky, as control of the Senate has yet to be decided, and the Covid-19 pandemic may consume his first 100 days in office, speakers said today during the American Coal Council’s Coal Trading Conference.
• E&E Climatewire reports the U.S. coal fleet continues to shutter. But the plants that remain could continue to run for years, making it increasingly difficult to reduce emissions.

Mining:

• The Hill reports the Trump administration is on track to approve a land swap this month that would transfer a sacred Native American site in Arizona to a mining company looking to build a copper mine.
• The National Law Review reports EPA has declined to impose CERCLA financial assurance requirements on three industry sectors.

Congress:

• Politico Pro reports the House overwhelmingly approved a measure on Tuesday for new water infrastructure projects and setting policy for the Army Corps of Engineers, sending it to the Senate on a voice vote.
• E&E Daily reports the Trump administration offered congressional Democrats a $916 billion COVID-19 relief proposal last night that includes top priorities for both parties, including $10 billion for AML.
• E&E Daily reports Wyoming Republican Sen. John Barrasso, likely chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee next year, is a complicated lawmaker.
• E&E Daily reports lawmakers are making a push for broad tax policy changes in the closing days of the 116th Congress, with at least three new bills emerging yesterday.

EPA:

• E&E News PM reports newly publicized EPA draft guidance interpreting a landmark Supreme Court opinion on groundwater’s role in Clean Water Act permitting may leave the agency vulnerable to legal challenges.

Legal Insurrection carries a tribute to famed test pilot Chuck Yeager, who passed away yesterday.

It seems fitting that this World War II veteran and American hero passed on Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie “The Right Stuff” is Yeager’s F-104 crash at the end of the movie. Here is is on Youtube. “Is that a man?” “You’re damn right it is!”

Rest in Peace, Gen. Yeager.

In the news today…

EPA:

• The New York Times reports the Trump administration on Monday declined to tighten controls on industrial soot emissions, disregarding an emerging scientific link between dirty air and Covid-19 death rates.
• E&E Greenwire reports with six weeks left in President Trump’s term, EPA has cemented plans to bypass tighter soot standards, despite agency career staff conclusions and concerns about tens of thousands of additional deaths every year.
• Politico Pro reports EPA on Monday released the text of its final rule (Reg. 2060-AS50) to retain, without revision, the current national standards for particulate matter.
• Politico Pro reports EPA is significantly underestimating the public health costs of air pollution, which in turn leads to undercounting the benefits of regulations that reduce such pollution, according to a study conducted by the Analysis Group, an economic consulting firm.
• E&E News PM reports EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler yesterday afternoon formally announced his decision to leave national soot standards unchanged in a virtual event with West Virginia officials that made no mention of agency staff conclusions that the existing limits don’t do enough to protect public health.

Congress:

• E&E Daily reports House Natural Resources Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) will host the latest forum tomorrow in a series promoting his environmental justice legislation.

PTC:

• Politico Pro reports two dozen conservative groups, led by Americans for Tax Reform, are lining up in opposition of any extension for the wind energy production tax credit that is scheduled to expire at the end of the year.

Coal:

• Utility Dive reports a district court on Thursday rejected the Trump administration’s challenge to a settlement agreement between DTE Energy and Sierra Club that led to the utility committing to retire three coal-fired plants.
• Casper Star Tribune reports Wyoming is spending to promote coal even while the government is trying to cut spending overall.
• Argus reports Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded Arch Resources’ credit rating, citing challenging conditions for the coal industry going into 2021.
• Argus reports US coal imports are on track to reach a 28-year low this year as the economic collapse associated with the Covid-19 pandemic puts a damper on electricity demand and industrial production.

Minerals:

• E&E News PM reports a lithium mine proposal in Nevada inched closer to gaining approval after the Bureau of Land Management published an environmental review Friday.
• Mining.com reports plans by US President-elect Joe Biden to spend $2 trillion on infrastructure are expected to underpin metals prices in the coming months as the world’s biggest economy moves towards greener policies that are metal-intensive.

Today we remember those who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor 79 years ago. RIP.

In the news today and from the weekend…

Mining:

• National Journal reports the Trump administration is prepping approval of a mine that could play a key role in the clean-energy future. But President-elect Biden will have to make the final decision.
• Reuters reports Lithium Americas Corp said on Friday the U.S. government has published the final environmental report for its Nevada lithium project, with full federal permitting expected by early 2021.

Minerals and Metals:

• The Wall Street Journal reports investors are piling into wagers on industrial metals like copper and nickel, betting that coronavirus vaccines and stimulus programs will drive a boom in manufacturing activity as part of a global economic resurgence.

Coal:

• S&P Global and E&E News PM report two more U.S. coal mining companies have filed for bankruptcy as producers across the country struggle to sell coal into the troubled thermal coal market.
• Argus reports US thermal coal exports fell to their second-lowest level in four years in October despite improving fundamentals in the market.

Energy:

• Politico Pro reports building experts are increasingly sounding the alarm about the challenges of improving ventilation indoors to reduce the risks of coronavirus spread while maintaining energy efficiency.
• E&E Energywire reports researchers are considering nuclear microreactors for charging electric trucks at rest stops which lack charging stations.

EPA:

• E&E Greenwire reports EPA sent its National Environmental Policy Act rules to the White House regulatory review shop — the latest indication the Trump administration is trying to shore up regulatory changes before leaving office.

In the news today…

Mining:

• The Fayetteville Observer reports President-elect Biden’s plans for electric vehicles may collide with current mining policies.
• E&E Greenwire reports backers of the proposed Pebble mine are indicating they’ll fight the Trump administration’s permit denial for the massive gold and copper extraction project in the headwaters of Bristol Bay, Alaska. That leaves some wondering whether the long-fought mine plan is truly off the table.

Coal:

• S&P Global reports with the shift to cleaner power sources displacing workers in coal-reliant communities, one of the largest US trade unions for the utility sector hopes that President-elect Joe Biden will expand an Obama administration program to ease the economic effects of the energy transition.

Carbon Capture:

• Reuters reports global carbon capture and storage capacity grew by a third in the past year, but it was far too slow to meet global climate targets, the Global CCS Institute said on Tuesday.
• E&E Energywire reports despite an uptick this year in the number of carbon capture projects on energy and natural gas facilities worldwide, the amount of carbon dioxide captured and stored annually lags well behind levels required to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change, according to an industry report released this morning.

Regulations:

• E&E Greenwire reports companies will save money but more birds will die under the Trump administration’s plan to limit Migratory Bird Treaty Act coverage to intentional actions, the Fish and Wildlife Service predicts in a study of the hot-button rulemaking proposal.