Monthly Archives: April 2022

TGIF!

In the news today…

Mining:

• RFD TV reports dozens of groups shared their stories with the Surface Transportation Board about how delays and costs are impacting their ability to ship their product.
• E&E News PM reports President Biden is asking Congress for more money to help Ukraine — and the U.S. mining industry.
• Mining.com reports Canadian miner Teck Resources Ltd on Wednesday beat market estimates for quarterly profit on the back of higher copper and coking coal prices, sending its shares 8% higher.

Solar:

• Utility Dive reports that the U.S. solar industry is “in a state of panic” as it delays projects and lays off workers in the face of the Commerce Department’s panel imports probe, the threat of new tariffs, and interconnection delays.

In the news today…

Mining:

• E&E Daily reports Ryan Zinke’s ties to the fossil fuel industry are coming under increasing scrutiny as the former Interior secretary attempts to win a House seat.
• E&E Greenwire reports a U.K. human rights organization today accused a major mining industry responsible sourcing initiative of being a “laundromat” for conflict minerals.

Environment:

• Mining.com carries an op-ed from Reuters which argues not one of the biggest listed Western mining companies has an executive with the title of chief ESG officer, and only one has a person with a somewhat similar title.
• Inside EPA reports EPA’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) has decided to review the Biden administration’s proposed definition of waters of the United States (WOTUS), though the board’s ability to shape any final rule is uncertain given the pending Supreme Court case that could limit the agency’s authority in how it determines the scope of the Clean Water Act.

Coal:

• Washington Examiner reports in an interview with the Washington Examiner, Sen. Steve Daines, who traveled to Ukraine earlier this month, said the crisis in Europe should serve as a “wake-up call” for the U.S. as it seeks to build out its own domestic production.
• WV Public Broadcasting reports representatives from the coal industry testified in Washington Wednesday about rail service issues that could put a strain on the nation’s power grid.
• E&E Climatewire reports in a typical upswing, Arch Resources would be expected to spend money to boost output. Instead, the company has set aside $100 million to cover reclamation obligations.

In the news today…

Mining:

• E&E News PM reports House Natural Resources Chair Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced they introduced two bills that would update the nation’s primary mining law, the General Mining Act of 1872.
• Politico Pro reports Democratic lawmakers in both the House and Senate on Tuesday introduced similar versions of a bill to reform hardrock mining taxes and cleanup rules against a backdrop of soaring demand for minerals.
• Bloomberg reports Arch Resources Inc. will give investors a dividend of $8.11 a share, as a global boom in coal helped the U.S. mining giant post its strongest earnings in five years.

Coal:

• Argus reports US coal producer Arch Resources expects increased domestic demand for thermal coal this year amid higher natural gas prices.
• Axios reports there’s a huge gap between the persistence of coal consumption and rapid moves away from the most carbon-heavy fuel needed to keep global climate goals viable.

Energy:

• E&E Daily reports Democrats aren’t giving up on a reconciliation package, despite a new round of bipartisan talks led by Sen. Joe Manchin that threatens to complicate a “Build Back Better” revival.

World News:

• Associated Press reports China is promoting coal-fired power as the ruling Communist Party tries to revive a sluggish economy, prompting warnings Beijing is setting back efforts to cut climate-changing carbon emissions from the biggest global source.

In the news today…

Energy:

• E&E Daily reports the energy industry is picking sides in the primary race between incumbent West Virginia GOP Reps. David McKinley and Alex Mooney.

Coal:

• CPR News reports the newest generator at Colorado’s largest coal-fired power plant would shut down by 2031, four years earlier than what was initially agreed upon by operator Xcel Energy and government agencies, according to a new version of a settlement proposal obtained by CPR News Friday.
• E&E Climatewire reports when Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) explains why he has blocked key parts of the president’s climate agenda, he often points to his support for an “all-of-the-above energy” strategy. But when it comes to energy production, the senator’s home state of West Virginia is far from being diverse. Its power is derived almost entirely from coal.

World News:

• The Washington Post reports China already consumes and produces about half the world’s coal and continued expansion of output and capacity make achieving its climate goals look ever more remote.
• Reuters reports the global capacity of power plants fired by coal, the fossil fuel that emits the most carbon dioxide when burned, rose nearly 1% last year as the world recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a research report by a U.S. environmental group.

Good Monday Morning!

In the news today and from the weekend…

Minerals:

• Duluth News Tribune reports the White House recently announced that President Biden will invoke the Defense Production Act to “support production and processing of minerals and materials used for large-capacity batteries” as part of a plan to accelerate the creation of a domestic supply chain for electric vehicle manufacturing, and Maine is a site for lithium.
• Utility Dive reports Tesla is placing an emphasis on diversifying battery chemistries, and nearly half of the vehicles it produced in the first quarter had lithium iron phosphate batteries, which contain no nickel or cobalt.
• Washington Examiner reports analysts and auto industry leaders are keeping the pressure on to help improve the critical mineral supply chain landscape, warning it’s so vastly underdeveloped that it will be a major check on countries’ intentions to more quickly replace fuel powered vehicles with electric ones.

In the news today…

Energy:

• Oil Price.com and Baystreet.ca report the metals mining industry is at a crossroads. Key energy transition metals need trillions of U.S. dollars in investment if the world has any chance of advancing the transition to meet the Paris Agreement targets. At the same time, investors are backing out of carbon-intensive sectors, which metals mining undoubtedly is.

Coal:

• Michigan Advance reports a proposed settlement entered by Attorney General Dana Nessel and Consumers Energy would result in Michigan’s largest energy provider ending its use of coal 15 earlier than originally planned, Nessel’s office announced Wednesday.
• Argus reports US coal exports from Hampton Roads, Virginia, climbed by 23pc in March on the year amid strong international demand.

EPA:

• E&E News PM reports dozens of speakers at a virtual public meeting pressed EPA to expand the scope of regulations to cut the spread of ozone–spawning emissions that waft across state lines.

In the news today…

Mining:

• E&E Greenwire reports the Minnesota Supreme Court agreed yesterday to hear a challenge by environmentalists over portions of a lower court ruling involving a key permit for the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine.
• Reuters and Mining.com report Elon Musk’s recent musings that high lithium prices may force Tesla Inc to make its own supply of the electric vehicle battery metal have fueled hopes by some that the billionaire entrepreneur will instead opt for a buyout of an established mining company.
• Mining.com reports from Bloomberg that Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk made a public appeal for more investment in lithium mining to close what he sees as a yawning gap between supply and demand that’s being fueled by the adoption of electric vehicles.

CEQ:

• Inside EPA reports the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) is broadly rejecting claims from industry groups and Republican lawmakers that its new final rule restoring stringent National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review requirements will delay critical infrastructure projects, part of the agency’s broad defense of the rule.

EPA:

• Washington Examiner reports Republicans, red states, and business groups are piling on the amicus briefs in support of Idaho couple and Supreme Court WOTUS petitioners Michael and Chantell Sackett, hoping that justices will finally help stakeholders to avoid remaining trapped in what one amica said amounts to “the water regulatory version of Groundhog Day.”

In the news today…

Environment:

• Scientific American reports the Biden administration has said it is activating all the levers of government to advance environmental justice for people of color. However, one of President Joe Biden’s own policies for climate action might challenge his commitment to racial equity.
• WyoFile reports adding carbon-capture systems to existing coal-fired power plants in Wyoming could cost the average residential ratepayer an additional $100 per month, according to initial filings to the Wyoming Public Service Commission.

Coal:

• S&P Global reports with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s climate authority over the nation’s power sector in legal limbo, the Biden administration unveiled a plan in March for addressing interstate smog pollution that is projected to drive 18 GW in incremental coal-fired power plant retirements by 2030.
• Argus reports US coal output climbed last quarter from a year earlier as producers worked to meet higher demand.

Mining:

• The Eastern New Mexico News (N.M.) carries an op-ed by Jim Constantopoulos, an Eastern New Mexico University geology professor, in which he argues uranium we use should be produced in the U.S.
• KYMA reports on April 12, the Imperial County (CA) Board of Supervisors moved forward with the development of Lithium Valley at the board meeting.

In the news today…

Mining:

• E&E Climatewire reports the Biden administration has said it is activating all the levers of government to advance environmental justice for people of color. However, one of President Joe Biden’s own policies for climate action might challenge his commitment to racial equity.

EPA:

• E&E News PM reports more than two dozen red states today called on the Supreme Court to narrow the scope of the Clean Water Act in an ongoing, high-profile case that could reshape national environmental policy.
• Inside EPA reports property rights and other conservative groups are urging the Supreme Court to back Idaho landowners’ push to narrow the scope of Clean Water Act (CWA) regulation, raising a series of constitutional concerns that they say bar EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers from seeking to define the law’s scope.
• Inside EPA reports the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has issued its final phase 1 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) rule, restoring a series of rigorous review mandates that the Trump administration eliminated in its rewrite of the rule, while pushing back on expected criticisms that the measure will create confusion and delay critical projects.

Happy Tax Day!

In the news today and from the weekend…

Mining:

• E&E Greenwire reports environmentalists are taking aim at a Nevada lithium mine using the Endangered Species Act, vying to protect a rare toad native to the central part of the state.

Grid:

• E&E News reports that a recent spike in clearing prices in grid operator MISO’s capacity auction highlights key challenges ahead as demand for electricity grows and fossil fuel-powered plants retire.

EPA:

• E&E Greenwire reports House Republicans, conservatives and property rights advocates yesterday threw their weight behind an Idaho couple’s request for the Supreme Court to narrow the scope of the Clean Water Act.
• The Deep Dive reports in West Virginia v. EPA, many coal mining companies, as well as 19 primarily Republican-leaning states, claim the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not have the sweeping powers the Biden Administration claims it has to make new rules limiting carbon emissions nationwide.

In the news today…

Mining:

• Supply Chain Dive reports Biden took a two-part path on Thursday to addressing rising energy costs: releasing up to 1 million barrels a day for six months from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and using the DPA, a Cold War relic, to bolster domestic battery production.
• NH Journal carries an op-ed which argues the U.S. should “streamline the permitting process for mining/raw material operations” if it wants to accelerate the development of a domestic EV supply chain.

Minerals:

• Washington Examiner reports Sen. Joe Manchin said he’s wary of President Joe Biden’s strategy on electric vehicles, which administration officials have been pitching as an affordable alternative to drivers who are reckoning with high gasoline prices.

Environment:

• E&E News PM reports Ohio and Tennessee are attempting to keep alive a legal fight over a landmark Obama-era Clean Water Act rule after being repeatedly dismissed in court amid ongoing federal policy shifts and rulemakings.
• Inside EPA reports a split appellate panel is backing environmentalists’ claims that the Interior Department (DOI) violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) when it approved a massive coal mine expansion and determined its greenhouse gas effects would be insignificant, setting a precedent that environmentalists say will require more-robust GHG reviews.

Coal:

• Mining.com reports from Bloomberg at least 45% of U.S. coal power is set to disappear by the end of the decade, a figure that will likely rise as more utilities conclude their coal-fired plants no longer make financial sense to operate, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.
• Argus reports US thermal coal exports fell from year-earlier levels for the first time in 15 months in February as shipments to India continued to falter.

World News:

• Mining.com reports from Bloomberg the European Union is proposing to ban coal imports from Russia in a direct response to reports that Russian forces committed apparent war crimes in Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday.
• Argus reports countries that are looking to divest from Russian energy exports are revitalizing demand for previously undesirable thermal fuels, creating a “great opportunity” for coal-carrying bulkers, Seanergy chief executive Stamatis Tsantanis said.

In the news today…

Minerals:

• E&E Greenwire reports President Joe Biden’s recent move to invoke a Cold War-era law to boost mineral development will provide federal money to help jump-start new mines or expand existing ones.
• Mining.com reports the supply chain for batteries, wind turbines, solar panels, electric motors, transmission lines, 5G — everything regarding electrification and decarbonization that is needed for a green economy — starts with metals and mining.
• Mining.com reports mining companies and analysts have described U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to authorize the Defense Production Act to increase battery metals production and reduce the country’s reliance on China and Russia as an “urgent” move that provides “further proof” of the minerals’ growing importance in the geopolitical arena.
• Washington Examiner reports in a new Washington Examiner op-ed, Sen. John Barrasso argued that Biden’s recent energy decisions have made it “even more difficult for U.S. companies to mine key minerals,” making his climate goals “even more unrealistic than they are already.”
• RealClearEnergy carries an op-ed which argues President Biden should use the Defense Production Act to jump-start safe, domestic mining of critical minerals and rare earth metals.

Coal:

• Argus reports coal-fired generation in the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) climbed in March from the year prior for the third month in a row, while natural gas-fired power fell amid higher prices.
• Yahoo reports from Bloomberg that U.S. coal prices topped $100 a ton for the first time in 13 years as Russia’s war in Ukraine upends international energy markets and an economic rebound from the pandemic drives up demand for fossil fuels.

Climate:

• The Manhattan Contrarian reports that the Western obsession with “green energy” and “renewables” since about 2000 has gone along with a 50% increase in annual world CO2 emissions, due mainly to acceleration of China’s development of its fossil fuel resources, particularly electric power plants fired by coal. The post concludes:

Every day I struggle to understand what places like California or New York or Germany or the UK — or even the entire U.S. — think they are accomplishing by restricting use of fossil fuels, while China, with population double that of the U.S. and Europe combined and a third of world emissions all by itself continues at full throttle to build more and more coal power plants.

In the news today and from the weekend…

Mining:

• Utility Dive reports Biden took a two-part path on Thursday to addressing rising energy costs: releasing up to 1 million barrels a day for six months from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and using the DPA, a Cold War relic, to bolster domestic battery production.
• Forbes reports one sector of the commodities market where this has been especially true is in the array of minerals that are critical for the wind, solar and electric vehicles (EV) industries.
• Wall Street Journal carries an editorial which argues President Biden on Thursday invoked the Defense Production Act to subsidize the mining of certain minerals in the U.S. that his own Administration is using regulation to block.

Coal:

• Bluefield Daily Telegraph reports in a possible new use for coal, the U.S. Department of Energy is providing $3 million for a Bluefield-based project to test coal-derived building materials, including roof tiles, siding panels, bricks and blocks.

Climate:

• The Associated Press reports the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is set to release its latest report today on international efforts to address climate change after negotiations between governments and researchers on the report’s summary pushed back the publication of the report by several hours. The deadline for the report’s data was last fall, which means the effects of Russia’s war in Ukraine will not be included.

In the news today…

Mining:

• E&E Energywire reports President Biden’s plan yesterday to release a historic amount of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and boost mining for critical minerals helped push down the price of crude, but also drew pushback from entities ranging from the U.S. oil and gas industry to wildlife protection groups.
• E&E News PM reports President Biden outlined his plan to combat climate change while dealing with rising gas prices spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: Ramp up U.S. energy and mineral production in the short term and slash demand in the long term.
• E&E Greenwire reports President Biden today will announce the largest release of oil reserves in U.S. history and a government-backed effort to boost U.S. mining of critical minerals used in electric vehicles, according to White House officials.

Minerals:

• S&P Global released a series of infographics on the Russian and Ukrainian mining sectors.
• The New York Times reports President Biden took steps on Thursday to try to increase domestic production of critical minerals and metals needed for advanced technologies like electric vehicles, in an attempt to reduce America’s reliance on foreign suppliers.
• E&E Daily reports the green energy revolution has led Democrats to embrace calls for more mining — creating a potential flashpoint between those seeking climate action and others fighting for environmental justice.
• Politico Pro reports lawmakers on a key Senate committee said Thursday that the U.S. needs to overhaul its antiquated mining laws to meet demand for critical minerals needed for the clean energy transition.

Coal:

• Argus reports coal exports from Hampton Roads, Virginia, rose in February to the highest level in three years, reflecting strong demand for US coal amid tight international supply.
• CNBC TV has a interview with Joe Craft of Alliance Resource Partners on coal use.