Monthly Archives: April 2024

Grid:

• Guardian reports that power outages stemming from severe weather across the U.S. have surged 74% in the past decade compared to the decade before, showing another tangible effect of global warming, a climate group’s analysis finds.

In the news today…

Rare Earth Minerals:

• Politico Pro reports U.S. makers of the minerals powering electric vehicle batteries are warning that China’s behemoths are stifling their growth — and President Joe Biden isn’t doing enough to stop it.

Grid:

• E&E Daily reports a firestorm on Capitol Hill could await EPA as it prepares to roll out a final rule to crack down on planet-warming emissions at existing coal- and new gas-fired power plants.

EPA:

• Inside EPA reports environmentalists are highlighting the importance of EPA’s pending release of a package of rules addressing various environmental media at power plants, pointing to the correlation between pollution reductions from each media and the benefits of cumulative action to address it despite potential shortfalls in the agency’s enforcement bandwidth.
• Inside EPA reports industry groups are rejecting draft advice from EPA’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) that calls for more in-depth reviews of national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS), saying this would worsen EPA’s delays in completing reviews.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Click on Detroit reports that DTE Energy is installing equipment on Detroit’s west side meant to help it more quickly detect and respond to power outages.
• Axios reports that two Democratic lawmakers plan a bill that would collect interest from Energy Department transmission project loans and allow affected communities to use the money raised for local infrastructure projects.
• Business Insider reports that while construction continues on the $6 billion Champlain Hudson Power Express transmission line, slated to bring 1.25 GW of hydropower from Canada to New York City, some groups remain concerned about its impact on Native lands.

EPA:

• Inside EPA reports industry and environmentalists are clashing ahead of EPA’s imminent release of a suite of new rules governing power sector emissions, including tougher standards for mercury and other air toxics, new greenhouse gas standards, stricter effluent limits for wastewater discharges and first-time requirements for unregulated coal ash storage sites.

Coal:

• Politico Pro reports coal-fired power generation is shrinking to new lows, two of coal’s most powerful advocates in Congress — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin — are stepping back, and last month’s collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore is crimping the industry’s access to export markets.

Good Monday morning!

In the news today and from the weekend…

Renewables:

• Chicago Tribune reports that in northern Illinois and across the nation, waitlists to connect large renewable energy projects to the electric grid have ballooned, leaving over 1,400 gigawatts of wind and solar projects in limbo.
• Washington Post  reports California grid operators look to exports, added transmission and battery storage to tame the deepening “duck curve” resulting from a growing solar power glut.

Grid:

• Canary Media reports Georgia’s approval of the construction of more natural gas-fired power plants to meet soaring energy demands of data centers is causing concern among the tech companies operating those data centers, many of which have aggressive clean energy goals.
• Utility Dive reports New York’s grid operator launches new market rules setting a minimum 10 kW capacity for distributed energy resources to participate in the wholesale markets, the first-such program of its kind in the country.

Happy Friday!

In the news today…

Grid:

• S&P Global reports that several U.S. utilities are particularly well positioned to financially benefit from building out generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure as data centers drive up power demand.
• Utility Dive reports that Democratic lawmakers propose requiring federal energy regulators to roll out regulations that would ease the way for new power generation and storage resources to join the grid.
• Washington Post reports an investigation finds Hawaiian Electric did not immediately respond to an alert of downed power lines prior to last year’s deadly Maui wildfires.

Energy:

• Washington Post reports internet data centers are fueling a drive to coal based energy generation.

Rare Earth Minerals:

• Politico Pro reports Europe’s top trade official reacted cautiously to a new threat to the European Union’s efforts to strike a critical minerals agreement with the United States, saying it was unclear whether a bill passed this week by the House Ways and Means Committee will become law.

In the news today…

Rare Earth Minerals:

• Mining.com reports Lithium Americas said early on Thursday that it would raise $275 million to accelerate construction and development of the Thacker Pass lithium project in Nevada.

Climate:

• E&E Greenwire reports President Joe Biden is waging an administration-wide campaign to shore up his climate and conservation record with just seven months to go until the presidential election and a major regulatory deadline looming.
• E&E News PM reports President Joe Biden touted the environmental benefits of domestically produced steel Wednesday as he called for boosting tariffs on Chinese products.

Coal:

• Argus reports Eastern US railroad CSX expects to haul slightly more coal for export 2024, despite recent disruptions caused by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore, Maryland.

In the news today…

EPA:

• Inside EPA reports EPA appears poised to release its rule likely tightening the mercury and air toxics standards (MATS) for power plants, thought the measure appears to have cleared White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review earlier than anticipated as officials canceled previously scheduled meetings with industry groups.
• E&E News PM reports the Biden administration’s wide-ranging power plant strategy could culminate next week with the release of as many as four EPA rules targeting carbon, air pollution and waste from fossil fuels generation.

Mining:

• Politico Pro reports the Biden administration is preparing to reject a controversial road-building project need to mine major copper and zinc deposits in the remote Alaska wilderness, a move sought by native tribes, but one that would keep critical minerals needed for the U.S. clean energy transition out of reach.
• The New York Times reports the Biden administration is expected to deny permission for a 211-mile industrial road through fragile Alaskan wilderness to a large copper deposit, handing a victory to environmentalists in an election year when the president wants to underscore his credentials as a climate leader and conservationist.
• Mining.com reports the Biden administration is set to reject the construction of an access road to the Ambler mining district in northern Alaska, Politico reported on Tuesday, citing two people with knowledge on the decision.
• E&E Greenwire reports fencing, locked gates and dust-dampening measures will help protect the endangered Tiehm’s buckwheat from the impacts of an ambitious open-pit lithium and boron mine proposed for rural Nevada, according to a draft environmental impact statement made public Tuesday.

Steel:

• E&E Climatewire reports the White House is calling for a large increase in tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum as part of a push for low-carbon manufacturing.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports the U.S. Department of Energy has awarded about $ million each to three organizations to tackle key research and development barriers to long duration energy storage.
• E&E News (subscription) reports development of advanced transmission lines remains stalled over cost concerns even as top U.S. officials and new reports make a case for their potential to carry up to four times more power than conventional lines.

EPA:

• Law 360 reports a coalition of 16 states, New York City and Washington, D.C., has pushed to intervene before the D.C. Circuit in defense of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recent final rule tightening federal standards for fine particulate matter pollution, as it faces challenges from industry groups and Republican-led states.

Coal:

• Politico Pro  and E&E Energywire report U.S. coal exports are projected to decrease this year due to the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, which cut off access to the nation’s second-biggest coal port, the Energy Information Administration said on Tuesday.
• Wall Street Journal reports U.S. coal exports are likely to decline 6% this year compared to last following last month’s bridge collapse in Baltimore, federal energy forecasters estimate.
• Reuters reports utilities in the United States are on track to cut the share of coal in national power generation to record lows over the coming months, as the heating demand season ends and output from clean power sources such as solar and wind farms hits record highs.

Permitting:

• The Washington Post carries an op-ed in which the author says environmental groups may endanger the energy transition due to opposition to permitting reform.

In the news today…

Grid:

• States Newsroom reports that Utilities, regulators, lawmakers and grid operators increasingly explore the potential of virtual power plants that could harness power from distributed batteries to reduce grid demand.
• E&E News (subscription) reports that two utilities have filed a federal appeal seeking to overturn a court ruling that’s preventing construction of the last mile of a $650 million transmission line between Iowa and Wisconsin.
• E&E News (subscription) reports rising electricity demand may create a short-term need for more gas plants, jeopardizing emission-reduction targets, according to a new report sponsored by energy companies.

EPA:

• Washington Post reports the EPA is reportedly considering tougher emissions for new natural gas power plants ahead of their expected final release this month — a contrast with other Biden administration environmental rules that have generally been weakened after their initial proposal.

Mining:

• E&E Greenwire reports a proposed gold and antimony mine in Idaho could receive a loan of up to $1.8 billion from the Export-Import Bank of the United States, a major boon for the project that has drawn funding from the Department of Defense.
• Argus reports a Colorado judge has upheld a water discharge permit for Arch Resources’ West Elk mine that expands the number of sources from which the company must monitor and limit pollution.

Coal:

• Argus reports coal-fired power in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) declined to an 11-month low in March as mild temperatures suppressed overall electricity demand.

In the news today…

Climate:

• The Hill reports the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission pauses implementation of its rule requiring companies to disclose their climate-related risks, though it’ll keep defending the regulation from legal challenges.

Solar:

• Utility Dive reports energy experts broadly expect natural gas to replace most of the solar output, which could top 40 GWh total, lost during Monday’s eclipse.

Coal:

• Wisconsin Public Radio reports Wisconsin utilities are in the process of determining what’s next for the sites of the state’s large coal plants as just a few will still be producing power in the coming years.
• E&E News PM reports the Interior Department unveiled a final rule Thursday that reverses prior Trump administration policy and allows coal communities to more easily appeal to the federal government to hold mine operators accountable for environmental violations.
• Argus reports US thermal coal exports rose from year-earlier levels for a sixth month with gains in shipments to some countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America continuing to outpace declines in volumes heading to Europe.

Mining:

• E&E Greenwire reports a mining road that would cut across pristine land and critical caribou and salmon habitat in northwestern Alaska is directly in the crosshairs of the coming presidential election — and conservation groups, Trump administration alumni, Alaska lawmakers, tribes and miners are all angling to have their way.

Utilities:

• City Journal reports that Exelon Corporation affiliate PECO Energy Company’s pre-apprenticeship program points to ways that states could help train future employees in the skilled trades.

In the news today…

Minerals:

• E&E News PM reports the Energy Department and national labs are creating a new research facility dedicated to studying ways of securing materials needed to produce wind turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles and more.
• Politico Pro reports the United States still hopes to reach a critical minerals agreement with the European Union that would allow electric vehicle batteries made by European manufacturers to qualify for certain tax breaks provided by the Inflation Reduction Act, the top U.S. trade official said Wednesday.

Permitting:

• E&E Greenwire reports EPA launched a new online tool to track its permits as the Biden administration races to clear clean energy projects and rebuild the nation’s infrastructure.

EPA:

• Inside EPA reports Utah and Oklahoma, as well as a coalition of local industry groups, are separately petitioning the Supreme Court to settle an appellate split over the appropriate venue for suits challenging EPA’s disapproval of state ozone plans, arguing venue is proper only in regional courts, in a move with serious implications for EPA’s Good Neighbor Plan (GNP) rule, and litigation over state air plans in general.

Renewables:

• Flatland reports that steadily growing power demand from large industrial customers is complicating Kansas City utility Evergy’s clean energy transition plan and the need to maintain supplies.

Nuclear:

• Utility Dive reports that the U.S. Energy Department releases an information guide finding that converting coal plants to nuclear power could increase direct employment by dozens of workers while driving new local tax revenue.

In the news today…

Energy:

• E&E Energywire reports executives of U.S. regional power grids are warning they face new and unprecedented challenges as energy demand grows and the industry takes on the enormous shift to carbon-free electricity.
• Argus reports coal-fired generation in the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) dropped in March to its lowest average level since April 2023, as renewable generation increased and overall power demand fell.

Coal:

• Mining.com reports the catastrophic shipping accident that’s choked off Baltimore harbor is leaving few options for some US coal exporters, with Consol Energy Inc. facing the biggest threat to its operations.
• Argus reports legislation that could slow some fossil fuel power plant retirements in Kentucky has passed the state legislature and is awaiting a decision by governor Andy Beshear (D).
• E&E Energywire reports the Tennessee Valley Authority said Tuesday it is shutting down a large coal plant in the state and replacing much of the power with natural gas, angering environmentalists who said the facility should use low-carbon electricity.

In the news today…

EPA:

• E&E Greenwire reports EPA has agreed to set pollution limits for 11 impaired West Virginia waterways, in a victory for environmental groups who say the state has failed to stop contamination from coal mines.
• E&E Greenwire reports EPA would be compelled to take final action on a new round of state plans to curb haze-forming pollution in national parks and wilderness areas under a rolling series of deadlines through 2026, according to a preliminary deal.

Coal:

• Argus reports PacifiCorp subsidiary Rocky Mountain Power is planning on potentially longer operations for its coal-fired power plants in Wyoming and Utah.
• E&E Energywire reports electricity giant PacifiCorp is considering carbon capture retrofits to several Wyoming coal plants, despite previous concerns about the cost and viability of the technology.

Workforce:

• Wall Street Journal reports more young workers are going into trades as disenchantment with the college track continues, and rising pay and new technologies shine up plumbing and electrical jobs.

The Associated Press reports that Lou Conter, the last living survivor of the USS Arizona battleship that exploded and sank during the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, has died. He was 102.

The Arizona lost 1,177 sailors and Marines in the 1941 attack that launched the United States into World War II. The battleship’s dead account for nearly half of those killed in the attack.

The article reports that there are only 19 survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack still living.

May this true American Hero rest in peace.

Happy April Fools Day!!

In the news today…

Electric Grid:

• Utility Dive reports that grid operator the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) is asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to approve its new generator capacity accreditation process to bolster grid reliability. “The changing resource mix combined with extreme weather and shifting load profiles have created what the NERC has characterized as a ‘hyper-complex risk environment,’” MISO said. This new accreditation methodology aims to better account for how much different resources bolster grid reliability during stressed periods.  Other grid operators — such as the Southwest Power Pool, PJM Interconnection and ISO New England — also have been making changes to how they measure capacity in efforts to ensure they have adequate resources to maintain grid reliability.
• States Newsroom reports that a section of southeastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas has long acted as a bottleneck in grid operator MISO’s territory, creating inefficiencies and increasing costs for utility customers.
• Inside Climate News reports that the ongoing legal dispute over a $649 million transmission line between Iowa and Wisconsin highlights differences between environmental and clean energy advocacy groups.

Renewable Energy:

• Columbia Missourian reports that local officials in Columbia, Missouri, plan to amend the city’s clean energy targets as a 100% goal by 2030 appears unattainable.
• Axios reports that the Biden administration announces $4 billion to help spur clean energy manufacturing in communities with closed coal mines or coal plants.

Electric Vehicles:

• Detroit News (subscription) reports that major U.S. automakers have cut billions in planned electric vehicle investments as demand falls short of overly optimistic volume forecasts.