Thanks to the Wilkes Barre Times Leader for carrying my new op-ed on how the underused coal fleet is a strategic asset we need to tap.
Monthly Archives: April 2025
April 15 News Round Up
Happy Tax Day!
In the news today…
Natural Gas:
- Indianapolis Star reports that a new Indiana law defines natural gas and propane as clean energy in an effort to help projects secure federal funding typically set aside for renewable energy.
- Power Engineering reports that Indiana Michigan Power seeks permission from Indiana regulators to buy an 870 MW natural gas plant as part of its long-term energy plan.
Coal:
- E&E News reports that nearly 70 U.S. coal plants get a two-year exemption from updated limits on toxic pollutants following an order from President Trump.
- In These Times reports the Trump administration’s feckless business-first, workers-last approach is leaving the nation’s coal miners to die—and now their unions are taking him to court.
- Indiana Public Media reports President Trump this week sent out a series of executive orders propping up the coal industry and sidestepping the need for climate action. Now Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has signed similar orders.
- Argus reports US thermal coal imports increased for the first time in more than a year in January and February as a couple of power plants had greater demand at the start of this year.
- E&E Energywire reports dozens of coal plants — including some run by the nation’s leading power producers — will be allowed to sidestep updated limits on toxic pollutants after President Donald Trump’s unprecedented decision to grant a compliance extension.
Media Alert
Thanks to the River Reporter (N.Y.) for carrying my new op-ed on how the underused coal fleet is a strategic asset we need to tap.
April 14 News Round Up
Good Monday Morning!
In the news today and from the weekend…
Coal:
- Fox Business reports Interior Secretary Doug Burgum discussed the coal industry and President Donald Trump’s recent executive order to help raise its production in an interview with FOX Business’ Kelly Saberi Friday.
- E&E Greenwire reports President Donald Trump called on his administration this week to save a coal-fired power plant in Arizona. But there’s a problem: The plant was shut down last month because it was too expensive to run.
- New York Times reports coal has been displaced by cheap and plentiful natural gas and the rapid growth of wind and solar energy — forces that President Trump will struggle to do away with.
Mining:
- The Hill carries an op-ed which argues President Trump’s executive order to increase domestic critical mineral production has been interpreted as a pro-industry move or a nod to traditional energy sectors. It is both — but more importantly, it is a long overdue national security play.
World News:
- Argus reports President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week to revitalize the US’ maritime industries and workforce through public and private investments, incentivising shipbuilding and combating China’s dominance in the sector.
- Argus reports China will raise import tariffs on all US goods to 125pc, the country’s State Council said today.
April 4 News Round Up
Happy Friday!
In the news today…
Media Alert:
- Thanks to the Kearney Hub (Neb.) and Janesville Gazette (Wis.) for carrying my new op-ed on how the underused coal fleet is a strategic asset we need to tap.
Coal:
- E&E Energywire reports a slate of pro-climate candidates in the Chicago suburb of Naperville, Illinois, swept city council races Tuesday in a political victory hailed by some as a referendum on the city’s ties to coal-fired electricity.
- Argus reports US coal producer NACCO Natural Resources is seeking to expand its Freedom lignite mine in North Dakota under an emergency lease application with the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
April 3 News Round Up
Media Alert:
- Thanks to the Grand Forks Herald (N.D.) for carrying my new op-ed on how the underused coal fleet is a strategic asset we need to tap.
Grid:
- Ohio Capital Journal reports that Ohio lawmakers are negotiating differences in the House and Senate versions of a major energy bill that would reform the ratemaking process and incentivize new power plants.
- South Dakota News Watch reports that a shift in federal energy priorities to focus more on fossil fuels renews friction between GOP-led South Dakota, which says fossil fuels are crucial for maintaining grid reliability, and Minnesota, where the state’s largest utility is closing its coal plants by 2030.
Coal:
- E&E Greenwire reports President Donald Trump’s aggressive barrage of policies — from cutting federal staffing to shuttering offices and imposing fees on Chinese ships — has sent shock waves through an industry he’s repeatedly signaled he wants to revive: coal.
- Reuters reports the Trump administration on Tuesday took a key step toward leasing new areas to a North Dakota coal mine that is proposing to operate through 2045.
- Argus reports the co-owners of the Colstrip coal-fired power plant in Montana have requested a two-year presidential exemption from complying with the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rules.
- Mining.com reports the dirtiest coal-fired power plant in the US is asking Donald Trump for a waiver from pollution mandates, taking up the administration on an offer to email for a chance to get a presidential exemption.
Minerals:
- Mining.com reports carved into a mountain range in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, where temperatures often reach 118F (48C), a vast mining complex more than a century old is on the front lines of a race to unlock millions of tons of copper.
April 2 News Round Up
In the news today…
Media Alert
- Thanks to the Nashua Telegraph (N.H.), Daily Jefferson County Union (Wis.), Boston Herald
(MA) and Las Vegas Review Journal (NV) for carrying my new op-ed on how an underused coal fleet is a strategic asset we need to tap.
Minerals:
- Politico Pro reports a top Trump administration official said Tuesday the U.S. was working to break China’s dominance of critical mineral supply chains by striking deals with allies around the globe — including Ukraine and Greenland.
Coal:
- E&E Energywire reports western power giant PacifiCorp is no longer committing to the retirement of several of its large coal plants before the 2040s, a reflection of the policy uncertainty under the Trump administration.
Permitting:
- E&E Energywire reports advocates for artificial intelligence called on House lawmakers Tuesday to deregulate energy use for massive data centers.
April 1 News Round Up
In the news today…
Minerals:
- Politico Pro reports top figures in the energy and transportation world gather in Washington today for the annual SAFE Summit, where they’ll hash out energy security issues — and especially how to build the domestic critical minerals industry.
- Forbes reports on Ramaco Resources’ progress on extracting rare earth minerals from coal resources.
Coal:
- Argus reports coal producers across much of the US shipped slightly less coal during January than they had a year prior, despite higher electricity demand and competition from elevated natural gas prices.
World News:
- E&E Greenwire reports Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is trying to “back out” of a minerals agreement with the United States, President Donald Trump said Sunday.
- Mining.com reports Washington and Moscow have reportedly begun discussions on joint rare earths projects in Russia, the head of the country’s sovereign wealth fund, Kirill Dmitriev, said on Monday.
Media Alert
Thanks to the DC Journal for carrying my new op-ed on how the underused coal fleet is a strategic asset we need to tap.