In the news today…
Grid:
- Omaha World Herald reports that a Nebraska attorney says it would be “foolish and expensive” for the Omaha Public Power District to pursue a roughly $28 million clean energy plan by 2050.
- Des Moines Register reports that a former state and federal energy regulator from Iowa says widespread transmission investments are needed to help build out more renewable energy generation.
Mining:
- E&E News PM reports the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement has formally made nearly $725 million in grants available for states and the Navajo Nation to seek money to remediate abandoned coal mining sites.
Coal:
- Argus reports while there is a growing recognition that coal plants may be necessary for power generation reliability in the US, the ability to retain them is increasingly challenged, market leaders and participants told an American Coal Council (ACC) conference.
- Washington Examiner reports coal interests warn that Democrats’ plan to boost renewable energy incentives would speed up coal’s already-guaranteed exit and make grids less reliable at a time of heightened risk for blackouts.
- The Hill and WV News report the West Virginia Coal Association and several other state-based coal industry groups on Wednesday blasted the tax and climate deal that Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) agreed to last week, warning it will “severely threaten American coal” and an estimated 381,000 jobs.