Author Archives: Terry M. Jarrett

In the news today and from the weekend…

Coal:

• The WV Herald-Dispatch carries an op-ed in which the author argues that West Virginia coal will play a key part in America’s energy future.
• Quartz reports on the similarities between the western U.S. and Saudi Arabia’s economic reliance on fossil fuels.

Minerals:

• High Country News reports a group of conservation organizations have challenged a new copper mine’s operating permit in court in Montana.
• E&E Greenwire reports a state judge yesterday ruled in favor of a Virginia uranium mining moratorium that has already survived scrutiny by the nation’s highest bench.
• Politico Pro reports the Pentagon is funding projects at three U.S. mines that could offer a fix to America’s dependence on rare earth minerals from China.
• Mining.com reports deep sea mining could hold the key to supporting minerals supply chains, but scientists are uncertain whether that should be done.

Mining:

• E&E Greenwire and The Hill reports House Democrats today passed a $1.3 trillion spending package that puts them at odds with the Trump White House over Department of Energy funding priorities and would block permitting for the Pebble mine in Alaska.

Carbon Capture:

• E&E News PM reports bipartisan legislation introduced in the House today would allow a direct payment option for the 45Q carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) tax credit.

In the news today…

Coal:

• NM Political Report reports the utility PNM, which is slated to exit the San Juan Generating Station in 2022, will now need to rely on 100 percent renewable energy and battery storage to replace the power generated at the coal-fired plant.
• Gillette News Record reports Arch Resources’ CEO says a joint venture with Peabody Energy “is the best path forward” for the company’s Powder River Basin mines.
• Argus reports FERC regulators this week approved a Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) tariff change that would add a new affiliate sector to its advisory committee potentially giving more representation for coal industry advocates.

Mining:

• Politico Pro reports House lawmakers on Thursday adopted a host of energy amendments, including one preventing the Trump administration from moving forward on the controversial Pebble Mine project.
• E&E Daily reports the House voted to block permitting of Alaska’s Pebble mine and boost clean energy spending yesterday as it plowed through hundreds of amendments to a $1.3 trillion spending package.
• Forbes reports sustainability has become just as important as the product for mined materials like jewelry.

Renewables:

• Utility Dive reports experts are saying that recent changes federal PURPA rules will mostly benefit utilities while harming small-scale solar developers.

In the news today…

Mining:

• S&P Global reports metals and mining companies are facing rising pressure to address their greenhouse gas emissions as some align their plans with international goals to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
• E&E News PM reports the Trump administration declared mining an “essential” industry during the coronavirus pandemic, but some usual safety measures have been sidelined to accommodate social distancing.
• E&E Daily reports House Democrats are poised to vote on an amendment to block the proposed Pebble mine in Alaska but won’t consider a controversial pipeline plan when a second package of fiscal 2021 spending bills hits the floor this week.

Coal:

• Washington Post reports coal has had a bad year but is still essential in certain regions.
• MinnPost reports Minnesota’s largest utilities are planning to phase out most of their coal-fired plants by the end of the decade.
• Wyoming Public Media and E&E Greenwire report the Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC) announced it will be hiring back 73 furloughed employees.
• E&E Greenwire reports top coal operators mining on public land won’t receive royalty relief to help with impacts from the coronavirus pandemic.
• Argus reports Arch Resources will likely continue to shift away from thermal coal regardless of the outcome of its proposed joint venture with Peabody Energy for western US assets.
• Argus reports US coal producer Rhino Resource Partners has warned employees that it may lay off workers as the company plans to sell its assets through Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection proceedings within 60 days.

Carbon Capture/Removal Technology:

• Washington Examiner reports the Department of Energy’s top fossil fuel official is backing calls to extend federal tax credits for carbon capture technologies amid project delays and financing challenges due to the pandemic.
• Washington Examiner reports Murkowski, along with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, is introducing new legislation to support carbon removal technologies.

Minerals:

• Washington Examiner reports Senate Republicans’ latest pandemic relief bill, which Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other top GOP senators unveiled Monday, includes Senate Energy Committee-led efforts to boost domestic production of critical minerals.
• Mining.com reports the U.S. is having difficulty handling its reliance on China for rare earth minerals.
• Bloomberg Green reports metals and mining are a critical part of the future of clean energy, and that’s triggering major shifts in a historically dirty industry.

In the news today…

FERC:

• Argus, E&E Energywire and Utility Dive report President Donald Trump will nominate Virginia utility regulator Mark Christie (Republican) and clean energy attorney Allison Clements (Democrat) to fill long-vacant seats at the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Mining:

• S&P Global reports mining companies around the world are working to slash greenhouse gas emissions, but many of the largest have yet to align their goals with international targets to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
• The Real News Network reports Joe Biden’s climate plan is not ambitious enough.
• Inside EPA reports the Army Corps of Engineers’ final environmental impact statement (EIS) finding no significant harms from the controversial proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska is prompting an outcry from former EPA officials, Democrats and environmental groups, including the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) which is vowing to sue to stop the project.

Minerals:

• Washington Examiner reports House Republicans in recent weeks have looked to highlight critical minerals, arguing the pandemic has exposed the risks from the production of essential minerals being concentrated in a few countries.
• Forbes reports industry advocates are looking for alternative uses for nuclear power beyond large-scale power plants.
• Mining.com reports Lynas Corp announced on Monday it has signed a contract with the US Department of Defense to begin initial design work for its heavy rare earth separation facility in Texas that the Pentagon is providing initial funding for.
• E&E Energywire reports the coronavirus pandemic may make it harder for companies to undertake drastic reforms of how they source the lithium and cobalt used in electric vehicle batteries.
• E&E Daily reports energy assistance for low-income Americans and legislation to streamline permitting for domestic mining are part of the roughly $1 trillion COVID-19 relief package unveiled by Senate Republicans.

Coal:

• The New Republic reports state politics show the coal industry is fighting a losing battle against its former allies.
• Argus reports US coal producer Alliance Resource Partners’ coal shipments were nearly cut in half during the second quarter as production and demand fell during the Covid-19 pandemic, but it expects demand to increase.
• Argus reports US coal-fired generation set a record low for May as mitigation efforts for the Covid-19 pandemic decreased power demand.

Energy:

• Ohio Valley Resource reports fallout from the bribery investigation in Ohio could lead to an energy transition in the state.

White House:

• Inside EPA reports the top environment official at the DOJ says the White House’s newly finalized overhaul of NEPA implementing rules could nullify multiple longstanding court precedents to the extent those cases were decided based on the prior rule issued in the 1970s, rather than the NEPA statute.

World News:

• E&E Climatewire reports Japan’s prominent environment minister says he isn’t backing down in his battle against coal, despite resistance in powerful corners of the government.

In the news today…

Nuclear:

• The Casper Star Tribune reports that the EPA has entered a new agreement that will boost uranium production in Wyoming by removing hurdles for a mining process that advocates warn increases pollution and strains scarce water resources.

EPA:

• InsideEPA reports power and coal industry groups are largely backing EPA’s proposal to craft a nationwide permit program for coal ash disposal while state and tribal governments are floating targeted revisions.
• E&E Greenwire reports EPA finalized a rule to speed up industry permit appeals, overhauling the decades-old process at the agency.

Minerals:

• MarketScreener reports U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Chairman Kristine L. Svinicki to improve coordination and cooperation in the regulation of the in-situ recovery (ISR) process of uranium extraction.
• Mining.com and Associated Press report the Trump administration on Thursday moved to streamline water rules on uranium mining, in a move environmentalists said allows the Environmental Protection Agency to give up authority on regulating water pollution.
• Mining.com reports Tesla boss Elon Musk is calling on miners to produce more nickel, a key ingredient in the batteries that power his company’s electric cars, and has offered a “giant contract for a long period of time” to any firm able to extracted it in an efficient, environmentally sustainable manner.

Mining:

• The Nevada Independent reports it is strange to see a tax on renewable energy in Nevada in connection with mining.
• Reuters reports Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth on Thursday unveiled a plan to rehabilitate communities hurt by the decline of the U.S. coal industry.

Coal:

• WYMT and E&E Greenwire report Rhino Resource Partners, one of the companies that purchased assets from bankrupt coal operator Blackjewel last year, has filed for bankruptcy protection.
• The New Republic reports when coal companies go bankrupt, people lose their livelihoods and the taxpayers are on the line to pay for environmental clean up.
• Associated Press reports a coal-fired power plant in western New Mexico will be shutting down by the end of the year, and local officials are bracing for the economic consequences of the closure.

Energy:

• Billings Gazette reports Colstrip Power Plant co-owner PacifiCorp has agreed to remove Colstrip from customer bills in Washington state by 2023, two years ahead of the state’s 2025 coal power ban.
• Reuters reports coal should play no part in any country’s post-coronavirus stimulus plan and economic recovery should align with global climate goals, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a lecture to Chinese students.
• E&E Energywire reports the decision to close the Coal Creek Station in North Dakota prompts questions about transmission lines.
• E&E News PM reports a group of vulnerable Senate Republicans is pleading with leadership to include clean energy in the next pandemic stimulus package.

In the news today…

Mining:

• E&E Daily reports a coal mine on the Navajo Nation has sat idle, with no reclamation accomplished since it ceased operations last August, according to the House Natural Resources Committee.

Coal:

• S&P Global reports the U.S. coal sector is taking another beating as exports to two key markets, Asia and Europe, plunged in the first five months of this year.
• Politico Pro and E&E Climatewire report federal law enforcement officials charged Republican Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and five lobbyists and advisers on Tuesday in a years-long bribery scheme aimed at securing a $1.3 billion bailout for an Ohio coal and nuclear power company.
• Argus reports generators in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) footprint dispatched more coal-fired power than any other fuel last week for the first time this year.

Energy:

• E&E Daily reports an assortment of interests are stepping up pressure on Capitol Hill to include assistance for struggling clean energy sectors in the upcoming COVID-19 relief package that lawmakers are hoping to enact in the coming weeks.

EPA:

• Politico Pro reports a coalition of 21 Democratic attorneys general filed a suit on Tuesday against the Trump administration over its rule to limit states’ authority to use environmental concerns to block pipelines, coal export terminals, dams and other infrastructure projects.

World News:

• Politico Pro reports there are signs China is falling back on its old playbook of pumping cheap credit into fossil-fuel heavy energy projects like coal to help the economy recover from a historic first quarter contraction.

In the news today…

Mining:

• Mining.com reports Northern Dynasty Minerals is poised to clear the last hurdle for its proposed Pebble copper-gold mine in Alaska this week.
• E&E Daily reports the House approved dozens of amendments to its $740.5 billion fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, including an amendment on rare earth minerals.
• Forbes reports the Biden climate plan needs to do more on its ‘just transition’ stance for the fossil fuel industry and on securing critical minerals supply chains.

Coal:

• S&P Global  reports U.S. coal exports declined in the first five months of 2020, and the downturn is expected to last through the year.
• Vail Daily reports Colorado’s newest coal plant may not be operating as long as intended.
• S&P Global reports East Kentucky Power Cooperative bought 220,000 st of Northern Appalachian barge coal from Alliance Resource Partners and its subsidiaries for a six-month delivery period.
• E&E News PM, Argus and Politico Pro report a coalition of states renewed their push to stop the Trump administration from selling coal from public lands after a previous effort to halt the lease sales was dismissed by a federal judge.
• Argus reports the US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected seven advanced coal-fired generation projects to receive $37mn in government funding and has revised a call for applications to award another $81mn in research and development efforts.
• S&P Global reports US thermal coal production and demand began to increase in June, providing optimism over long-term relief for coal producers.

Energy:

• The Indianapolis Star reports coal companies received loans to combat the pandemic while clean energy companies did not.
• E&E Energywire reports coal-fired power plants in the western United States are projected to consume twice as much water through 2040 as Colorado consumes annually, threatening the generators’ ability to operate.

World News:

• Mining.com reports from Bloomberg that global coal assets are plummeting in the face of climate concerns.

In the news today and from the weekend…

Utilities:

• Utility Dive reports that Exelon subsidiary ComEd agreed to enter a three-year deferred prosecution agreement and pay a $200 million fine based on a single bribery charge related to a long-running scheme in Illinois. On Friday, the utility admitted in an agreement with federal prosecutors to arranging jobs, monetary payments and subcontracted work for “various associates of a high-level elected official in the state of Illinois” from 2011 to 2019. ComEd may not recover the fine through its rate base. The utility will have to pay through its shareholders.

Coal:

• E&E Energywire reports state bans like the Hawaii ban on coal are heavily political actions that are affecting coal use in the country.
• County 17 reports the Powder River Basin region is not giving up on coal, despite recent economic setbacks.
• S&P Global reports coal consumption will drop 30% due to weakened electricity demand.

Mining:

• E&E Greenwire reports the Interior Department is easing back on its oversight of environmental mining requirements.
• Local 8 reports mining companies are donating to those in need in Idaho.
• The Nevada Current reports of 30 operating gold mines in Nevada in 2019, 14 of them declared enough deductions to zero out their state mining tax bill.

WOTUS:

• E&E News PM reports a broad coalition of conservation groups, including Trout Unlimited, is joining the chorus of environmentalists and states opposing the Trump administration’s WOTUS rule.

In the news today…

Mining:

• Associated Press reports the state of Wyoming is siding with two major coal companies as U.S. regulators try to block their efforts to merge operations in the nation’s top coal-producing region.
• Argus reports a federal court this week is hearing arguments on whether Arch Resources and Peabody Energy should be allowed to move forward with plans to merge their western US assets.

Coal:

• Casper Star Tribune reports U.S. coal producers looking to export to Asia are having doubts after Japan’s announcement to close 100 coal plants.
• The Colorado Sun reports Xcel is the only utility in Colorado with large, coal-fired power plants set to operate past 2030.
• Energywire reports twenty-seven coal-dependent counties could lose an average of 20% of their revenue because of the fuel’s decline, according to a new report.

Water:

• Inside EPA reports the Justice Department (DOJ) is urging an appellate court to overturn a judicial stay of the Trump administration’s narrowed WOTUS definition in Colorado.
• E&E Energywire reports a Trump administration rule limiting states’ role in Clean Water Act permitting should be struck down as illegal, an environmental group told a federal court yesterday.

In the news today and from the weekend…

Coal:

• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports new legislation is out to that could change the fees required by the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Trust Fund.
• E&E Greenwire reports a California city yesterday asked a federal appeals court to take a second look at a ruling that upended efforts to block coal exports from the San Francisco Bay.
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports Consol Energy Inc. has filed a notice with the state that it plans to lay off 233 workers at its Enlow Fork Mine at the end of August.
• Argus reports US coal production fell by an estimated 37pc last quarter from a year earlier as the Covid-19 pandemic further weakened the market by reducing power demand and sparking a global economic contraction.

Electric Grid:

• St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Missouri’s power system is expected to be stressed more than any other state’s by rising temperatures over the next few decades, according to a new report.

Clean Energy:

• Energy News Network reports the Sierra Club criticizes plans by Ohio State University to build a new natural gas-powered combined heat and power plant, saying renewable energy options should be explored further.

Mining:

• E&E Greenwire reports environmental groups have sued the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection over what they say is the agency’s failure to adhere to federal reporting requirements for a coal mine reclamation fund.

Minerals:

• Mining.com reports copper prices are surging, and for once it’s not because the economy is booming.
• Mining.com reports researchers at the University of Michigan have made plastic conductive while also making it more transparent by incorporating silver, copper, zinc and aluminum to sheets of the material.
• E&E Daily reports House Democrats are scolding the Department of Energy for proposing new nuclear energy policies without following through on how it plans to put those ideas into practice.

In the news today…

Coal:

• Wyoming Public Media reports the two largest American coal producers have pushed back against the Federal Trade Commission’s claim that a proposed merger would cause “anticompetitive harm” to the Powder River Basin.
• Washington Examiner reports U.S. exports of LNG to major consuming countries Germany, China, and India result in lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions reductions of 48% to 54% compared to if those nations used coal to produce electricity.
• Associated Press reports environmental groups have sued the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection over what they say is the agency’s failure to adhere to federal reporting requirements for a coal mine reclamation fund.

White House:

• E&E News PM reports an environmental group today sued the Trump administration for refusing to release information related to the president’s June executive order that invokes emergency authorities to accelerate permitting for pipelines and other projects during the pandemic.

Safety:

• E&E Greenwire reports federal mine safety regulators today justified holding coal mine refuge training sessions less often than workplace safety officials recommend.

World News:

• E&E Climatewire reports countries were urged to turn away from coal in their coronavirus recovery plans.

In the news today…

Emissions:

• Utility Dive reports that U.S. power sector carbon emissions fell 8% from 2018-2019 as a result of coal plant closures, according to a new report.

Mining:

• JD Supra reports Husch Blackwell’s mine safety and health team represented national industry associations in filing an amicus brief to describe industry protections against the virus.

Coal:

• WFPL reports more than 50 Ohio Valley coal companies received loans totaling as much as $119 million through the Paycheck Protection Program meant to keep people employed during the pandemic’s economic downturn.
• E&E Greenwire and Argus report Wyoming regulators approved a bid to develop the first new coal mine in the state in nearly 40 years.
• Argus reports a federal appeals court has criticized the US Environmental Protection Agency for not intervening in a state permit for PacifiCorp’s Hunter coal plant in Utah.
• Reuters reports U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged countries on Thursday to stop financing for coal and commit not to build new coal-fired power plants to enable a shift to clean energy.

Energy:

• Washington Examiner reports Exelon, a Chicago-based utility, is producing more zero-carbon electricity than any of its peers, but still adheres to an all-of-the-above approach.
• Power Magazine reports the five owners of a 410-MW coal-fired unit at the Craig Generating Station in Colorado have said they will retire the generator on Sept. 30, 2028, about one year before what will then be the last operating unit at the facility will be shuttered.

Minerals:

• The Salt Lake Tribune carries an op-ed which argues that nuclear power plants are uneconomical.
• Politico Pro reports one “silver lining” of the coronavirus pandemic has been a serious consideration of bringing the defense industry supply chain back to America, including rare earth minerals processing.
• E&E Energywire reports in Nevada, a handful of companies are eyeing lithium clay deposits that they say may yield the mineral — which is used in battery cathodes — through a new extraction process.

In the news today…

Green Energy:

• The Wall Street Journal reports that, in a sign of things to come, Dominion Energy and Duke Energy pulled the plug on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) due to ongoing delays and increasing cost uncertainty which threaten the economic viability of the project. The pipeline was supposed to bring needed natural gas to address the lack of energy supply and delivery diversification for millions of families, businesses, schools, and national defense installations across North Carolina and Virginia. The project was driven by the regional retirement of coal-fired electric generation and widespread growing demand for residential, commercial, defense, and industrial applications of low-cost and low-emitting natural gas.

Mining:

• Washington Examiner reports metals producers will need to cut their emissions in half over the next two decades to be in line with the Paris climate agreement targets.

Minerals:

• Mining.com reports Freeport-McMoRan announced on Monday that it exceeded several key performance targets included in its April revised operating plans.

Coal:

• Bloomberg Green reports coal companies received at least $170 million in small business loans under the U.S. government’s coronavirus relief program, according to data released Monday.
• Argus reports coal producer Paringa Resources is shutting its Buck Creek mining complex in Kentucky, filings in its ongoing Chapter 11 case show.
• Argus reports the number of miners employed by coal producers in the US fell in June off a rally in coal employment the previous month.
• E&E Daily reports House appropriators emphasized public health while maintaining steady mine safety spending in a $196.5 billion draft funding bill released last night.

Technology:

• Axios reports the nonprofit group Carbon180, which advocates for deployment of emerging carbon removal technologies and methods, has brought on The Coefficient Group to lobby.

In the news today and from the weekend…

Coal:

• E&E Energywire reports university coal plants have been closing over the past decade due to sustainability concerns.
• Washington Examiner reports Dan Brouillette said the innovations he witnessed at the Consol Energy Pennsylvania mining complex along the Washington County and Greene County lines were some of the most impressive technologies he’s seen in his career in the fossil fuel industry.
• Argus reports the Illinois Department of Natural Resources approved an application allowing White Stallion Energy subsidiary Vigo Coal to access an additional 1.5mn short tons (1.4mn metric tonnes) of coal at its Friendsville mine.
• The Salt Lake Tribune reports four coal-producing Utah counties are preparing to throw a $20 million lifeline to the bankrupt proponents of a deep-water export terminal in Oakland, California.

Minerals:

• E&E Daily reports that, on the Minnesota mining project, Democrats are seeking to force USDA to publicly release environmental assessments, mineral resource reports and other documents, and to make released documents available on the USDA website for 10 years.
• E&E Daily reports nearly 80 conservation and environmental justice organizations asked congressional appropriators last week to deny the Trump administration’s proposal to stockpile domestically mined uranium.

Technology:

• E&E Greenwire reports a team of geologists this week unveiled maps that could signal the locations of previously unknown deposits of metals essential to renewable energy technologies.

World News:

• The Japan Times reports Japan will close the majority of its aging coal-fired power plants over the next decade as it looks to cut down on carbon emissions and shift toward using more renewable energy.
• The Wall Street Journal reports economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has cast doubt on whether China can meet its targets to buy U.S. goods under this year’s trade deal—with energy emerging as the biggest casualty.

In the news today…

White House:

• PBS reports President Donald Trump is rolling back environmental regulations in an effort to deliver on some of his major campaign promises as November nears.

EPA:

• Nation of Change reports a peer-reviewed study of air pollution impacts on older Americans suggests that current air quality standards set by the U.S. EPA do not protect public health, and that strengthening the standards could save over 140,000 American lives over a decade. NMA is mentioned.

Coal:

• Reuters reports a Trump administration report released on Tuesday touted a strong future for petrochemicals and coal in the U.S. region of Appalachia, despite concerns that supply gluts, waning demand and potential environmental regulation could limit growth in the industries.
• E&E Energywire reports a second spike in coronavirus cases could lead to another drop in energy use which could lead to the idling of coal power plants.

Mining:

• Mining.com reports Barrick Gold’s Nevada Gold Mines (NGM), established one year ago Wednesday, posted an exceptional performance in its first 12 months of operation.

World News:

• E&E Climatewire reports Great Britain will close its last coal-fired power plant.

Wind:

• Bismarck Tribune  reports tension over wind development in North Dakota’s coal country surfaces during a public hearing over a county’s moratorium on wind development in place until 2022. 

In the news today…

Mining:

• Bloomberg Law reports MSHA rejected two unions’ call from earlier this month for the agency to create an emergency temporary standard protecting miners from infectious diseases.
• E&E Greenwire reports the Bureau of Land Management announced it will prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed Twin Metals copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota near the nation’s most visited wilderness area.
• Bloomberg Green reports Anglo American Plc is advancing plans to convert its fleet of giant diesel-fueled mine trucks to hydrogen power as the company seeks to burnish its green credentials.

Coal:

• Energy News Network reports coal’s decline has forced staunchly anti-Obamacare politicians to reconsider Medicaid expansion, while rural communities depend on telehealth more than ever.
• Inside Climate News reports 80 local, regional and national organizations on Monday rolled out a National Economic Transition Platform to support struggling coal mining cities and towns, some facing severe poverty, in Appalachia, the Illinois Basin, Montana, Wyoming, Arizona and elsewhere.

Energy:

• Utility Dive reports the American Energy Innovation Act introduced earlier this year could come back to the Senate floor as early as July.
• E&E Greenwire and Politico Pro report nuclear and carbon capture amendments have been added to the NDAA.

EPA:

• Inside EPA reports a new study by the Harvard School of Public Health aims to bolster the case for EPA to tighten its fine particulate matter (PM2.5) national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS).

World News:

• E&E Climatewire reports efforts by Japan’s popular 39-year-old environment minister to curb the government’s support for coal-fired power may be failing.

In the news today…

Coal:

• Utility Dive and E&E Energywire report Plant Scherer in Georgia — for years, the highest capacity coal-fired plant in the U.S. — will lose one of its four units to retirement.
• Uinta County Herald reports Wyoming coal is declining due to cost competitiveness and consumer preferences.
• The Roanoke Times reports as the coronavirus swept across the globe this spring, Southwest Virginia’s coal industry felt the pandemic’s impacts as companies furloughed employees and idled production at several sites amid safety concerns and reduced demand for electricity and steel.
• Argus reports the US Supreme Court will not take up a case against the Four Corners power plant in Arizona and nearby Navajo coal mine.

Energy:

• PV Tech and Argus report Arizona utility Tucson Electric Power (TEP) has set out plans to provide 70% of its power from solar and wind by 2035, backed up with investment in new energy storage capacity while it continues to shutter its coal plants.
• RTO Insider reports the nuclear industry is positioning itself not as a competitor, but as a partner with renewable energy sources.
• E&E Energywire reports Vistra Energy Corporation will be changing its name to Vistra Corporation.
• E&E Daily reports Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) is questioning major oil companies on their use of what critics call a loophole in the CARES Act.
• E&E Daily reports lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are expressing concerns about a provision in the Senate’s fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act related to the Department of Energy.

Climate:

• E&E Daily reports the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis will call on Congress today to get the United States to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and slash pollution in communities afflicted by environmental injustice.

Minerals:

• Mining.com reports copper is poised for its best quarter since 2010.
• Mining.com reports gold prices held steady on Monday, close to its multiyear peak scaled last week, as investors weigh the surge in coronavirus cases in the US against tentative signs of economic improvement in some regions.
• Mining.com reports the latest tally of Covid-19 cases among Codelco workers shows why the world’s biggest copper producer is stepping up measures to contain the spread.

Mining:

• Inside EPA reports conservation group Trout Unlimited is urging a federal appeals court to reverse a lower court’s dismissal of its suit over EPA’s decision to withdraw a planned “veto” of the planned Pebble Mine in Alaska, arguing the lower court erred when it ruled the agency’s decision is not subject to judicial review under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).
• Arizona Daily Star reports a federal judge misread federal laws and regulations last year by overturning approval of the Rosemont Mine, the U.S. government and the mining company proposing the project have told the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
• E&E Daily reports the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s top Democrat implored the Army Corps of Engineers yesterday to indefinitely extend the permitting timeline for the proposed Pebble copper and gold mine in southwest Alaska.

World News:

• Politico Pro reports the EU will have to rethink its mining strategy if it wants to secure the minerals necessary for a green revolution.
• Mining.com reports the EU must transition its coal miners into minerals miners to source minerals for clean energy technologies.

In the news today and from the weekend…

Coal:

• E&E Greenwire and Argus report the Department of Energy will make $122 million available — on a competitive basis — to create innovation centers aimed at finding new uses for coal.
• E&E Greenwire reports the Interior Department has dropped its appeal of a federal court order requiring a tougher environmental review of a proposed coal mine expansion in Montana.
• Argus reports Colorado Springs Utilities will close its remaining coal plants by 2030 as part of its plan to cut carbon emissions.
• E&E Energywire reports two utilities in the western region announced plans Friday to close their coal stations — the latest in a series of moves by Western power companies to shutter the former workhorses of their electric fleets.

Minerals:

• Mining.com reports Energy Fuels has opened the only mill in the U.S. able to process uranium-rare earth ores.
• RealClearEnergy carries an op-ed by Dan Brouillette in which he develops a plan to tackle China on the subject of critical minerals supply.

EPA:

• Politico Pro and E&E News PM report a university study released Friday concludes that lowering the national air quality standard for particulate matter would save more than 143,000 lives over a decade in a direct rebuttal to EPA’s proposal to keep the standard as is.

Fossil Fuels:

• Financial Times reports the Trump administration has slashed amounts companies must pay for access on government-owned land.

In the news today…

COVID-19:

• WKZO reports from Reuters that the U.S. mining industry is spearheading a lobbying effort to protect a $160 billion pandemic tax break after congressional Democrats largely repealed the provisions in their recent stimulus bill.

EPA:

• E&E Greenwire reports opponents of the Trump administration’s new definition of which waterways and wetlands are protected under the Clean Water Act have lined up in court to make their grievances known.

Carbon Capture:

• Mountain Town News reports Wyoming and other mountain states are hoping for carbon capture technology to save coal communities.
• E&E Energywire reports Southern Co. said this month it is considering another carbon capture project in Kemper County, Miss. — the site of one of the most expensive cancellations of an initiative to create a near carbon-free coal plant.

Coal:

• WYMT reports coal miners can transfer into many other industries, according to a study.

Mining:

• Mesabi Daily News reports the coronavirus has taken a toll on the mining industry in Minnesota.
• Mesabi Daily News reports PolyMet Mining’s path to opening Minnesota’s first copper-nickel mine near Hoyt Lakes and Babbitt will take another route through the Minnesota Supreme Court, which said earlier this month that it will review a case challenging the project’s air permits.

Wind:

• The Guardian reports that at least 15 people have been bludgeoned to death with stones and cement blocks, and some bodies partly burned, in an indigenous village in southern Mexico plagued by a dispute over windpower.