Author Archives: Terry M. Jarrett

In the news today and from the weekend…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports New York regulators authorize multiple transmission projects, including a $1.2 billion transmission rebuild and new transmission facilities for a 291 MW wind farm.

Coal:

• Politico Pro, Washington Post, The Hill and Bloomberg report a federal judge on Friday blocked all coal leasing on federal lands, the latest development in long-running litigation over the federal coal program.

Safety

• The Nevada Independent reports that workers are feeling unsafe at Nevada’s largest gold-mining corporation

Mining:

• NBC News reports this huge mining project on public land, approved by the Trump administration in its final days, has sparked an outcry and a lawsuit, but opposition among Native Americans is not unanimous.
• E&E News reports mining organizations say the Inflation Reduction Act’s tax break for companies that produce lithium, nickel, cobalt and other critical minerals will be a boon for the industry.

Happy Friday!

In the news today…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports the American Council on Renewable Energy says grid operator MISO’s cost-benefit analysis of a $10.3 billion group of transmission projects could serve as a national model for measuring grid benefits.

Minerals:

• The Washington Post reports on sustainability in mining, focusing on Minnesota.
• Mining.com reports from Reuters that miners will struggle to expand operations in the United States in record time to meet a deadline for sourcing key minerals domestically or from select countries as set out by a bill likely to be passed on Friday, companies and industry watchers said.

Energy:

• Washington Examiner reports advanced nuclear reactor developers are worried about lacking alternatives to Russian high-assay low enriched uranium, the special fuel needed to power their reactors.

World News:

• Washington Examiner reports the European Union’s ban on Russian coal imports officially took effect yesterday, ending a four-month transition period granted by the European Commission in April.

In the news today…

Minerals:

• The Detroit News reports a metal mining company has acquired rights to explore around 400,000 acres of Upper Peninsula land for nickel deposits near the nation’s only nickel mine.

Coal:

• Argus reports coal-fired generation in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) fell from a year earlier for the ninth month in a row in July as natural gas and renewable dispatch continued to increase.
• Wall Street Journal carries an op-ed which argues the Inflation Reduction Act spells the end of coal.

Congress:

• Washington Examiner reports the CHIPS bill that became law yesterday funds a number of new energy programs, including one to research and demonstrate the construction of advanced nuclear reactors at industrial sites such as those home to coal-fired power plants.
• Politico Pro reports congressional Republicans are reflexively rejecting the largest climate bill in U.S. history. But some of their allies fear the approach will backfire.

In the news today…

Minerals:

• Associated Press reports a tax credit of up to $7,500 could be used to defray the cost of an electric vehicle under the Inflation Reduction Act now moving toward final approval in Congress.
• E&E Greenwire reports even as President Joe Biden calls for creating a U.S. supply chain to source metals necessary for the energy transition, his administration is approving few new mines on federal land.
• E&E Greenwire reports in a resounding loss to the Oglala Sioux Tribe, an appeals court found today that federal nuclear regulators had adequately analyzed the environmental risks of a contentious uranium mining project in southwest South Dakota.

Coal:

• Washington Examiner reports German coal importers are expecting a flurry of new shipments beginning next month as the country scrambles to secure alternatives to Russian gas.

World News:

• Politico Pro reports the European Union warned on Tuesday that a revised U.S. tax credit for electric vehicles headed for final congressional approval this week appears to violate World Trade Organization rules and could create a significant new irritant that undermines joint U.S. and EU efforts to address climate change.

In the news today…

Congress:

• Senator Joe Manchin’s Office released a press release on the Inflation Reduction Act.

Metals/Minerals:

• E&E Climatewire reports Lotte Aluminium Materials USA plans an aluminum foil manufacturing operation to serve the electric vehicle battery industry in Kentucky and is expected to create 122 full-time jobs.

In the news today and from the weekend…

Grid:

• E&E News reports a Minnesota utility regulator says potential capacity shortfalls in grid operator MISO’s region are “deeply unfair” for states that have made grid reliability investments but are required to make up for shortfalls elsewhere.

Coal:

• New York Times reports Republican state officials have found a new way to push back against “woke capitalism”— by punishing companies that distance themselves from fossil fuels.

Congress:

• Politico reports the climate and energy provisions of Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act would speed greenhouse gas cuts and put the U.S. on track to deliver the lion’s share of President Biden’s target for 2030.
• Axios reports the Senate’s climate deal could bring scale-up of carbon capture in heavy industries and power after years of limited momentum and false dawns.

EPA:

• E&E Climatewire reports the Senate Democrats’ climate bill could help EPA defend new rules based on emerging technologies like carbon capture and storage by making them more cost-effective.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Wisconsin State Journal reports a federal judge allows construction to proceed on a controversial transmission line between Iowa and Wisconsin while warning utilities supporting the project that it may not get permission to cross the Mississippi River as planned.

EPA:

• E&E Greenwire reports permitting reforms that Sen. Joe Manchin is pursuing in return for his approval of a burgeoning climate and energy deal on Capitol Hill could clash with and possibly stymie EPA’s ongoing efforts to finalize a new Clean Water Act rule.

Coal:

• Argus reports US thermal coal exports fell from year-earlier levels for the second straight month in June amid logistics constraints and flagging demand from some buyers in Asia, Mexico and Central America.

Carbon Capture:

• Axios reports the Senate’s climate deal could bring scale-up of carbon capture in heavy industries and power after years of limited momentum and false dawns.

Minerals:

• Bloomberg reports a prospective lithium supplier to Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. expects to clear an environmental hurdle involving a rare flower next year, paving the way for deliveries to electric-vehicle makers ahead of looming shortages of the battery metal.

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.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports that regional and interregional transmission links could help cut electricity costs but aren’t being properly valued by grid operators, according to a recent study.
• Utility Dive reports that Federal regulators and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation call on an energy standards board to help the natural gas and electric sectors coordinate to boost integration and reliability.

Mining:

• Washington Examiner reports Senate Republicans are posing a “test” to their Democratic colleagues to gauge where they fall on reforming federal permitting processes for infrastructure projects, one of Sen. Joe Manchin’s conditions for supporting the new reconciliation deal.
• E&E Daily reports a group of Republicans held a press conference yesterday casting doubt on the Democrats’ deal to pass permitting reform legislation next month after the budget reconciliation bill becomes law.

In the news today…

Mining:

• E&E Greenwire reports a proposed lithium mine in Nevada has scored a second major supply deal for the electric vehicle market despite its close proximity to a rare flower species, which might complicate the permitting process.
• Mining.com reports more money is being spent on coal mining than copper mining, underscoring a misconnect for the energy transition.
• Washington Examiner and Inside EPA report Sen. Joe Manchin is marketing his deal with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as a major opportunity to tackle infrastructure permitting challenges that he and fellow lawmakers in both parties recognize as inhibitive to growth in the energy sector.

Energy:

• Wall Street Journal reports fossil fuel plants are closing faster than green alternatives can replace them.

Coal:

• Argus reports US coal producer Alliance Resource Partners expects to expand output by early 2023 to meet higher demand domestically and globally.
• CNBC reports coal prices are soaring and global coal consumption is expected to return to record levels reached almost 10 years ago as the global energy supply crunch continues.

In the news today and from the weekend…

Grid:

• Mankato Free Press reports that a recent batch of regional transmission projects approved by grid operator MISO includes a $689 million line from southern Minnesota into western Wisconsin.
• FarmWeek reports that Invenergy formally requests Illinois regulators for permission to build a section of the Grain Belt Express transmission line across the state.

EPA:

• E&E News reports the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to release a new rule requiring states to review the cybersecurity plans of more than 1,000 water utility companies, according to Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology. The anticipated rule comes after a hacker tapped into a water utility operating system in Oldsmar, Fla., last year in an attempt to increase treatment chemicals of the water supply to dangerous levels.

In the news today…

Grid:

• WBEZ reports clean energy advocates say $10 billion in Midwest transmission projects recently approved by grid operator MISO will boost renewable energy development in Illinois.

Congress:

• E&E Greenwire reports the climate deal struck yesterday by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin would significantly expand consumer tax credits for electric vehicles by offering a $7,500 tax credit to people buying an EV made with a certain percentage of minerals mined or processed in nations with U.S. free trade agreements, or recycled in North America.
• E&E Energywire reports that the Senate’s sweeping climate and energy bill would reshape how cars are made in the electric age, offering automakers nearly irresistible inducements to build the supply chains in America — or more to the point, not in China.
• Axios reported that the climate and energy provisions in the Senate’s revenue and spending deal cover everything from incentives to buy electric vehicles to spurring the development of next-generation climate technologies, such as direct air capture.

Minerals:

• Politico Pro reports Alaska Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan on Thursday vowed to delay two of President Joe Biden’s Pentagon nominees over frustrations regarding the administration’s decision to cancel an Alaskan mineral mining project.
• The Hill carries an op-ed by Michelle Foss arguing that U.S. policymakers and industry must take action now to forestall disruptive and damaging interruptions in commodities markets and put “materials first.”

Coal:

• E&E Greenwire reports conservation groups filed lawsuits against state environmental agencies in Colorado and Montana this week targeting coal mines in the two states.
• The New York Times reports that West Virginia will punish banks that don’t support coal. This move is part of a growing effort by Republican officials to shut out companies that are backing away from fossil fuels.

In the news today…

Congress:

• Politico Pro reports Senate Democrats struck a deal with West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin on Thursday for an expansive bill that includes the biggest package in U.S. history to address climate change.

Minerals/Metals:

• Politico Pro reports the Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office announced Wednesday it closed a more than $100 million loan for the processing of a critical material used in electric vehicle batteries.
• E&E Greenwire reports the Energy Department today announced that it closed on a $102.1 million loan for a Louisiana graphite processing plant with the potential to help make millions of electric vehicles.
• Politico Pro reports the Russian invasion of Ukraine has had ripple effects across the globe, from arms sales to oil and gas flows to mining critical elements that are at the core of the aerospace and defense industries.

Coal:

• Reuters reports European buyers have had to temporarily set aside green aspirations in a rush for coal as the region’s energy crisis deepens, ramping up shipments from Australia, South America, Colombia and South Africa while tightening the global market.
• Argus reports US coal-fired generation fell from a year earlier in May despite an increase in electric power demand.
• Axios reports global coal consumption is slated to rise slightly this year, matching the prior peak set in 2013, the International Energy Agency said in a new forecast.

World News:

• Wall Street Journal reports some of the world’s largest iron-ore miners said they expect the market to continue dictating prices of the commodity despite China setting up a centralized buying group to try to gain more sway.
• Washington Post reports China has embarked on one of the biggest shake-ups of the global iron-ore market in more than a decade.

In the news today…

Grid:

• News Tribune reports Ameren Illinois is collecting public feedback through the end of the week on a proposed transmission line connecting substations in northern Illinois.
• WLWT reports that residents and business owners speak out against Duke Energy’s request to raise distribution rates by $55 million in southwestern Ohio to pay for grid upgrades.
  

Minerals/Metals:

• Mining.com reports recycling won’t provide enough copper to meet demands.
• Bloomberg reports that despite the slowing global economy, buyers of key components in the powering of electric vehicles are stepping up efforts to lock in supplies, with two of the world’s biggest automakers signing direct deals with producers of so-called battery metals.

Congress:

• Roll Call reports an economic competitiveness package meant to boost U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and scientific research is on track to pass the Senate this week after overcoming a filibuster on Tuesday.

In the news today…

Grid:

• E&E News reports that grid operator MISO approves a $10.3 billion grid expansion to help move clean energy throughout the Midwest, including 18 high-voltage transmission lines set to come online beginning in 2028.
• Utility Dive reports that State regulators order Ameren Illinois to study the costs and benefits of becoming a member of grid operator PJM rather than MISO.

Minerals:

• Politico Pro reports David Ferris discussed the issue of critical minerals, China’s dominance in the supply chain and the need for automakers to lock up long-term supply contracts for the production of EVs.
• Associated Press reports opposition from friends, not foes, is creating potential roadblocks to President Joe Biden’s green energy agenda on federal lands in the blue-leaning, Western swing state of Nevada.

Coal:

• The Oaklandside reports five months after City Attorney Barbara Parker announced that a deal was in the works to end the longstanding saga over a proposed coal terminal in West Oakland, the developers are now backing out of settlement negotiations.
• Reuters reports high coal prices, supply bottlenecks and aged plants are posing a challenge to Germany’s plan to increase electricity production from hard coal-fired power plants to compensate for declining gas deliveries, according to operators and industry experts.
• WV Public Broadcasting reports in the spring, coal producers told lawmakers that railroads weren’t providing adequate coal delivery service. In a legislative meeting on Sunday, those complaints continued.

In the news today and from the weekend…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports that the Biden administration’s order shoring up grid security falls short because it fails to prepare for operations technology attacks.

Energy:

• Mining.com reports from burning natural gas to heat our homes to the petroleum-based materials found in everyday products like pharmaceuticals and plastics, we all consume fossil fuels in one form or another.

Mining:

• E&E Greenwire reports the Bureau of Land Management released a draft environmental impact statement today that could help clear the way for the first open-pit vanadium mine in the United States.

Coal:

• Utility Dive reports the IRP decision comes a week after the Georgia Supreme Court denied a petition from the Sierra Club to review the PSC’s 2019 decision to allow the utility to charge their customers for coal ash pond closure costs.

Carbon Capture:

• E&E Daily reports the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing this week on the latest developments for carbon capture, sequestration and utilization technologies.

Electric Vehicles:

• The Associated Press reports Hyundai Motor Group is set to receive $1.8 million in tax breaks and other incentives from the state of Georgia and local governments in exchange for the company’s investment of $5.5 billion to build its first electric vehicle plant in the United States near Savannah, according to an agreement signed Friday. Construction on the plant, which will also produce vehicle batteries, is expected to begin next year with a goal to produce 300,000 EVs annually starting in 2025.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Star Tribune reports that Xcel Energy plans a $500 million, 140-mile transmission line to help move renewable energy through Minnesota.
• E&E News reports State utility regulators call on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to address the current dearth of interregional transmission projects.
• WNDU reports an Indiana transmission company moves forward with plans for an underground power line to serve the South Bend area after an appeals court ruled the project could not primarily serve a private entity, Notre Dame University.
• Cedar Rapids Gazette reports an Iowa State University professor says more transmission needs to be built to ensure reliability as more renewables come online to replace fossil fuel plants.
• Daily Energy Insider reports that Evergy officials say investments in predictive maintenance, grid modernization and diversification have already reduced the quality and scope of outages this summer.

Coal:

• MLive reports that the planned early closure of a western Michigan coal plant spurs breach of contract lawsuits between the plant owner, Consumers Energy, and an electric cooperative that relies on the plant for power.

In the news today…

Minerals:

• The Brentwood Press and The Fairfield Sun Times report a Chinese-dominated mining company has procured millions of dollars in American subsidies to extract lithium in the United States – but, given a dearth of U.S. processing capacity, the mineral is likely to be sent to China with no guarantee that the end product would return as batteries to power President Biden’s envisioned green economy.
• Bloomberg reports Elon Musk has called for more investment in global lithium refining to ease shortages in battery materials — and promised those who seize the opportunity it’s as lucrative as “basically minting money.”
• Axios reports Ford Motor Co. unveiled a bunch of deals and agreements the auto giant says will ensure it has the batteries and raw materials to support rapid growth of electric vehicle production.

Coal:

• Argus reports US thermal coal imports dipped from a year earlier in the first five months of 2022 as seaborne prices climbed and a power plant that takes imported coal gets ready for retirement.
• Argus reports high gas prices and supply constraints will promote coal-fired thermal power generation in Europe and northeast Asia in the near term, the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) said.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports that a federal appeals court dismissed a complaint by Entergy and Xcel Energy seeking to overturn a cost allocation methodology for projects in grid operator MISO’s territory that connect to PJM’s territory.

Climate:

• Politico reports President Joe Biden will announce new steps to combat climate change, but will stop short of declaring a national emergency that would unlock new tools for driving down greenhouse gases, the White House said Tuesday.

Coal:

• Mountain State Spotlight reports the Supreme Court ruling is unlikely to revive coal in West Virginia.
• Argus reports Powder River basin (PRB) coal production inched higher in the second quarter when compared with a year earlier, despite declines from Peabody Energy and Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC) mines.

Mining:

• Grist reports on opposition to gold mining in Alaska on the Kuskokwim River.

In the news today…

Grid:

• KSAL reports that Evergy officials are saying its electric grid is prepared for increased demand during a forecasted string of hot days.
• Washington Examiner reports more and more eyes have been focused on the the Texas grid, most of which is overseen by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), as a heat wave strikes.

Minerals:

• The Dispatch reports earlier this year, Goldman Sachs released a report claiming that the world will soon see an “oversupply” of the metals needed to manufacture the lithium-ion batteries that will power electric vehicles and facilitate a greener economy. Industry experts and consultants disagreed and soon after unleashed a storm of criticism rebutting the report: There is no imminent surplus of the battery materials—metals like nickel, cobalt, and lithium—but a looming shortage, they said.
• Washington Post reports companies are seeking to open old mines and explore in new sensitive regions, amid resistance from Californians who want the Gold Rush to remain part of history.

Carbon Capture:

• Axios reports a new trade group is advocating for early-stage companies seeking to commercialize nascent tech for pulling CO2 from the atmosphere and making sure it doesn’t return.
• E&E Climatewire reports more than 40 companies today launched the Carbon Business Council, the first trade association for startups focused on carbon dioxide removal, utilization and trading.
• E&E Energywire reports a North Dakota project is the first in the United States to trap and store carbon dioxide emissions under state-led regulatory authority for carbon storage, the development’s investors said yesterday.