In the news today…
Energy:
- E&E Daily reports the energy industry is picking sides in the primary race between incumbent West Virginia GOP Reps. David McKinley and Alex Mooney.
Coal:
- CPR News reports the newest generator at Colorado’s largest coal-fired power plant would shut down by 2031, four years earlier than what was initially agreed upon by operator Xcel Energy and government agencies, according to a new version of a settlement proposal obtained by CPR News Friday.
- E&E Climatewire reports when Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) explains why he has blocked key parts of the president’s climate agenda, he often points to his support for an “all-of-the-above energy” strategy. But when it comes to energy production, the senator’s home state of West Virginia is far from being diverse. Its power is derived almost entirely from coal.
World News:
- The Washington Post reports China already consumes and produces about half the world’s coal and continued expansion of output and capacity make achieving its climate goals look ever more remote.
- Reuters reports the global capacity of power plants fired by coal, the fossil fuel that emits the most carbon dioxide when burned, rose nearly 1% last year as the world recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a research report by a U.S. environmental group.