In the news today…
EPA:
- The Hill carries an op-ed from J. Winston Porter, former assistant administrator of the EPA. In the piece, Porter writes in favor for the revised NSPS and takes aim at the idea of a “Green New Deal.”
- Politico, Global Mining Review and Think Progress report the Trump administration proposed curbing the power of the Clean Water Act Tuesday by rolling back the open-ended application of the “Waters of the U.S.” rule, or WOTUS.
Coal:
- Utility Dive reports Democratic Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday released a new clean energy proposal that would reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions 25% below 1990 levels by 2035, eliminating over 80 million metric tons of carbon.
- E&E New PM reports a federal judge Tuesday threw out part of the lawsuit against Washington state regulators for rejecting permits needed to build a controversial coal export terminal. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington sided with the Washington State Department of Ecology over the coal company.
- Utility Dive reports Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner Richard Glick on Monday predicted a return to the debate over coal and nuclear compensation at FERC, telling a Washington audience, “I don’t think the issue is dead.”
- Argus reports the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) is calling on world leaders to phase out coal-fired power generation by 2050.
- Longview Daily News reports a federal judge delivered a potentially fatal blow to a proposed Washington coal terminal by upholding the state’s refusal to grant a key water quality permit.
- Axios reports U.S. firms face mounting risks related to coal investments as 42 percent of coal plants are losing money heading toward retirement.
Energy Policy:
- Politico reports Senate Democrats named Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) the new ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, as the panel’s current top Democrat, Maria Cantwell of Washington, heads to the Commerce Committee.