In the news today…
Coal:
- The Washington Post and E&E Climatewire report one of the world’s biggest mining companies, Glencore has promised to cap the amount of the coal it is capable of taking out of the ground as it faces pressure from investors to rein in greenhouse gas emissions.
- The Associated Press reports Montana-Dakota Utilities plans to retire the coal-fired electric generation units at Heskett Station near Mandan in 2021. MDU said Tuesday the company will replace the coal-fired units with a new natural gas facility.
- E&E Energywire reports operators of a century-old coal plant in Alabama say Obama-era environmental rules are behind their decision to close the facility, which first started churning out electricity in 1917.
- Washington Examiner reports as the furor over Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam’s blackface incident is seemingly dying down, his first act of redemption will likely be to sign a bill marking the beginning of the end of coal use in the Old Dominion.
- E&E Energywire reports a study by Indiana researchers shows coal and natural gas could dominate the state’s electricity supply for decades without changes in policy.
Green New Deal:
- The Wall Street Journal carries an op-ed from Robert Blohm, an elected member of the Operating Committee and the Standards Committee of the North American Electric Reliability Corp. In the piece, Mr. Blohm writes the Democrats’ Green New Deal calls for a fully renewable electric power grid. Regardless of the economic or political challenges of bringing this about, it is likely technologically impossible.
Energy:
- North of 60 Mining News outlines how reliance on foreign minerals may impacts the auto and energy storage industries in the United States, highlighting a message that Simon Moores, the managing director at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, delivered to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
- Inside Climate News reports that significantly more battery storage would be necessary in a 100 percent renewable energy grid.
EPA:
- Politico Pro reports new pollution data released by EPA today showed that U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from power plants increased by 0.6 percent in 2018, while emissions of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide extended their downtrends.