In the news today…
Energy Policy:
- E&E Energywire reports the Interior Department’s efforts to expand development of federal oil, gas and coal have suffered some recent courtroom setbacks.
- E&E Daily reports Democrats are expected to push for more renewable energy development on federal lands during a House Natural Resources oversight hearing tomorrow where the Trump administration’s energy policies are expected to take center stage.
Coal:
- Oilprice.com reports a wave of clean energy policies in states is killing coal.
- The Washington Examiner reports the Trump administration could be turning away from coal in Appalachia.
- E&E Greenwire reports there is uncertainty around the future of MATS, with some believing it could be withdrawn in its entirety.
- E&E Greenwire reports the Brayton Point Power Station in Massachusetts had its cooling towers demolished this weekend; the site will be turned into a multi-use facility mainly dedicated to supporting offshore wind farms.
- E&E News PM reports Sen. Cory Booker calls for not only reauthorizing the Abandoned Mine Land fee but also doubling the rates coal companies pay for every ton of coal mined.
- E&E Energywire reports an alternative to coal which involves turning trash into a fuel opened last month, and EPA has set a 30 percent limit on how much of the new fuel can be used as a supplement to coal.
- The Washington Examiner reports Energy Secretary Rick Perry says switching the nation to 100 percent renewable energy would lead to permanent black outs without more reliable power plants.
- NorthcentralPA.com reports Pennsylvania lawmakers on Friday announced the re-organization of the Legislative Coal Caucus, a bipartisan, bicameral legislative caucus that focuses on supporting and enhancing Pennsylvania’s coal mining industry.
- The Sun Times reports Powder River Basin coal demand could fall between 1 to 3 percent per year, according to one of the basin’s largest producers, Arch Coal.
- KTWO and the Casper Star Tribune report Wyoming governor Mark Gordon has serious reservations about the potential early retirement of units at two Wyoming coal-fired power plants due to the loss of jobs and the discouragement it brings to clean coal technology development.
- Bloomberg reports federal judges have repeatedly gotten in the way of President Trump’s “energy dominance” policy to bolster fossil fuels such as coal.
- S&P Global reports a PacifiCorp study confirms that coal is being pushed out of the market, and the company presented analysis showing customers could save money if four units were retired early.
Minerals:
- WKBN reports the Pennsylvania Winner Development Company will use a federal grant to see if rare earth elements can be cost-effectively extracted from coal ash.
- DesignNews reports a new copper-based material could be used to replace more expensive precious metals like silver and gold in next-generation and printed electronics.
EPA:
- PoliticoPro, InsideEPA and E&E Greenwire report a federal court faulted EPA for omitting questions from a list companies must answer to keep chemical identities “confidential” under the updated Toxic Substances Control Act.
- PoliticoPro and InsideEPA report EPA plans to allow Texas to shield the state’s power plants, refineries and other industrial plants from civil penalties for pollution emitted during malfunctions.
World News:
- E&E Energywire reports German energy company RWE won’t invest in new coal-fired power stations as “new coal-fired power stations no longer have a place in [its] future-oriented strategy”.