Good Monday morning!
In the news today and from the weekend…
Mining:
- E&E Greenwire reports large mining projects are now eligible for expedited permitting under a rule the Trump administration published Friday.
- Financial Times reports the end of the Millennium Bulk Terminal.
- E&E Greenwire reports the battle over a proposed copper and nickel mine near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness may soon tilt toward the opposition.
- Mining.com reports James Robert “Jim Bob” Moffett, the former chairman and chief executive officer of Freeport-McMoRan, has died.
Minerals:
- Reuters reports Albemarle Corp said on Thursday it will double production at its lithium facility in Silver Peak, Nevada, part of a plan to boost supply for the burgeoning electric vehicle (EV) market.
- Mining.com reports US President Donald Trump’s outgoing administration plans to approve a land swap on Jan. 15 that Rio Tinto and partners need to build a copper mine in Arizona, clearing a long-time hurdle for the project that is opposed by many Native Americans.
Coal:
- S&P Global reports weekly US coal production was estimated to be over 9.8 million st in the week ended Jan. 2, up 12.5% from the previous week, Energy Information Administration data said Jan. 7.
- E&E News PM reports EPA’s long-delayed carbon rule for new power plants will be final soon, and it could contain significant changes from the proposal, aimed at impeding the ability of President-elect Joe Biden’s EPA to regulate industrial sectors other than power generation.
International News:
- Mining Review reports the World Coal Association acknowledges the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Medium-Term Coal Market Report 2020 and calls for the IEA to continue its support of all fuels and clean technologies to meet global energy needs and reach net-zero emissions.