Happy Friday!
In the news today…
Energy:
- E&E Energywire reports the upcoming presidential inauguration of Joe Biden has opened the floodgates this week on proposals for achieving the clean energy future he has promised.
Mining:
- Mining.com reports the Apache tribe claims the U.S. does not own the land it is preparing to give to Rio Tinto to mine on.
- Lincoln Journal Star reports a federal judge has denied a request from a group of Apaches who sought to keep the U.S. Forest Service from issuing an environmental review of a copper mining project until the court takes up a larger case over who legally owns land known as Oak Flat.
Coal:
- Casper Star Tribune reports Wyoming’s amended financial forecast indicates oil production and coal extraction increased in calendar years 2020 and 2021, but the state still has an unsustainable revenue model that depends on revenue from fossil fuels.
- Associated Press and E&E Greenwire report five miners died in U.S. coal mines in 2020, an all-time low mark for an industry in a year that saw continuing declines in production as electric providers move away from burning coal.
- Politico Pro reports the Interior Department has finalized a rule changing how companies calculate royalty payments for oil, natural gas and coal extracted from federal lands, a move the Trump administration says will save the industry $28.9 million a year.
- Barron’s reports coal is experiencing a mini-rebound.
Minerals:
- Star Tribune reports efforts to slow copper-mining’s advance into Minnesota are intensifying, with state lawmakers proposing a prohibitive measure that would require mining companies to show proof that a similar non-iron, hard-rock mine has operated safely elsewhere.
- Mining.com reports buoyed by the ramp-up of its Lucky Friday mine in Idaho, following a nearly three-year strike by unionized workers at the operation, Hecla Mining produced 13.5 million oz of silver in 2020 – the highest since 2016.
COVID-19:
- Argus and E&E Climatewire report President-elect Joe Biden released plans for a pandemic “rescue package” worth $1.9 trillion that would include stimulus checks, more vaccination funding and hundreds of billions of dollars in spending meant to revive the economy.