Good Friday morning!!
In the news today…
Mining:
- Mining.com, KFGO and News 18 report from Reuters that outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is moving to loosen mining regulations and green light new mineral projects before leaving office this month, with successor Joe Biden unable to reverse some of the changes.
- S&P Global reports the U.S. coal sector continued to struggle under the pro-coal Trump administration and will likely face new challenges on the political front under a Biden presidency and a U.S. Congress controlled by Democrats.
Coal:
- Grand Forks Herald reports a transition from coal to wind generation is occurring in North Dakota.
- Argus reports US thermal coal exports inched higher in November from a year earlier as shipments to parts of Asia and Latin American climbed.
- Utility Dive reports the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) and Washington State Department of Commerce announced Tuesday that they adopted rules in late December to guide implementation of the state’s 2019 Clean Energy Transformation Act. Under the law, electric utilities in Washington must eliminate coal-fired power by 2025, achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, and source 100% of their energy from renewable or non-carbon emitting sources by 2045.
Carbon Capture:
- Argus reports the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Treasury Department have issued final regulations for tax credits for building facilities for carbon capture and enhanced oil or natural gas recovery.
Minerals:
- MinnPost reports recycling copper and other metals can help address the climate crisis, increase jobs, and provide the materials needed to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy.