In the news today and from the weekend…
Coal:
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports new legislation is out to that could change the fees required by the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Trust Fund.
- E&E Greenwire reports a California city yesterday asked a federal appeals court to take a second look at a ruling that upended efforts to block coal exports from the San Francisco Bay.
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports Consol Energy Inc. has filed a notice with the state that it plans to lay off 233 workers at its Enlow Fork Mine at the end of August.
- Argus reports US coal production fell by an estimated 37pc last quarter from a year earlier as the Covid-19 pandemic further weakened the market by reducing power demand and sparking a global economic contraction.
Electric Grid:
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Missouri’s power system is expected to be stressed more than any other state’s by rising temperatures over the next few decades, according to a new report.
Clean Energy:
- Energy News Network reports the Sierra Club criticizes plans by Ohio State University to build a new natural gas-powered combined heat and power plant, saying renewable energy options should be explored further.
Mining:
- E&E Greenwire reports environmental groups have sued the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection over what they say is the agency’s failure to adhere to federal reporting requirements for a coal mine reclamation fund.
Minerals:
- Mining.com reports copper prices are surging, and for once it’s not because the economy is booming.
- Mining.com reports researchers at the University of Michigan have made plastic conductive while also making it more transparent by incorporating silver, copper, zinc and aluminum to sheets of the material.
- E&E Daily reports House Democrats are scolding the Department of Energy for proposing new nuclear energy policies without following through on how it plans to put those ideas into practice.