In the news today…
Coal:
- Westport News reports coal production in Montana fell by 23% in 2020, compared to the previous year, as demand for coal and the electricity it is used to generate declined during the pandemic.
- The Fort Morgan Times reports a coal fire has been burning in the “live storage” at Pawnee Power Plant near Brush since Wednesday, July 14, according to a statement about the fire from Brush Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Ray Uhrick provided to The Fort Morgan Times on Tuesday afternoon.
- Argus reports higher domestic and international coal demand gave eastern railroad CSX its busiest coal shipping quarter in more than a year.
Energy:
- S&P Global reports coal retirements in the Midwest Independent System Operator are giving natural gas-fired power surprisingly large market share in the ISO territory this summer, despite historically elevated gas prices.
- The Herald-Dispatch carries an op-ed which argues the planned early closure of a southern Ohio coal plant could forecast similar closures in the Ohio Valley region.
- Politico Pro reports the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is offering its ideas for a clean electricity standard, foreshadowing potential fights as Democrats move forward with a massive, multitrillion-dollar reconciliation package.
Carbon Capture:
- Energy News Network reports the Sierra Club is warning that proposed carbon capture and sequestration infrastructure in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and the Dakotas may help extend the life of fossil fuel power plants.
Minerals/Metals:
- Politico Pro reports conservationists suing a federal agency over approval of a mine at the largest known U.S. deposit of lithium urged a judge to issue a temporary restraining order blocking excavations they say would disturb sacred tribal burial grounds near the Nevada-Oregon line.
- Mining.com and the Washington Post report a U.S. federal judge said on Wednesday she will rule by July 29 on whether to temporarily block Lithium Americas Corp from excavating its Thacker Pass site in Nevada, which could become one of the country’s biggest lithium mines.
- The Wall Street Journal reports Form Energy’s iron-air batteries could have big ramifications for storing electricity on the power grid.