In the news today…
Mining:
- E&E Daily reports a coal mine on the Navajo Nation has sat idle, with no reclamation accomplished since it ceased operations last August, according to the House Natural Resources Committee.
Coal:
- S&P Global reports the U.S. coal sector is taking another beating as exports to two key markets, Asia and Europe, plunged in the first five months of this year.
- Politico Pro and E&E Climatewire report federal law enforcement officials charged Republican Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and five lobbyists and advisers on Tuesday in a years-long bribery scheme aimed at securing a $1.3 billion bailout for an Ohio coal and nuclear power company.
- Argus reports generators in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) footprint dispatched more coal-fired power than any other fuel last week for the first time this year.
Energy:
- E&E Daily reports an assortment of interests are stepping up pressure on Capitol Hill to include assistance for struggling clean energy sectors in the upcoming COVID-19 relief package that lawmakers are hoping to enact in the coming weeks.
EPA:
- Politico Pro reports a coalition of 21 Democratic attorneys general filed a suit on Tuesday against the Trump administration over its rule to limit states’ authority to use environmental concerns to block pipelines, coal export terminals, dams and other infrastructure projects.
World News:
- Politico Pro reports there are signs China is falling back on its old playbook of pumping cheap credit into fossil-fuel heavy energy projects like coal to help the economy recover from a historic first quarter contraction.