In the news today…
Emissions:
- Utility Dive reports that U.S. power sector carbon emissions fell 8% from 2018-2019 as a result of coal plant closures, according to a new report.
Mining:
- JD Supra reports Husch Blackwell’s mine safety and health team represented national industry associations in filing an amicus brief to describe industry protections against the virus.
Coal:
- WFPL reports more than 50 Ohio Valley coal companies received loans totaling as much as $119 million through the Paycheck Protection Program meant to keep people employed during the pandemic’s economic downturn.
- E&E Greenwire and Argus report Wyoming regulators approved a bid to develop the first new coal mine in the state in nearly 40 years.
- Argus reports a federal appeals court has criticized the US Environmental Protection Agency for not intervening in a state permit for PacifiCorp’s Hunter coal plant in Utah.
- Reuters reports U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged countries on Thursday to stop financing for coal and commit not to build new coal-fired power plants to enable a shift to clean energy.
Energy:
- Washington Examiner reports Exelon, a Chicago-based utility, is producing more zero-carbon electricity than any of its peers, but still adheres to an all-of-the-above approach.
- Power Magazine reports the five owners of a 410-MW coal-fired unit at the Craig Generating Station in Colorado have said they will retire the generator on Sept. 30, 2028, about one year before what will then be the last operating unit at the facility will be shuttered.
Minerals:
- The Salt Lake Tribune carries an op-ed which argues that nuclear power plants are uneconomical.
- Politico Pro reports one “silver lining” of the coronavirus pandemic has been a serious consideration of bringing the defense industry supply chain back to America, including rare earth minerals processing.
- E&E Energywire reports in Nevada, a handful of companies are eyeing lithium clay deposits that they say may yield the mineral — which is used in battery cathodes — through a new extraction process.