In the news today…
Coal:
- NUVO reports a just transition from coal in Indiana includes supporting communities that have been disproportionately affected by coal pollution, a columnist says.
- Bristol Herald Courier reports Southwest Virginia’s coal industry felt the pandemic’s impacts as companies furloughed employees and idled production at several sites amid safety concerns and reduced demand for electricity and steel.
- Argus reports U.S. coal producer Contura Energy plans to sell its largest mine in Pennsylvania and has idled property in Central Appalachia because of adverse market conditions.
- E&E Energywire reports West Virginia lawmakers are urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to keep a struggling coal-fired power plant online.
Energy:
- Augusta Free Press carries an op-ed from House Representative Morgan Griffith in which he advocates for supporting domestic coal production to sell abroad and for the streamlining of NSR to support clean generation at home.
- S&P Global reports coal generation is disproportionally down when compared with overall generation.
Clean Water Act:
- Politico Pro reports a federal judge in San Francisco on Friday denied an 11th-hour bid by a coalition of Democratic attorneys general to halt implementation of the Trump administration’s controversial new definition of streams and wetlands that warrant federal protection.
- E&E Greenwire and Argus report the Trump administration’s rule narrowing the scope of which wetlands and waterways are protected under the Clean Water Act takes effect in most of the country.
MATS:
- Argus reports environmental and civil rights groups have sued the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over changes it made to the cost-benefit analysis of its mercury and air toxics standards for coal- and oil-fired power plants.
- Bloomberg Law reports California and Massachusetts are part of a coalition of 16 Democratic states and New York City that are gearing up to defend federal mercury pollution standards for power plants against a challenge mounted a month ago by a Colorado-based coal company.
Mining:
- Mining Technology reports the COVID-19 pandemic could spark an autonomous revolution in mining.
- Mining.com reports Hudbay Minerals has filed its initial brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals regarding the court decision nearly a year ago to deny the company from proceeding with construction of its Rosemont project.
Climate:
- E&E Climatewire reports the CO2 Coalition has bypassed fact-checkers on Facebook, allowing it to attack climate science and promote the use of fossil fuels.