In the news today…
Grid:
- The Hill reports that Texas electricity prices surge amid record heat and demand. Texas businesses and utilities in danger of running short on electricity will have to pay big money to shore up their reserves.
- Bloomberg reports that Natural gas plants, now the top source of electricity in the US, are to blame for a disproportionate share of outages during extreme weather events.
- E&E News reports that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to spend up to $5 billion to repair Puerto Rico’s existing fossil fuel power plants and infrastructure, helping shore up the island’s power grid but potentially delaying its clean energy transition.
Mining:
- The Associated Press reports that a U.S. appeals court will consider challenges Tuesday to a huge lithium mine in Nevada in a case that pits environmentalists and Native Americans against President Joe Biden’s plans to combat climate change and could have broad implications for mining operations across the West.
General:
- The New York Times reports that John B. Goodenough, the scientist who shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his crucial role in developing the revolutionary lithium-ion battery, the rechargeable power pack that is ubiquitous in today’s wireless electronic devices and electric and hybrid vehicles, died on Sunday at an assisted living facility in Austin, Texas. He was 100.
Coal:
- Argus reports Montana regulators will delay acting on two recently enacted coal-mining laws until possibly some time in 2024.
Permitting:
- Politico Pro reports President Joe Biden’s new appointee to lead the federal permitting council is aiming to use his job to help smooth the interaction between agencies and project developers, even as Congress looks to overhaul the rules that many blame for slowing construction of both fossil fuel and clean energy infrastructure.