In the news today…
Mining:
- E&E Greenwire reports the Fish and Wildlife Service today designated 446 stream miles of critical habitat for the Guyandotte River and Big Sandy crawfish, two vulnerable species that have vexed the Appalachian coal mining industry.
- Inside Climate News reports the Mining Law of 1872 lets miners pay no royalties for the precious minerals they dig from federal land and requires no restraints on their activities.
Minerals:
- NPR reports companies are betting hundreds of billions of dollars on electric cars and trucks. To make them, they’ll need a lot of batteries. And that means they need a lot of minerals, like lithium, cobalt and nickel, to be dug up out of the earth.
- OPB reports U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden is proposing a $50 million grant program to support domestic mining, processing and recycling of lithium and other critical minerals.
- Arizona Central carries an op-ed which argues it’s time to support copper mining in Arizona.
Coal:
- Charleston Gazette Mail reports the West Virginia Senate has advanced to the governor a bill that would increase fees associated with surface coal mine permits to boost funding for surface mining regulators.
- Argus reports coal-fired generation in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) rose by 8.3pc last month when compared with a year earlier as overall power demand grew and natural gas generation fell.
- WFYI reports data from the agency shows more than half of Indiana’s emissions came from power plants and a quarter from steel plants.
Energy:
- Argus reports US power generator Energy Harbor plans to stop burning coal in 2023 and aims to provide only carbon-free electricity through its nuclear energy facilities.
- Wisconsin State Journal reports six years after Wisconsin lifted a ban on nuclear power plant construction, a La Crosse utility company that operated the state’s first nuclear plant is exploring a return to atomic power.
World News:
- E&E Energywire reports human rights groups now are concerned about alleged abuses linked to another key component for clean energy: cobalt, a silvery-blue battery metal that is pivotal for electric vehicle batteries.