In the news today…
Coal:
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch carries an editorial which argues the Environmental Protection Agency issued a “good neighbor” rule last week that probably should have been implemented decades ago.
- Prescott News reports from Inside Sources that modern economies like the U.S. and Europe aren’t ready to walk away from coal quite yet.
- Argus reports the US Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) awarded $126.5mn to 24 states and two Native American tribes for abandoned mine cleanup projects.
- Argus reports a Kentucky bill to make it harder to retire coal- and natural gas-fired power plants became law without governor Andy Beshear’s (D) signature and despite utility objections.
Minerals:
- Roll Call reports lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are scrutinizing how the Biden administration handles new incentives for buying electric vehicles with the first formal guidance on which cars qualify for subsidies expected this week.
- Reuters reports the United States and Japan on Tuesday announced a trade deal on electric vehicle battery minerals that is key to strengthening their battery supply chains and granting Japanese automakers wider access to a new $7,500 U.S. EV tax credit.
- Axios reports the U.S. and Japan have struck a deal on critical battery minerals that could enable Japanese companies to capture some benefits of EV subsidies in the U.S. climate law.
WOTUS:
- E&E Daily reports the Senate is poised to vote this week on a resolution against President Joe Biden’s Clean Water Act rule.