Happy Friday!
In the news today…
Grid:
- Utility Dive reports that partially approving ISO New England’s aggregated distributed energy resources plan, federal energy regulators say the grid operator “needs to roll up its sleeves” to open markets to behind-the-meter DERs.
- Grist reports that, as North Dakota prepares to sue Minnesota over clean energy, interstate feuds threaten to make the difficult task of getting regional power grids off fossil fuels even more complicated.
Minerals:
- Reuters reports that construction begins at the controversial Thacker Pass mine in Nevada after environmentalists’ and tribes’ legal bids to halt work were denied.
- E&E Daily reports Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) is probing the Energy Department’s connection to a report that he says improperly advocates for mass transit and urban living to ease demand on lithium needed to produce electric vehicles.
Mining:
- North of 60 Mining News carries an op-ed which argues America’s regulatory system is broken.
- Inside EPA reports EPA is planning to include “flexibility” measures in its forthcoming expansion of the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) in order to allay grid operators’ fears that the proposal could lead to reliability problems, EPA’s air chief nominee Joe Goffman told the Senate environment committee during his confirmation hearing.
Nuclear:
- The Associated Press reports the Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted PG&E Corp. an exemption that would allow the operator to continue running the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in California — scheduled to shut down by 2025 — while the regulatory agency reviews an expected operating license renewal for the facility. The NRC’s exemption faced backlash from environmentalists who have cited concerns about the safety of the facility, which is located by earthquake faults.