In the news today and from the weekend…
Rare Earth Metals:
- DefenseNews carries an op-ed by Jeff Green, president of the J.A. Green & Company government relations firm, in which he comments on China’s threatened restriction of rare earths to U.S. defense contractors and argues this has been a security vulnerability for years.
ACE Rule:
- InsideEPA reports EPA is only projecting small cuts in greenhouse gases from the ACE rule but is confident about the utility sector’s market-based shift toward lower emitting sources.
- InsideEPA reports EPA critics are questioning EPA’s cost-benefit analysis for its ACE rule, charging that the agency’s official projections of modest benefits could be inflated and the rule might even result in higher carbon emissions.
Coal:
- Washington Examiner reports Democrats are calling for a “just transition” of coal miners to other professions in the wake of Blackjewel LLC filing for bankruptcy.
- The Lexington Herald Leader reports Blackjewel will not be reimbursing miners’ paychecks until the company can resume its normal operations.
- WVPB reports a federal bankruptcy court has granted a request by Blackjewel to borrow $5 million to stay afloat on the condition that its president and CEO, Jeff Hoops, resigns.
Carbon Capture:
- Washington Examiner reports House lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill to support carbon capture research.
EPA:
- E&E Greenwire reports EPA plans to overhaul the Clean Air Act’s New Source Review program in the coming months.
- E&E Energywire reports new CEQ guidance rolling back key elements of an Obama-era instruction document could open legal vulnerabilities in NEPA reviews.
Environment:
- Axios reports the president will give a speech on his administration’s environmental efforts today; this is viewed as odd by many given his track record repealing environmental regulations.