In the news today…
Coal:
- NPR Illinois: Springfield utility officials claim keeping the city’s coal plant running will require millions of dollars.
- Utility Dive: Dairyland Power Cooperative will retire its 345MW coal plant in 2021 following approval of a new natural gas plant.
- Navajo Times: The Navajo Transitional Energy Company has denied news reports stating the company is behind on federal and county taxes.
- NPR: Hopi tribal members face a lack of coal fuel since the mine they had relied on closed last fall.
- Argus: Alliance Resource Partners expects production to fall by 9 percent this year in response to weak domestic and international demand.
Mining:
- E&E Daily: House Democrats are insisting the Forest Service reverse a decision allowing Midas Gold Corp. to self-review a proposed gold project in Idaho.
- Associated Press: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed designating habitat areas for two protected crayfish species in the coalfields of Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia.
- Appalachian News Express: Kentucky Division of Mine Safety has revoked permits from and ordered the closure of four of American Resources Corporation mines, citing permit violations.
- Argus: A U.S. bankruptcy court will hear an update next month on the dispute over compensation of mining shovels between FM Coal and Komatsu Mining.
NEPA:
- E&E Greenwire: Environmental groups and congressional Democrats are asking for the comment period for proposed changes to NEPA to be extended six more months.
EPA:
- Inside EPA: EPA staff’s ISA that examines the health effects of PM is making few changes from the proposed version criticized by agency science advisers.
- Inside EPA: The Science Advisory Board has dropped the consideration of ‘co-benefits’ from the MATS rollback report.
Electric Vehicles:
- Detroit Free Press: GM commits to $2.2 billion investment and 2,200 jobs at Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant to make it a state-of-the-art facility building electric and self-driving cars.
Climate:
- InsideClimate News: The U.S. Supreme Court may be the final stop for state and local lawsuits seeking climate damages from oil and gas companies.