In the news today…
Energy:
- E&E Energywire reports Southern Co. will be a net-zero emissions company by 2050, its CEO, Tom Fanning, said yesterday.
- E&E Energywire reports the IRS yesterday offered a pandemic-related extension to key requirements needed for renewable projects to qualify for a lucrative tax credit.
- E&E Energywire reports American Electric Power Co. is set to spend about $2 billion on wind generation for customers in at least three states — Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma — as it continues to navigate pushback in Texas.
- E&E Daily reports a group of congressional Democrats called on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission earlier this week to reject a petition that could upend net metering policies in states across the country.
Coal:
- Utility Dive reports two Wisconsin coal plants cost Alliant Energy’s Wisconsin customers $16 million in 2019 alone, according to a report released Tuesday from the Sierra Club.
- Axios reports the new IEA report shows why, absent tougher climate policies, coal will remain a huge player in global power markets despite its much publicized declines in the U.S. and Europe.
- E&E Greenwire reports environmental groups are accusing EPA of dropping critical water protections in New England after approving a key permit for the region’s largest coal-fired power plant that doesn’t require cooling towers for water discharged into the Merrimack River.
Minerals:
- E&E Greenwire reports a uranium producer may reopen a mine near the Grand Canyon after a federal judge on Friday ruled against groups that challenged the company’s mineral rights.
- Associated Press reports a federal judge has ruled against environmental groups and a tribe in their bid to keep a uranium mine south of the Grand Canyon from operating.
- Mining.com reports Rio Tinto has developed a way to extract high-purity scandium oxide from waste at its titanium dioxide production facilities in Quebec.
Climate:
- E&E Daily reports Joe Biden would likely have to rely on executive actions to pursue his green initiatives should he win the election.