In the news today…
Minerals:
- Washington Examiner reports Republicans want to break U.S. reliance on China for critical minerals, used in everything from military equipment to renewable power to cellphone batteries.
Mining:
- Milwaukee Business Journal reports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s top official visited Milwaukee Monday and toured the former Solvay Coke & Gas Co. Superfund site that will soon be transformed into Komatsu Mining Corp.’s headquarters.
- E&E Greenwire and Argus report two prominent labor unions sued the Trump administration to force mine safety officials to take steps to protect workers from contracting COVID-19.
Carbon Capture:
- DeSmog reports the Center for Global Energy Policy (CGEP) at Columbia University released a report concluding that, without major new subsidies from the American public, technologies for capturing heat-trapping carbon dioxide from coal and natural gas-fired power plants will remain uneconomical.
Energy:
- Washington Examiner reports Senators of both parties on the Energy Committee are touting their sidelined sweeping energy package as a way to reinvigorate the industry.
Coal:
- The Bend Bulletin reports Oregon’s last coal-fired power plant will close this year.
- Argus reports CenterPoint Energy subsidiary Vectren may retire three coal-fired power plant units and eliminate a partnership for a fourth by the end of 2023.
- Power reports a Colorado-based electric utility owned by the four communities it serves announced it will close its remaining coal-fired plant by the end of the decade, a facility that had a planned retirement date of 2046.
Climate:
- E&E Daily reports Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden proclaimed that this year’s presidential election is “the most important election of our lifetimes” because of climate change during a virtual town hall.