In the news today…

Grid:

• Journal Review and KXNET reports that the USDA will award $91 million in Indiana and $50 million in North Dakota to modernize the rural electric grid and boost security.

Mining:

• Washington Post reports a contentious gold and copper mine project in Alaska may now be off the table after the Biden administration formally restricted mining in the area to protect one of the world’s biggest salmon spawning grounds.
• Washington Post reports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday effectively vetoed a proposed open-pit copper and gold mine in a remote region of southwest Alaska that is a trove of minerals coveted by mining interests but that also supports the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery.
• E&E Greenwire reports EPA will use a rare authority under the Clean Water Act to block the proposed Pebble mine and bar similar projects to dig up a massive gold and copper deposit in Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed, home to one of the world’s premier salmon fisheries.

Coal:

• Politico Pro reports the EU’s use of coal-fueled power rose last year as countries faced a shortfall in energy supplies related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but the increase was not a high as many feared, according to a report out Tuesday.

Natural Gas:

• Robert Bryce reports on “The Billionaires Behind The Gas Bans.” The hypocrisy of the billionaires who are funding anti-hydrocarbon campaigns, including bans on gas stoves. Natural gas bans are more about class than climate change.

Podcasts:

• High Energy Prices vs. the Energy Transition , Redefining Energy

Good Monday morning!

In the news today and from the weekend…

Grid:

• The Guardian reports that a new study from Energy Innovation found that it is more expensive to continue operating nearly all 210 coal plants across the United States than it is to construct an array of solar panels or a cluster of wind turbines near these sites. The findings come as the nation’s coal plants continue to age, become increasingly costly to maintain and are being displaced by cheaper sources of natural gas.
• Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that an Iowa city considers a roughly $20 million project to bury power lines underground to improve grid resilience.

Minerals:

• The Wall Street Journal publishes an op-ed on Biden’s Green-Energy Mineral Lockup. The feds block mining that is essential for making EV batteries.
• Fox News and The Northern Miner report the Biden administration on Thursday announced that it would complete a 20-year withdrawal of 225,504 acres in a northern Minnesota forest area that is home to some of the largest domestic critical mineral reserves.
• Utility Dive reports with a $700 million loan commitment from the Department of Energy, Ioneer hopes to launch a site that could produce enough lithium to support 370,000 EVs annually.

Congress:

• E&E Daily reports the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hear from trucking companies, railroads, construction contractors and labor representatives as it holds its first meeting under new Republican leadership.
• E&E Daily reports the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will evaluate the Department of Energy’s implementation of the bipartisan infrastructure law during a hearing this Thursday.

TGIF!

In the news today…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports that utility leaders say they “got lucky” in avoiding a harsh storm season in New England and beyond last year, and that supply chain issues could’ve delayed recovery had extreme weather taken out the grid.
• Boston Globe reports that climate activists are working to seat advocates on an ISO New England committee to steer the grid operator toward more ambitious climate action.

Congress:

• Politico Pro reports McConnell criticized Manchin for his push to halt electric vehicle tax credits that don’t meet strict new domestic sourcing requirements included in Democrats’ health care, climate and tax package from last year, which Manchin played a central role in crafting.

Mining:

• Washington Post, E&E Greenwire, Roll Call, The Bharat Express News and The Hill report the Biden administration took final actions Thursday to protect waterways in pristine northeastern Minnesota, likely halting a proposed copper mine there, a move that inflamed Republican lawmakers who want to see domestic development of minerals critical for electric vehicle batteries and clean tech. Rich Nolan is quoted.
• Politico Pro reports the Department of Interior Thursday issued an order to protect a large swath of Minnesota lakes and wilderness from mining — dealing a blow to the yearslong effort to build a copper mine in the region.
• E&E News PM reports the company that wants to develop a copper and nickel mine in northern Minnesota near the pristine Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness decried the Biden administration’s decision Thursday to order a 20-year mining ban in the region.
• New York Times reports tribal groups are fighting an Arizona project whose backers say increasing the supply of copper, crucial to batteries, would reduce fossil-fuel use.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports that Xcel Energy is among a handful of utilities launching new planning departments dedicated to preparing for utility systems and an electric grid of the future.
• Associated Press reports that Puerto Rico privatized its electricity production on Wednesday, selecting Genera PR to take over the operation and maintenance of state power generation units in the U.S. territory as part of an initial $22.5 million annual contract.
• Utility Dive reports that buildings capable of participating in demand response programs while hosting solar generation and battery storage will number more than 202 million in 2031, according to a new estimate.

Mining:

• Argus reports Blackhawk Mining, one of Central Appalachia’s largest coal producers, is expanding its commercial business, including increasing its presence in thermal coal sales.
• Politico Pro reports a shareholder class-action lawsuit against the developer of the Pebble Mine in Alaska can continue after a judge on Wednesday declined to dismiss the case.

Minerals:

• The Hill reports broad investment in mass transit and reduced reliance on cars could reduce the additional lithium required to transition to electric vehicles by 90 percent, according to research from the Climate and Community Project and the University of California, Davis.

In the news today…

Congress:

• E&E News reports that Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) introduced legislation aimed at blocking the Treasury Department from handing out electric vehicle subsidies for cars that do not meet the Inflation Reduction Act’s strict domestic battery sourcing requirements. Manchin’s bill would also force those who received the tax credit this year to return the money if they cannot show compliance with the law’s battery requirements, according to a Democratic committee aide who spoke anonymously.

Coal:

• Argus reports coal exports out of Hampton Roads, Virginia, inched above year-earlier levels for the first time in three months in December.
• E&E Energywire reports the electric utility in San Antonio voted this week to phase out its last coal plant by 2028, though critics say a plan to keep the site partially online with natural gas falls short of climate goals for Texas’ second-largest city.
• Cowboy State Daily reports Wyoming coal mines saw an uptick in production last year, but about 50 million tons of production didn’t happen because of a lack of rail service to get the coal from the mines in Wyoming to power plants across the country.

Minerals:

• E&E Daily reports House Republicans are planning to investigate the Biden administration’s strategy aimed at loosening foreign control of supply chains for electric vehicles and other renewable energy technology.
• E&E Daily reports Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin took another swipe at the Biden administration Wednesday, releasing legislation that would stop the Treasury Department from issuing subsidies for consumer electric vehicles that don’t comply with strict sourcing requirements for batteries and battery minerals.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports that average interconnection costs for projects waiting to be built in grid operator PJM’s territory increased eightfold from 2020 to 2022.
• Utility Dive reports that U.S. utilities prepare for more distributed energy resources to come online this year, bringing opportunities for load flexibility.

Clean Water Act:

• National Mortgage Professional reports a diverse group of 17 national and regional organizations — including the American Farm Bureau Federation, the American Petroleum Institute, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the National Association of Realtors (NAR), and the National Mining Association (NMA) — have filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn a recent revision to the federal Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule.

Mining:

• Washington Examiner reports an Australian mining company has been cited for endangering a 6-inch desert wildflower less than a week after the Department of Energy signed off on a $700 million conditional loan for the company to mine lithium in Nevada.
• E&E Climatewire reports steel manufacturers should work with coal producers to curb methane leaks from mines to reduce the overall warming impact from making the alloy, according to a report from energy think tank Ember.

Minerals:

• E&E Greenwire reports the Biden administration plans to back as many as 16 overseas projects to mine, refine and recycle minerals for electric vehicle batteries and other renewable technology, while moving forward with requirements to ensure those deals don’t result in environmental degradation and human rights violations.
• Washington Post reports U.S. reliance on Russian nuclear fuel is substantial, but American companies have some options if Rosatom is hit with sanctions.

In the news today and from the weekend…

Grid:

• E&E News reports on how Texas’ electricity plan could transform the grid. After a boom in wind and solar generation, regulators in the nation’s top energy-producing state are pushing ahead with a plan that would incentivize more natural gas plants on the power grid.

World News:

• New York Times reports cobalt, a mineral essential to the batteries of smart devices and electric vehicles — and therefore to the future — is haunted by a past of slavery and colonialism.
• Mining.com reports the UK’s grid operator asked three coal-fired power units to be ready to generate on Monday as it boosts electricity supplies during a cold snap.

TGIF!

In the news today…

Climate:

• City Journal reports on California’s green debacle. The Golden State’s energy policies impose ruinous costs on residents but make no measurable impact on global climate.

Grid:

• RTO Insider (subscription needed) reports that the Texas Public Utility Commission on Thursday unanimously agreed to the principles necessary to replace ERCOT’s energy-only market with a performance credit mechanism (PCM), sending the proposal to an uncertain fate in the legislature.

Microgrids:

• WDIO reports that Xcel Energy is partnering with a Wisconsin county to build the state’s first microgrid, which would isolate the county jail and courthouse from the grid in the event of an outage.

Clean Water Act:

• Argus and Inside EPA report the state of Texas and industry groups are challenging the legality of recent changes the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers made in the definition of Waters of the US (WOTUS).
• E&E Greenwire reports a coalition of 18 industry groups is challenging the Biden administration’s new definition of which wetlands and waterways are protected by the Clean Water Act.

Mining:

• E&E News PM reports Georgia regulators released detailed plans Thursday for a titanium mine near the fabled Okefenokee swamp, a project that’s drawn the ire of environmental groups and the head of the Interior Department.
• Washington Post reports a company’s plan to mine minerals just outside the Okefenokee Swamp and its federally protected wildlife refuge moved a big step closer Thursday to approval by Georgia regulators, who have spent years evaluating the project that opponents say could permanently harm an ecological treasure.
• Washington Post reports five days after the U.S. Energy Department announced a $700 million conditional loan to an Australian mining company pursuing a lithium project in Nevada, federal land managers cited it for trespassing within the habitat of an endangered flower.

In the news today…

World News:

• Bloomberg reports that at the World Economic Forum in Davos, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry will launch an initiative called the National Strategy to Develop Statistics for Environmental-Economic Decisions to take stock of the nation’s natural resources, such as the value of land, air, water and natural assets, in an effort to paint an accurate picture of America’s output. The initiative will be led by co-chairs Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young and Arati Prabhakar, the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Grid:

• Houston Chronicle and WFAA report that Texas regulators are set to vote today on an overhaul of the state power market and grid that would raise electricity rates to incent power companies to be available when there’s a power shortage.
• News-Sun reports AES Ohio will invest $100 million into transmission and distribution infrastructure to support the operations of a forthcoming electric vehicle manufacturing plant.

Minerals:

• Fox Business carries a video featuring Talon Metals.
• Fox Business reports Talon Metals is working to establish a domestic nickel supply chain.
• Bloomberg reports American Lithium Corp.’s top executive is seeing promising signs that the US government is ready to ramp up funding for the domestic supply chain of battery metals, just as demand for electric vehicles surges.

Clean Water Act:

• E&E News PM and Politico Pro report Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is among the first to sue after the Biden administration’s Clean Water Act rule hit the Federal Register on Wednesday, opening the floodgates for legal challenges.

In the news today and from the 3-day weekend…

[Update] FERC:

• E&E News reports that Matthew Christiansen, general counsel at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and Rick Kessler, a senior Democratic adviser for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, are both under consideration to fill the vacant position on the commission, according to several people familiar with the process. The White House recently appointed Willie Phillips (D) to lead the agency as acting chair, as the five-member commission remains split with two Democrats, including Phillips, and two Republicans on the panel.

Minerals:

• E&E Greenwire reports the Biden administration on Friday offered its first loan commitment for a lithium processing plant, backing a facility in southwest Nevada that would provide the highly sought mineral needed for EV batteries but that some environmentalists contend will further threaten an endangered flower.
• Politico Pro reports the Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office has conditionally agreed to provide millions to a proposed critical minerals mine in Nevada that has drawn environmental concerns over its proximity to an endangered wildflower.
• Axios reports the Energy Department plans to lend Ioneer up to $700 million to support the planned Rhyolite Ridge project to mine lithium, sending its shares soaring.

World News:

• Axios reports Sweden’s state-owned mining company, LKAB, says it has discovered more than 1 million tons of rare earth metals in Lapland, in the country’s far north — the largest known such deposit in Europe.

Happy Friday!

In the news today…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports that power plant operators in PJM’s territory could face up to $2 billion in penalties for not operating during widespread winter storms last month.
• Los Angeles Times reports that California analysts urge utilities to look for innovative ways to make the electricity grid more resilient after a series of storms left more than 400,000 people without power at one time.

Minerals:

• CNBC reports lithium company Ioneer said Friday that it’s secured a conditional commitment for a loan of up to $700 million from the Department of Energy as the U.S. seeks to develop new supply chains for materials that are critical to the energy transition.

Permitting:

• E&E Daily reports the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s new chair on Wednesday set aside GOP talking points to seek bipartisanship on issues like legislation to ease permitting for energy development.
• Washington Examiner reports talk of reforming environmental review and permitting laws has been muted so far early in this Congress, overtaken by initial housekeeping work and other immediate legislative priorities.

Coal:

• Argus reports US coal mining employment ended 2022 at its highest level in more than two years as some producers expanded output to take advantage of elevated demand and prices seen earlier in the year.

In the news today…

Grid:

• WPLN and Knoxville News Sentinel report that the Tennessee Valley Authority defies critics, clean energy advocates and federal officials by announcing it will stick with fossil fuels and replace a retiring coal plant with a 1,450 MW natural gas plant.
• Bloomberg reports that nearly 25% of grid operator PJM’s power generation fleet shut down during widespread winter storms at the end of December.

World News:

• Washington Post reports on the events between climate activists and police in Germany over a proposed coal mine.
• E&E Climatewire reports police in riot gear began evicting climate activists Wednesday from a condemned village in western Germany that is due to be demolished for the expansion of a coal mine.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Dallas Morning News reports that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signals support for a grid redesign that aims to improve reliability by encouraging the construction of more natural gas-fired power plants.

Coal:

• Argus reports coal-fired generation and consumption in the US is expected to fall at a more rapid pace this year than anticipated just a month ago, as natural gas prices decline, according to government forecasts.
• Washington Examiner reports tame winter conditions are putting big dents in the prices of gas and coal, both of which have plunged from their 2022 highs in recent weeks.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Reuters reports that tech giants, automakers and other major companies partner to promote virtual power plants, which can coordinate decentralized energy resources like solar, electric vehicles, and battery storage.

Emissions:

• Reuters reports that greenhouse gas emissions in the United States grew by 1.3% last year, as the nation remains short of meeting the goal of cutting emissions by at least 50% by 2030, compared to 2005 levels, according to a new report from the Rhodium Group. However, the growth in emissions was outpaced by the economic growth rate, suggesting that the carbon intensity of the economy dropped in 2022, as coal was displaced by natural gas and renewable energy in the power sector.

Permitting:

• E&E Daily reports a senior House Natural Resources Committee Republican offered an early preview Monday of how the GOP will seek to overhaul the permitting process for energy projects with its new House majority.

Minerals:

• Bloomberg reports dozens of companies have announced plans to open factories devoted to electric vehicle batter production, spurred by federal incentives and a growing market for cleaner cars.

Good Monday morning!

In the news today and from the weekend…

Grid:

• WOWK reports that AEP Ohio requests permission from state regulators to spend $2.2 billion on grid infrastructure upgrades to improve reliability.

Mining:

• E&E Greenwire reports an internal EPA memo shows some within the agency doubt whether a proposed veto of the Pebble mine would sufficiently protect Alaska’s famed Bristol Bay.

EPA:

• Washington Post reports refineries, power plants and other polluting facilities would have to cut their soot emissions under a proposed rule the Biden administration announced Friday that aims to reduce the deadly air pollution inhaled by Americans, particularly communities of color.

Energy:

• Washington Examiner reports new National Environmental Policy Act guidelines released by the White House direct agencies to foreground the greenhouse gas emissions associated with reviews of energy and other infrastructure projects. But the guidelines also specifically dispense reviews of renewable energy projects from having to include comprehensive analysis of their emissions impacts.

Happy Friday!

In the news today…

FERC:

• E&E News reports that Willie Phillips, the new acting chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, will likely advance proposed rules for the power grid, including efficiently connecting new energy projects and building out new long-distance power lines, while avoiding significant changes such as the commission’s process for reviewing natural gas pipeline applications. Phillips, a Democrat, has a voting record similar to that of former Chairman Richard Glick (D), who stepped down at the end of last year after failing to secure a renomination hearing, which was blocked by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).

Grid:

• Energy News Network reports that in Connecticut, frustration grows over inability to access Canadian hydropower because of stalled transmission line projects, which some say underscores the need for better interstate collaboration.
• Associated Press reports that DTE Energy is partnering with Michigan labor unions to train prisoners for tree-trimming jobs, which are crucial for the utility’s grid infrastructure program.

Mining:

• Associated Press reports that opponents of the largest lithium mine planned in the U.S. urged a federal judge in Nevada on Thursday to vacate the U.S. government’s approval of the project until it completes additional environmental reviews and complies with all state and federal laws.
• Mining.com reports from Reuters that a US judge said on Thursday she will rule “in the next couple of months” on whether former President Donald Trump erred in 2021 when he approved Lithium Americas Corp’s Thacker Pass lithium mining project in northern Nevada.

Coal:

• Argus reports US thermal coal exports fell from year-earlier levels again in November, led by a decline in sub-bituminous shipments.
• Argus reports coal-fired generation in the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) rose in December from year-earlier levels as electricity demand climbed and renewables lagged.

In the news today…

Grid:

• CNBC reports that Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) declared a state of emergency in California as a powerful winter storm is expected to bring heavy rain, snow and flooding throughout the state, with urban areas expected to receive 2 to 4 inches. Power outages hit more than 197,000 customers overnight, as the storm brought wind gusts of up to 85 miles per hour in the San Francisco area.
• Bloomberg reports that a California wine town plans to fight blackouts with batteries and hydrogen. The backup system in Calistoga will keep lights on for 2 days during emergency power shutoffs.

WOTUS:

• E&E Greenwire reports in the last days of 2022, EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers issued a brand-new water protection rule, one of the first of a new raft of Biden-era regulations that are expected to face a tough slog in the conservative-dominated courts in 2023 and beyond.

Mining:

• Washington Post reports a high-stakes, years-long legal battle over a huge lithium mine planned in Nevada resumes Thursday with arguments from lawyers for the mining company, the U.S. agency that approved it and the rancher, tribes and conservationists fighting the project.

World News:

• Wall Street Journal reports as 2023 dawns, the supply-chain snarls that characterized much of 2021 and 2022 are clearly untangling. But the new year brings new challenges: the rise of “green protectionism” and an accelerated effort by multinationals to diversify away from China.

In the news today…

FERC:

• Reuters reports that President Joe Biden selected Willie Phillips (D) to lead the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as acting chairman, while the administration considers nominating a permanent chair. The move, which locks the commission at a 2-2 party split, comes after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) refused to hold a re-nomination hearing for former FERC Chairman Richard Glick (D), who stepped down after Congress adjourned.

Energy:

• Politico Pro reports FERC and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation last week opened an investigation into the performance of the U.S. power grid during the winter storm that stressed power systems across the country over the holidays.
• Reuters reports Kentucky on Tuesday warned 11 major financial companies, including Citigroup Inc, JPMorgan Chase & Co and BlackRock Inc, of potential divestment over their “boycott” of energy companies.
• The Washington Times reports Kentucky warned several financial institutions that do business with the state Tuesday that they’re in jeopardy of being divested from unless they drop their support of ESG investment practices that consider climate change, a stance Republicans deem anti-fossil fuel.

WOTUS:

• Congressional Western Caucus released a series of quotes on WOTUS.

EPA:

• E&E Greenwire reports on durable protections. That’s the phrase Biden administration officials have used for the past two years to describe what they hope to achieve in rewriting the rules governing which wetlands and waterways are regulated by the Clean Water Act.
• E&E Daily reports Senate Environment and Public Works ranking member Shelley Moore Capito said she intends to introduce a Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn the administration’s Clean Water Act regulation.

Coal:

• Yahoo Finance reports despite bold climate pledges from a plethora of major world powers, it seems that many are unable to break their addiction to coal, as consumption is set to hit an all-time high (once again).
• Bloomberg reports Chinese bureaucrats are discussing plans to resume some imports of Australian coal after a more than two-year ban as relations between the nations improve.

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2023.

In the news today and from the weekend…

Grid:

• E&E News reports that Christmas week’s fierce “bomb cyclone” has put new urgency behind a critical issue for the nation’s power system — how grid owners and operators prepare for extreme weather emergencies.

Mining:

• Elko Daily Free Press reports on a year in mining.

EPA:

• Argus reports the EPA revised the clean water rule.
• Politico Pro reports the Biden EPA on Friday finalized a rule cementing Clean Water Act protections for a broad swath of the nation’s streams, creeks and wetlands – the latest move in a decades-long battle over the scope of the powerful 1972 law, but one that could be swiftly rendered moot by the Supreme Court.

Coal:

• Washington Examiner reports coal prices skyrocketed in 2022 as countries increasingly turned back to the age-old fuel in lieu of costlier and cleaner natural gas.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Grid News explores recent grid failures in the U.S. noting, “America runs on gas, and when it gets cold, that can be a challenge.”
• AIER reports on the new-normaling of blackouts in the US.

Coal:

• The Financial Times reports that some of the largest coal mining companies tripled their profits in 2022 to reach a total of more than $97bn, defying expectations for an industry that was thought to be “in terminal decline.”

Electric Vehicles:

• Canada’s Globe and Mail ran an editorial noting that, while Canadian politicians and industry representatives “scored a big win by convincing U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration to turn made-in-America provisions for new EV purchase rebates into made-in-North America ones,” they need to turn the same degree of focus to capitalizing on Canada’s reserves of raw materials for batteries, such as lithium, cobalt and graphite.