In the news today…
Grid:
- Grist reports that Puerto Ricans question why restoration of their electric grid is taking so long after Hurricane Fiona, seeing as the Category 1 storm only grazed the island.
- Courthouse News reports that California researchers work to develop a smart grid to increase resilience as more intermittent renewables come online and power demand increases.
Mining:
- High Country News reports the Bureau of Land Management is taking comments on whether it should open about 28 million acres to oil, gas and mineral extraction.
Permitting:
- E&E Daily reports the Senate will take a vote Tuesday evening that could decide the immediate fate of Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin’s permitting bill and set the stage for a last-minute fight about government spending.
- Washington Examiner reports Sen. Joe Manchin is trying to rally support behind his permitting reform bill as the Sep. 30 deadline, provided in his deal with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, closes in.
- Washington Post reports little-noticed language in a controversial permitting bill from Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) would change the way states issue Clean Water Act permits, drawing concerns from environmentalists about altering a bedrock environmental law, even as the practical effect of the provision remains unclear.
Coal:
- Mining.com reports over the last year and a half, the renaissance of coal – both kinds – has been gobsmacking.
Senate:
- E&E Daily reports committees will process several of President Joe Biden’s agency and judicial picks this week, with the Senate looking to confirm as many nominees as possible by the end of the year.