COAL: A new report says infrastructure left behind from shuttered coal mines and power plants could find a new role as energy storage or carbon capture sites. (Greentech Media)
ALSO:
• Critics say the U.S. EPA is prematurely declaring that Missouri’s largest coal plant is meeting air quality standards because owner Ameren hasn’t installed air monitoring equipment. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• U.S. coal stockpiles have steadily increased as coal-fired generation has fallen to a 42-year low. (Today in Energy)
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OIL & GAS:
• President Trump withdraws his contentious nomination of William Perry Pendley to head the Bureau of Land Management, which oversees much of the nation’s oil and gas development. (Washington Post)
• Under pressure from governments and investors, oil industry giants, especially in Europe, are pivoting toward production of clean electricity. (New York Times)
GRID: An overwhelming surge in electricity demand caused California’s grid operator to cut off power to up to 4 million people Friday as power reserves fell below a critical threshold. (Vox)
COAL ASH: Hundreds of workers who fell ill after cleaning up the nation’s largest coal ash spill 12 years ago are still waiting for financial or medical help from TVA and its contractor. (Southerly, The Guardian)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A proposed utility pilot program would help northern Minnesota’s iron and taconite mines acquire heavy-duty electric vehicles. (Energy News Network)
PIPELINES:
• Opponents of the Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate extension in North Carolina say its rejection by state regulators is a win for conservation and outdoor recreation. (Greensboro News & Record)
• Representatives of a security firm face trial for allegedly hiring Pennsylvania state constables as private security for the Mariner East pipeline. (The Phoenix)
SOLAR: Analysts say it isn’t a given that President Trump’s solar tariffs would go away under a Joe Biden presidency. (Greentech Media)
WIND:
• Utilities are seizing a fast-expiring federal subsidy to refurbish and boost the efficiency of aging wind farms. (Wall Street Journal, subscription required)
• Offshore wind is bringing job training and economic opportunities to Massachusetts universities and fishing towns. (Energy News Network)
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CLEAN ENERGY:
• A planned quarry in Nevada that would supply key materials for electric car batteries and wind turbines may not open due to the presence of a rare plant. (New Scientist)
• Clean energy advocates say the power plant bribery scandal unfolding in Ohio helps explain stalled clean energy policies in the state despite strong public support. (NPR)
COMMENTARY:
• A scientific advocacy organization says California’s rolling blackouts are historic because there simply is not enough electricity to go around. (Union of Concerned Scientists)
• A National Renewable Energy Laboratory report shows promising trends for the declining cost of offshore wind energy, a clean energy group says. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)