American Coal Update

An interesting study was recently published by University of California Davis researcher, Katherine Ingram that questions the impact of the wind industry on bats, and by extension, the agriculture industry. As one email headline linking to a Daily Caller article on this issue noted, wind energy means less bats and more mosquitos.

Of course in the coal industry, we are constantly bombarded with demands that we include the "social cost of carbon" (SCC) in any cost / benefit discussions that are had about coal-fueled energy.

Visit http://www.coalblog.org/2015/10/16/the-social-costs-of-renewable-energy/ to view the full article online.

Coal industry supporters are planning a rally in Charleston to protest federal policies.

The West Virginia Coal Forum says the event is set for Wednesday morning at the State Capitol. It's being held the same day President Barack Obama visits Charleston to discuss substance abuse issues.

Visit http://www.wowktv.com/story/30312582/coal-industry-supporters-set-rally-in-charleston to view the full article online.

Lawmakers from three states toured a proposed coal export terminal in Longview on Monday, touting how the project would provide well-paying jobs in Washington, Montana and Wyoming.

Once fully operational, the proposed facility at Millennium Bulk Terminals in Longview would ship overseas about 48.5 million tons of coal a year, an amount the state Department of Ecology says would equal about half of the nation’s current coal exports.

Visit http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/business/article40422864.html to view the full article online.

A delegation of the US Congress is visiting India to explore cooperation between the countries in improving the efficiency of coal usage.

Industry body today FICCI hosted an interaction between its members and representatives of the US Congress David B McKinley (Representative for West Virginia from Republican Party), who led the delegation, the chamber said in a release.

Visit http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/us-congress-delegation-in-india-to-explore-coal-use-efficiency/articleshow/49473071.cms to view the full article online.

West Virginia's Republican attorney general is criticizing President Barrack Obama for what he calls the Democrat's assault on the state's struggling coal industry.

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey scolded the president ahead of his visit to Charleston on Wednesday to address West Virginia's devastating drug overdose death rate — the highest in the nation.

Visit http://www.register-herald.com/news/state_region/west-virginia-attorney-general-criticizes-obama-on-coal-role/article_291da40c-f5ca-5f85-a5c8-8abaddce5074.html to view the full article online.

I continue to receive almost weekly requests from reporters who are asking for comment on California passing a law to force their pension plans to divest from coal. To help speed the process, I prepared a statement on the issue and have reprinted it here for Coalblog readers.

Regarding the issue of California passing SB 185, a law which requires state pension plans (CalPERS and CalSTRS) to divest from their coal holdings.

Visit http://www.coalblog.org/2015/10/16/and-yet-still-more-on-divestment/ to view the full article online.

The Obama administration is offering coal country $14.5 million in federal funding for programs to retrain out of work coal miners and for economic development after imposing regulations to shrink the coal industry.

It’s been called a "grim solace" to coal workers who lost their jobs by the thousands in the past few years due to increased competition from natural gas and federal regulations aimed at decreasing coal use for electricity.

Visit http://dailycaller.com/2015/10/16/obama-puts-coal-miners-out-of-work-then-offers-them-funding-for-job-training/ to view the full article online.

On a chilly, open plain in Saskatchewan, clean coal is getting its first big trial. The Boundary Dam power plant fired up last October, promising to generate enough electricity for 100,000 homes while capturing and reusing most of the heat-trapping carbon dioxide from its exhaust.

The world is watching. Since most of its electricity comes from fossil fuels, proponents say carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology like Boundary Dam's could be critical in heading off the worst effects of climate change. Can the $1.1 billion Canadian project prove them right?

Visit http://news.nationalgeographic.com/energy/2015/10/151013-boundary-dam-test-for-clean-coal-one-year-later/ to view the full article online.

Robert Murray has taken his fight for the survival of the U.S. coal industry — an industry that he believes will have room for only one other company besides his — to court.

"We’re under attack for total elimination of the use of coal, the mining of coal, coal mining jobs" and those that depend on them, Mr. Murray said in an interview last week. "It’s no question that the regulatory rampage of the Obama administration has accelerated and that has resulted in more litigation against the government."

Visit http://powersource.post-gazette.com/powersource/companies/2015/10/11/Murray-Energy-owner-Robert-Murray-on-a-mission-to-save-his-industry/stories/201510110111 to view the full article online.

That anyone could even consider asking this question indicates how far off our priorities have become.

Visit http://www.coalblog.org/2015/10/16/which-is-the-bigger-threat-isis-or-climate/ to view the full article online.

On the face of it, Benjamin Sporton's job may not seem like a particularly enviable one.

The head of the World Coal Association, a trade group for major coal producers, is making stops around the globe to promote the fossil fuel in the buildup to international climate talks in Paris next month.

"Our job is to tell that story a lot clearer and better, and that's why I'm out there trying to talk to people about it," Sporton said during a visit to Washington last week.

Visit http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/2015/10/11/coal-emissions-pollution-renewable-energy-solar/73647164/ to view the full article online.