Energy is an essential part of American life and a staple of the world economy. The Trump Administration is committed to energy policies that lower costs for hardworking Americans and maximize the use of American resources, freeing us from dependence on foreign oil.
For too long, we’ve been held back by burdensome regulations on our energy industry. President Trump is committed to eliminating harmful and unnecessary policies such as the Climate Action Plan and the Waters of the U.S. rule. Lifting these restrictions will greatly help American workers, increasing wages by more than $30 billion over the next 7 years.
Sound energy policy begins with the recognition that we have vast untapped domestic energy reserves right here in America. The Trump Administration will embrace the shale oil and gas revolution to bring jobs and prosperity to millions of Americans. (does he have no understanding of energy market?) We must take advantage of the estimated $50 trillion in untapped shale, oil, and natural gas reserves, especially those on federal lands that the American people own. (does he not know the havoc in ND during Bakken BOOM!, the many Bakken BOOM! train explosions, pollution, and deaths? And he’d allow corporations to take OUR land?) We will use the revenues from energy production (a production tax increase?) to rebuild our roads, schools, bridges and public infrastructure. Less expensive energy will be a big boost to American agriculture, as well.
The Trump Administration is also committed to clean coal technology, and to reviving America’s coal industry, which has been hurting for too long. (again market forces, coal is not least cost, and new coal is way beyond anything market would support. “Clean” coal? Don’t even think about it, it doesn’t exist!)
In addition to being good for our economy, boosting domestic energy production is in America’s national security interest. President Trump is committed to achieving energy independence from the OPEC cartel and any nations hostile to our interests. At the same time, we will work with our Gulf allies to develop a positive energy relationship as part of our anti-terrorism strategy.
Lastly, our need for energy must go hand-in-hand with responsible stewardship of the environment. Protecting clean air and clean water, conserving our natural habitats, and preserving our natural reserves and resources will remain a high priority. President Trump will refocus the EPA on its essential mission of protecting our air and water. (everything I’ve seen and heard from Trump and EPA pick points towards dismantling and defunding EPA. What does this mean?)
A brighter future depends on energy policies that stimulate our economy, ensure our security, and protect our health. Under the Trump Administration’s energy policies, that future can become a reality.
Minnesota Power spills ~ million gallons of coal ash wastewater
July 17th, 2024
Great, just great. “About” a million gallons of Minnesota Power’s Boswell coal plant’s coal ash wastewater dumped into Blackwater Lake (appropriate name!), a pond connected to the Mississippi River, a pond where the plant’s cooling water is drawn from, and also a pond where people fish!
The good news is that MP didn’t do an Xcel and wait for MONTHS to disclose. It appears that MP got on the horn almost instantly after the spill was discovered and reported it.
There’s supposedly a press release, but it’s not posted on their “Press Release” page, so I asked about it. MP did get back to me and shared its statement — THANK YOU!
From KAXE:
1M gallons of coal ash wastewater spilled at Cohasset coal plant
Here’s what the STrib has to say:
One million gallons of coal ash wastewater spill at Minnesota Power coal plant
By Walker Orenstein and Chloe Johnson Star Tribune
MPCA is investigating the spill, spokeswoman Andrea Cournoyer said in a statement.
Coal ash? Comment now!
September 22nd, 2019
Remember the huge coal ash impoundment ruptures/breeches dumping coal ash all over? THIS is why treatment and use of coal ash matters:
TVA coal ash slide – UPDATES
And even in Minnesota: TVA coal ash — we had our own ash slide here in MN
There was a rule update and comments in 2018, and it was remanded, and so here we go around again…
FEDERAL REGISTER ANNOUNCEMENT: Disposal of Coal Combustion Residuals from Electric Utilities
Comments must be received on or before October 15, 2019!
From the EPA’s announcement (CLICK HERE):
Public Hearing on the Proposed Changes to the Regulations for Coal Combustion Residuals: Enhancing Public Access to Information and Reconsideration of Beneficial Use Criteria and Piles
Wed, October 2, 2019
9:00 AM – 8:00 PM EDT
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel
300 Army Navy Drive
Arlington, VA 22202
The public hearing will consist of three sessions:
- A morning session starting at 9:00 am and ending at noon.
- An early afternoon session starting at 1:00 pm and ending at 4:00 pm.
- An evening session beginning at 5:00 pm and ending at 8:00 pm.
CLICK HERE FOR THE PROPOSED RULE!
Just do it, comment away!!! Comments must be received on or before October 15, 2019.
? Affordable Clean Energy Rule?
September 1st, 2018
tRump’s “Affordable Clean Energy Rule” would be quite the legacy (though he leaves so many, how to choose).
Here are the fact sheets from that page:
Fact Sheets (these are links below!):
- Overview of the proposed ACE rule
- CO2 emissions trends
- Costs and benefits
- Legal overview
- Permitting improvements under New Source Review program
- Side-by-side comparison of ACE and CPP
And the proposed rule as published in the Federal Register yesterday:
Affordable Clean Energy Rule-Federal Register-8-31-2018-18755
It’s 68 pages long, and intense.
Comments due October 30 — how to comment? From their site:
Online: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions for submitting comments to EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0355.
Email: Comments may be sent to a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov. Include Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0355 in the subject line of the message.
Mail: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), Mail Code 28221T, Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0355, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460.
Fax: Fax your comments to: (202) 566-9744. Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0355.
Hand/Courier Delivery: EPA Docket Center, Room 3334, EPA WJC West Building, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004, Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0355. Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket’s normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
Coal Ash rule gutting open for comment
March 8th, 2018
Coal ash, remember that big impoundment release, photo above, not all that long ago?
Good grief, it was a DECADE ago, and it’s still a mess. From the EPA page:
And another ash impoundment failure, our friends at Duke Energy, from EPA page:
EPA’s response to the Duke Energy coal ash spill in Eden, NC
It’s an issue in Minnesota too:
Who cares? Well, once a rule is proposed, there’s not much variation, because if there is, then it has to start all over again and go through this process. This is proposed to “amend” the 2015 final rule, so it can’t be good. Speak up NOW! Go to EPA’s Regulations.gov and make Comments under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OLEM-2017-0286 — open for 45 days after the proposed rule is published in the Federal Register, which is/was when? Figure it’s published NOW, and just do it.
From the EPA’s site, here’s the rule proposed to gut the 2015 final rule, because gutting regulation, that’s what this administration does:
And here’s the poop cut and pasted direct from the source:
Proposed Amendments to the National Regulations (Phase One)
On March 1, 2018, EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt, signed the first of two rules that proposes to amend the April 2015 final rule. The proposal:
- Addresses provisions of the final rule that were remanded back to the Agency on June 14, 2016 by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit;
- Provides states with approved CCR permit programs (or EPA where it is the permitting authority) under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act the ability to set certain alternative performance standards; and
- Addresses one additional issue that has arisen since the April 2015 publication of the final rule.
EPA is proposing six provisions that would allow states or EPA the ability to incorporate flexibilities into their coal ash permit programs. These flexibilities would also be available to facilities with U.S. EPA-issued CCR permits.
Additionally, the proposal:
- Clarifies the type and magnitude of non-groundwater releases that would require a facility to comply with some or all of the corrective action procedures set forth in title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) in sections 257.96 through 257.98 in meeting their obligation to clean up the release.
- Adds boron to the list of constituents in Appendix IV of 40 CFR part 257 that trigger corrective action.
- Determines the requirement for proper height of woody and grassy vegetation for slope protection.
- Revises the current regulations to allow the use of CCR in the construction of final cover systems for CCR units closing pursuant to 40 CFR section 257.101 that are closing with waste-in-place.
- Adds a new paragraph to 40 CFR section 257.103 to allow facilities to qualify for the alternative closure provisions based on the continued need to manage non-CCR wastestreams in the unit.
EPA will be accepting written comments on this proposal through Regulations.gov under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OLEM-2017-0286 for 45 days after the proposed rule is published in the Federal Register.
Additionally, EPA will hold a hearing on this proposed rule. Additional information about the hearing will be posted in the docket for this proposal and on this website in the near future.
And more, cut and pasted from EPA:
An America First Energy Plan?
January 23rd, 2017
Contact Page for Trump’s White House
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
The Trump regime has published this “Energy Plan.” WHAT? Mitt Romney’s “Energy Plan” wasn’t much, and was grossly misguided, but it at least had SOME substance:
Romney’s Energy Plan – much ado about nothing
This is something a 5th grader could put together, nothing but blathering and slapped together code words. It shows no thought or understanding of energy in the U.S. today. I mean really, “clean coal” is so dead. During the Bush administration, they put billions in, between tax credits, grants, subsidies at state and federal levels — here’s a DOE announcement from 2006:
Energy Secretary and Secretary of the Treasury Announce the Award of $1 Billion in Tax Credits to Promote Clean Coal Power Generation and Gasification Technologies
The Bush Administration made coal gasification (IGCC) a priority, and even all that lobbying, subsidization, and wishful thinking couldn’t make it happen. Minnesota’s Excelsior Energy’s Mesaba Project is one example of that abject failure (see also www.camp-site.info). Delaware’s NRG coal gasification plant is another (note another NRG coal gasification plant proposed for NY went south too).
Meanwhile, existing coal is not economical, that’s why the older plants are being shut down, not anything to do with “Clean Power Plan,” and instead, that there’s a surplus of electricity and coal plants’ production costs a lot more than other available electric generation. The market says no! How does Trump think he can trump the market? And even if he could, how is that in our interest?
Here’s a map of MISO market — note all the blue on these maps — I love using these as wallpaper, a constant reminder:
Here’s the PJM market map:
And the joint MISO/PJM market map:
Coal cannot compete in the market, even with its outright and embedded regulatory subsidies, even the existing plants. There’s a glut of electricity, has been for a decade now. As Xcel’s Ben Fowkes says, recorded in the Seeking Alpha transcript of the XEL Earnings Call, January 31, 2013.
So…. drumroll…. Here it is, cut and pasted from the White House site in its entirety (emphasis added in red)(and parenthetical comments):
How clueless can Trump be? Well, we’re seeing… and it’s unbelievable… UNBELIEVABLE!