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US Army Corps declines environmental reviews for coal export terminals
Posted by Greenwire: Manuel Quinones on June 19th, 2013
Greenwire: The Army Corps of Engineers today said it would not conduct an areawide or cumulative review of various coal export terminal proposals in Oregon and Washington state.
In a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Energy and Power Subcommittee, corps acting regulatory chief Jennifer Moyer also said her agency would not weigh the climate change impacts of burning more American coal overseas.
"The corps has determined that neither a programmatic nor an areawide regional [environmental...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on US Army Corps declines environmental reviews for coal export terminalsGovernors at odds over Northwest export terminal proposals
Posted by Greenwire: Manuel Quinones on January 25th, 2013
Greenwire: Washington state's new Gov. Jay Inslee (D) has yet to take a strong position on five proposed coal export terminals in his state and neighboring Oregon, despite his environmental bona fides and efforts at controlling climate change.
Inslee, who took office last week, made it his first order of business to urge an unnamed clean energy CEO to set up shop in Washington. On coal, he is taking a more measured approach amid strong pressure to take sides.
"I'm going to give thought to this and frankly...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Governors at odds over Northwest export terminal proposalsCoal: Swelling exports shine spotlight on port pollution
Posted by Greenwire: Manuel Quinones on June 29th, 2012
Greenwire: Bulldozers and water sprayers are constantly shaping and wetting the 150,000-ton mountains of coal here at CONSOL Energy Inc.'s shipping facility. A street sweeper cleans the roads at least three times a week, and a truck sprays water on roads, all in an effort to keep coal dust pollution at bay.
"It's almost a battle plan," Christopher Marsh, vice president for CONSOL's CNX Marine Terminal, said during a recent interview. "Imagine talcum powder and try to keep it from moving."
A sharp rise...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Coal: Swelling exports shine spotlight on port pollutionCoal Industry Deploys Donations, Lobbying as Its Issues Gain Prominence
Posted by Greenwire: Manuel Quinones on October 13th, 2011
Greenwire: As legislation to limit U.S. EPA's power to regulate coal ash hits the House floor this week, environmental advocates see industry footprints all over the bill's language. They say millions of dollars spent in lobbying and campaign contributions have yielded another congressional proposal to block Obama administration environmental oversight -- and have allowed the industry to frame the debate. "I think they have succeeded in turning the issue into a fight over recycling, whether recycling is good...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Coal Industry Deploys Donations, Lobbying as Its Issues Gain ProminenceCoal Industry, States Blast Obama Administration’s Stream Proposal
Posted by Greenwire: Manuel Quinones on September 27th, 2011
Greenwire: Here in the heart of coal country, just miles from numerous mining operations, a series of politicians, industry leaders and state regulators yesterday voiced strong opposition to the Obama administration's rewriting of rules to protect waterways from mountaintop removal mining. Critics spoke in near-apocalyptic terms about the Office of Surface Mining's effort to develop a new stream protection rule to replace George W. Bush-era regulations, saying it would kill thousands of jobs and jeopardize...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Coal Industry, States Blast Obama Administration’s Stream ProposalBattle Over Alaska Mining Project Heads to Washington
Posted by Greenwire: Manuel Quinones on March 18th, 2011
Greenwire: A large mining project proposed for southwest Alaska has sparked a lobbying battle between some area residents who say it would help the region's economy and others who fear environmental degradation to nearby Bristol Bay and its major salmon run.
The Pebble Project, located about 200 miles southwest of Anchorage, is believed to contain large quantities of gold, copper and molybdenum, an element used as an alloying agent in cast iron and steel.
The Pebble Partnership, an alliance between London-based...
Hardrock Mining Reform a Tough Sell Despite Activist Outcry
Posted by Greenwire: Manuel Quinones on March 16th, 2011
Greenwire: Efforts by President Obama to overhaul federal oversight of the hardrock mining industry may fall short despite bipartisan agreement that some reforms are overdue.
The president's budget blueprint would enact a new fee on hardrock mineral production to help pay for reclamation of abandoned hardrock mines. It also requires royalties from companies mining certain minerals, including gold, copper, lead and uranium.
Obama's proposal is a nod to environmentalists and other advocates who say the...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Hardrock Mining Reform a Tough Sell Despite Activist OutcryCompany Concessions Clear Way for Federal Permit at W.Va. Coal Mine
Posted by Greenwire: Manuel Quinones on March 2nd, 2011
Greenwire: The Obama administration has approved a Clean Water Act permit for an underground coal project in Mingo County, W.Va., after the mine owner made several concessions aimed at enhancing water quality protections.
Consol of Kentucky's Spring Branch No. 3 mine was among dozens pulled for enhanced federal environmental reviews of mining projects under a 2009 interagency agreement between U.S. EPA, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Interior Department.
Although Spring Branch No. 3 is an underground...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Company Concessions Clear Way for Federal Permit at W.Va. Coal Mine