EPA power plant rules close coal ash cleanup loophole

COAL: Two of the U.S. EPA’s newly proposed coal plant pollution rules may offer the broadest tools yet for forcing cleanup of coal ash pollution — a responsibility power plant operators have long skirted via a loophole in federal rules. (Energy News Network)

ALSO: The EPA rules add to a buildup of new challenges for the U.S. coal industry, which include the departure of two coal-backing senators and the Baltimore bridge collapse’s closure of a coal export hub. (Politico)

EMISSIONS:

• Republican attorneys general prepare to challenge the newly issued power plant emissions rules, claiming they don’t align with a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that struck down an Obama administration clean electricity rule. (E&E News)
• Texas’ natural gas industry faces uncertainty as the U.S. EPA rules include provisions that will force plants to rely on largely untested carbon capture technology or shut down. (Houston Chronicle)

WIND:

• Federal officials expand the scope of a planned offshore wind lease auction in the Gulf of Mexico to include the potential for hydrogen production and other energy products using wind turbines. (S&P Global)
• The U.S. offshore wind industry is so far not significantly contributing to decarbonization, but has a ​“clear path to scale,” a U.S. Energy Department report says. (Utility Dive)
• Oklahoma ranks second nationally in wind energy generation, which along with its oil and gas industry has led to a stable power grid that’s attracting a growing number of data centers and factories. (S&P Global)
• A weather pattern system last year contributed to a 6% drop in wind energy production in Illinois from 2022, as researchers find that climate change may be causing wind speeds to slow. (Inside Climate News/​Chicago Sun-Times)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• An Indiana pilot project testing the potential for an electric vehicle charging highway would require large amounts of power and work like magnetic cell phone charging pads. (Indianapolis Star)
• The White House designates Michigan as one of four ​“workforce hubs” in the country and dedicates funding to training programs for electric vehicle manufacturing. (UPI)
• Toyota plans to invest $1.4 billion to produce battery electric SUVs at an Indiana plant. (Reuters)

OIL & GAS: Four Republican-led states challenge an Interior Department rule that aims to crack down on methane pollution from oil and gas drilling on public lands. (Reuters)

HYDROPOWER: Western utilities look to adapt to climate change-exacerbated hydropower output variability without relying more on natural gas generation. (Grist)

CLEAN ENERGY: New York’s comptroller releases an audit finding that the state energy siting office is too slow at approving big wind and solar developments and that permit applications often had missing or insufficient paperwork. (LoHud, Spectrum News 1)