FERC pushed back the timeline for an environmental impact statement on the Mountain Valley Pipeline, delaying construction of the $3.5 billion shale gas pipeline crossing Virginia for at least six months.
The developers of the 301-mile pipeline project applied for the environmental certificate in October, but FERC staff has repeatedly asked for more information, and now it says the EIS won’t be ready until March. The commission has 90 days after that to decide whether or not to issue final permits. That means construction is more likely to get underway in June of next year, rather than December 2016.
More: The Roanoke Times
Congresswoman to Propose Stiffer FERC Pipeline Reviews
In a move applauded by pipeline foes, U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) said she will introduce a bill in the House requiring FERC regulators to be more critical when reviewing proposed pipelines.
Her proposal will introduce stiffer environmental reviews of pipeline projects and require them to explore “less environmentally disruptive alternatives.”
Coleman is wading into controversy surrounding the PennEast Pipeline, a project that would deliver shale gas from Pennsylvania primarily to New Jersey utilities. Opponents have cited PennEast an example of lax FERC review. The 119-mile, $1.2 billion pipeline is currently under review by FERC, but opponents said the commission is allowing PennEast to use routing and construction methods that are harmful to the environment.
More: The Philadelphia Inquirer
Monthly Coal Generation Falls To Lowest Level Since 1978
The Energy Information Administration reported that coal use for electric power generation in April fell to its lowest level since 1978, while natural gas was the top fuel for the third straight month.
Plants fueled by coal generated 72.2 million MWh in April, the lowest since 1978. Natural gas-fired plants produced 100 million MWh in April.
Gas accounted for 34% of total generation in April, while coal came in at 31%, nuclear at 20% and renewables at 7%. Ten years ago, coal-fired plants produced 50% of the nation’s electricity and natural gas only 19%.
More: Reuters
Panama Canal Can Now Handle 90% of LNG Tankers
The newly expanded Panama Canal locks will be able to handle 90% of the world’s LNG tankers, reducing shipping time and expense for shipments to Asia from Gulf Coast terminals, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Before Panama opened the widened canal last month, the waterway could only accommodate 30 smaller LNG tankers, representing about 6% of the global fleet of tankers equipped to handle the super-cooled fuel.
The widened canal means it will take 20 days for shipments to reach Asian markets from Gulf Coast terminals, compared to the 34 days previously when large vessels to Asia were required to round Cape Hope or transit through the Suez Canal.
More: Energy Information Administration
Ostendorff Leaving NRC To Teach at Annapolis
Having completed his second term at the end of June, Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner William Ostendorff is leaving the commission to teach at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis.
Ostendorff, former director of the commission’s Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy, was first named to the commission in 2010. He began his second term in 2011.
Ostendorff’s departure creates a second vacancy on the five-member commission. Allison M. Macfarlane resigned as chair in December 2014, and that slot has remained open. President Obama nominated Jessie Roberson, a Democrat who serves as vice chairman of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, a year ago. Senate Environmental and Public Works Chairman James Inhofe (R-Okla.) said in April he wanted to wait until Obama nominated a Republican so both vacancies can be filled at the same time.
More: Morning Consult
Interior Changes Rules on Federal Coal Lease Payments
The Interior Department will change the rules on how it collects royalties on coal mined on federal land to more accurately reflect its market value.
The rule change eliminates a loophole that allowed mining companies to pay royalties calculated on the price they charged their own subsidiaries, which often resold the coal at higher prices to end users. Coal mined from federal lands accounts for 44% of all coal mined in the U.S and generates about $1 billion annually in royalty revenue, but critics said that is artificially low.
“These improvements were long overdue and urgently needed to better align our regulatory framework with a 21st century energy marketplace,” Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell said. The new rules take effect Jan. 1.
More: The Associated Press
Senate Committee Approves $500 Million for Climate Fund
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved $500 million for a fund that provides money for poor nations to combat climate change, a reversal of an earlier proposal that blocked the State Department from spending any money on the program.
The committee approved the funding through an amendment that removes language from the bill authorizing the State Department’s budget. The Obama administration had promised $3 billion for the program, called the Green Climate Fund, by 2020.
“We know we can’t take on this challenge by ourselves, so it’s part of the partnership in global leadership to address this … global issue,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), who led the effort to approve the amendment. “This is a real effort in bipartisan cooperation to present this amendment before the committee.”
More: The Hill
ND PSC Commissioner Kalk Named to National Coal Council
North Dakota Public Service Commissioner Brian P. Kalk has been named to the National Coal Council by U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz. The council provides the secretary with advice on policy on coal and the coal industry.
“It’s important to remember that while renewable energy presents unique opportunities, coal is a strategic resource that heats millions of homes and provides low-cost reliable power,” Kalk said. “If the United States hopes to have true energy security, coal must be in the resource mix.”
More: North Dakota Public Service Commission
Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Enbridge Pipeline
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, rejecting a Sierra Club challenge, has ruled that an Enbridge oil pipeline that crosses a national forest in Michigan doesn’t need a new permit to keep operating.
The Sierra Club sued the U.S. Forest Service, saying it should have required Enbridge to prepare an environmental analysis before renewing the company’s right-of-way permit for Line 5. The 30-inch pipeline starts in Wisconsin and ends in Canada.
The court determined that there was nothing that required a new look at the pipeline, which runs through the Huron-Manistee National Forest.
More: WEMU
TVA Aims to Cut 3,500 Jobs Through Voluntary Reductions
A month after the Tennessee Valley Authority celebrated the start-up of its new Watts Bar 2 nuclear reactor, it has announced plans to offer 3,500 nuclear staff members the option to voluntarily leave.
Employees at four locations — the Brown’s Ferry, Sequoya and Watts Bar nuclear stations and the nuclear services group in Chattanooga — have between July 11 and 29 to apply. Anyone who has been with the nuclear unit for at least a year can apply.
TVA said the workforce reductions are just the latest step in its ongoing effort to cut operation and maintenance costs, which has led to reducing 2,000 positions across all business units in the past three years. “This is a continuation of TVA’s efforts to ensure we have the right number of people for the roles we currently have,” a spokesman said.
More: Nooga.com