Preview Newsletter
ACC PM 6/9/2017
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(ACC Mentioned) American Chemistry Council Recognizes BASF as Responsible Care Company of the Year
Jun 9, 2017 | EconoTimes
By Benjamin Rusch
The American Chemistry Council (ACC) named BASF Corporation a Responsible Care® Company of the Year. The award is the highest ACC distinction and annually recognizes outstanding performance and leadership in environmental, health, safety and security. -
EPA to Promulgate SNURs for 37 Chemical Substances
Jun 9, 2017 | National Law Review
By Lynn L. Bergeson and Margaret R. Graham
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a pre-publication version of its direct final rule signed on April 5, 2017, which states that EPA will be promulgating significant new use rules (SNUR) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for 37 chemical substances which were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMN). -
Dems Question Budget's Oil and Gas Focus
Jun 9, 2017 | E&E Energywire
By Pamela King
Democratic appropriators yesterday criticized the Interior Department for proposing a budget that neglects the agency's conservation duties in favor of bolstering fossil fuel extraction. -
Trump’s Proposed Climate Rule Reconsideration Nears Public Release
Jun 9, 2017 | The Hill - E2 Wire
By Timothy Cama
President Trump’s White House is reviewing the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed reconsideration of former President Obama’s climate change rule for power plants. -
EPA Takes First Formal Step to Roll Back CPP
Jun 9, 2017 | Inside EPA
EPA has taken its first formal step to roll back the Obama-era Clean Power Plan (CPP), which sets first-time greenhouse gas standards for existing power plants. -
EPA Sends Draft Rollback to White House
Jun 9, 2017 | E&E Greenwire
By Emily Holden
The Trump administration made its first formal move to roll back Obama-era climate standards for the power sector. -
Proposed 500 MW-Plus Gas-Fired Power Plant in Wisconsin to Support Renewable Investments
Jun 9, 2017 | Natural Gas Intelligence
By Jamison Cocklin
Minnesota Power and the Dairyland Power Cooperative this week said they plan to co-develop a 525-550 MW combined-cycle natural gas-fired power plant in Superior, WI, to support major wind and solar investments in their service territories. -
'Homegrown' Clean Energy Equals Environmental Protection Plus Jobs!
Jun 9, 2017 | The Hill - Congress Blog
By Douglas Dougherty
On June 1, President Trump followed through on his campaign promise to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord, an international agreement struck last year for long-term, worldwide actions to cut carbon emissions and reduce the threat of climate change. -
Overheated Anti-Fossil Fuel Rhetoric Fooling Young People, Says Blacklight Researcher
Jun 9, 2017 | Natural Gas Intelligence
By Jeremiah Shelor
Despite the current wave of anti-fossil fuel sentiment, many in the public would shift their attitudes if they realized what "keep it in the ground" actually entails, according to a managing partner of Blacklight Research LLC. -
US Exports Record LNG Volume in May, Despite Low Profits
Jun 9, 2017 | Platts
By J. Robinson
US LNG export volumes climbed to a record high in May which came in spite of exceptionally low profit margins on spot cargoes sold into consumer markets in Europe and Asia. -
First U.S. Natural Gas Shipped to Poland
Jun 9, 2017 | Foreign Policy (via Real Clear Energy)
By Robbie Gramer
Poland just took a symbolic step forward in wresting itself from Russia’s energy dominance. -
(ACC Mentioned) EPA Sends Industrial Safety Reg Freeze for White House Review
Jun 9, 2017 | E&E Greenwire
By Sean Reilly
U.S. EPA'S planned long-term freeze on implementation of new industrial safety regulations is under review by the White House Office of Management and Budget. -
Regulate This: Worker Safety in Trump's America
Jun 9, 2017 | Forbes
By Andy Knauer
In recent months, occupational safety regulations have been revisited by the Trump Administration as part of their more sweeping agenda to promote growth and competition. -
Positive Train Control System Implementation Helps Launch Rail Safety Projects
Jun 9, 2017 | Born2Invest
By Mary Scott Nabers
An abundance of rail safety projects are about to be launched. That’s because commuter and intercity passenger railroads must meet a federally mandated December 2018 deadline to implement Positive Train Control (PTC) systems. -
Trump Rightly Picks Abundant Energy and Prosperity with Paris Agreement Withdrawal
Jun 9, 2017 | The Hill - Congress Blog
By Rep. Tom McClintock
President Trump’s most important mandate is to revive America’s struggling economy. According to many economists, that can’t be done under the terms of the Paris Climate Accord.
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(ACC Mentioned) American Chemistry Council Recognizes BASF as Responsible Care Company of the Year
Jun 9, 2017 | EconoTimes
By Benjamin Rusch
The American Chemistry Council (ACC) named BASF Corporation a Responsible Care® Company of the Year. The award is the highest ACC distinction and annually recognizes outstanding performance and leadership in environmental, health, safety and security.
“Responsible Care exemplifies the chemical manufacturing industry’s commitment to working and performing with safety and sustainability as top priorities,” said ACC President and CEO Cal Dooley. “ACC is proud to recognize BASF for its leadership and commitment to the safety of our facilities and products and the health of our employees and communities in which we operate.”
“Responsible Care is always a priority in every aspect of what we do at BASF,” said Wayne T. Smith, Chairman and CEO, BASF Corporation. “Not only does it provide a framework for our environment, health and safety programs – a way to track and measure our success – it imparts a common set of principles and a language to use with our employees, our customers, and our communities. It allows us to understand our roles as individuals, as an industry, and as a global environment so we can follow a common path toward a sustainable future.”
The Responsible Care Company of the Year Awards were presented at the annual ACC meeting, held from June 5-7 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. BASF received the award in the large company category. Ethyl Corporation and FMC Corporation won the awards in the small and medium company categories.
BASF also received recognition from the ACC at its 2017 Responsible Care Conference & Expo held earlier this year. The company was presented with awards in the following categories:
Initiative of the Year
Facility Safety
Energy Efficiency Program
Significant Improvement in Manufacturing
Non-Manufacturing Improvement
A video about the winners of the 2017 Responsible Care Company of the Year Award is available at: https://youtu.be/TIuDWvB6818
More information about BASF and Responsible Care can be found at: www.basf.com/responsiblecare
About BASF
BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 17,500 employees in North America, and had sales of $16.2 billion in 2016. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.us.
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 114,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of about €58 billion in 2016. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com.http://www.econotimes.com/American-Chemistry-Council-recognizes-BASF-as-Responsible-Care-Company-of-the-Year-748444
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EPA to Promulgate SNURs for 37 Chemical Substances
Jun 9, 2017 | National Law Review
By Lynn L. Bergeson and Margaret R. Graham
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a pre-publication version of its direct final rule signed on April 5, 2017, which states that EPA will be promulgating significant new use rules (SNUR) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for 37 chemical substances which were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMN). This action will require persons who intend to manufacture or process any of these 37 chemical substances for an activity that is designated as a significant new use (SNU) by this rule to notify EPA at least 90 days before commencing that activity. This final rule will become effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. We note that all of these substances were reviewed under old TSCA, prior to June 22, 2016. The 37 chemical substances are:
PMN Number P-05-436: Ethylene glycol ester of an aromatic substituted propenoic acid (generic);
PMN Number P-10-504: Phosphoric acid, metal salt (generic);
PMN Number P-13-289: Alkanoic acid, tetramethylheteromonocycle ester (generic); PMN Number P-13-908: Polyether polyester urethane phosphate (generic);
PMN Number P-14-129; CAS Number: 35123: Propanamide, 2-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyl-. -06-9;
PMN Number P-14-260; CAS Number: 1514-82-5: 1-Propene, 2-bromo-3,3,3-trifluoro-
PMN Number P-14-759: Pyrolysis oil product (generic);
PMN Number P-15-279; CAS Number: 1613320-81-2: 1-Octanamine, 7 (or 8)-(aminomethyl);
PMN Number P-15-409: Substituted alkanolamine ether (generic);
PMN Number P-15-583: Butanedioic acid, alkyl amine, dimethylbutyl ester (generic);
PMN Number P-15-672: Carbon nanotube (generic);
PMN Number P-15-678: Metal salt of mineral acid, reaction products with alumina, aluminum hydroxide, aluminum hydroxide oxide (Al(OH)O), silica, titanium oxide (TiO2) and 3-(triethoxysilyl)-1-propanamine (generic);
PMN Numbers P-15-766 and P-15-767: Halogenated bisphenol A, polymer with epichlorohydrin, alkenoate (generic) (P-15-766); and Halogenated bisphenol A, polymer with bisphenol A diglycidyl ether and epoxidized phenol-formaldehyde resin, alkenoate (generic) (P-15-767);
PMN Number P-16-14: Silicon, tris[dialkyl phenyl]-dialkyl-dioxoalkane-naphthalene disulfonate (generic);
PMN Number P-16-40: Tar acids fraction (generic);
PMN Numbers P-16-59 and P-16-60: Dialkyl fattyalkylamino propanamide alkylamine (generic) (P-16-59) and Fattyalkylaminopropanoate ester (generic) (P-16-60);
PMN Number P-16-70; CAS Number: 200443-98-7: Boron sodium oxide (B5NaO8), labeled with boron-10;
PMN Number P-16-94: Perfluoropolyether modified organosilane (generic);
PMN Number P-16-95: Modified phenol-formaldehyde resin (generic);
PMN Number P-16-101: Disubstituted benzene alkanal (generic);
PMN Number P-16-102: Phthalic anhydride, polymer with alkylene glycol and alkanepolyol, acrylate (generic);
PMN Number P-16-104; CAS Number: 1546765-39-2: 2-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 4,5-dichloro-6-(4-chloro-2-fluoro-3-methoxyphenyl)-;
PMN Numbers P-16-136, P-16-139, and P-16-140: Dialkylamino alkylamide inner salt (generic);
PMN Number P-16-170: Nanocarbon (generic);
PMN Number P-16-177; CAS Number: 1440529-21-4: Barium molybdenum niobium tantalum tellurium vanadium zinc oxide;
PMN Number P-16-179: Alkanoic acids, esters with alkanetriol (generic);
PMN Number P-16-182: (1) Manganese, tris[.mu.-(2-ethylhexanoato-.kappa.O:.kappa.O’)]bis(octahydro-1,4,7-trimethyl-1H-1,4,7-triazonine-.kappa.N1,.kappa.N4,.kappa.N7)di- (CAS Number 2020407-62-7; Chemical A); (2) Manganese, [.mu.-(acetato-.kappa.O:.kappa.O’)]bis[.mu.-(2-ethylhexanoato-.kappa.O:.kappa.O’)]bis(octahydro-1,4,7-trimethyl-1H-1,4,7-triazonine.kappa.N1,.kappa.N4,.kappa.N7)di- (CAS Number 2020407-63-8; Chemical B); (3) Manganese, bis[.mu.-(acetato-.kappa.O:.kappa.O’)][.mu.-(2-ethylhexanoato-.kappa.O:.kappa.O’)]bis(octahydro-1,4,7-trimethyl-1H-1,4,7-triazonine-.kappa.N1,.kappa.N4,.kappa.N7)di- (CAS Number 2020407-64-9; Chemical C); and (4) Manganese, tris[.mu.-(acetato-.kappa.O:.kappa.O’)]bis(octahydro-1,4,7-trimethyl-1H-1,4,7-triazonine-.kappa.N1,.kappa.N4,.kappa.N7)di- (CAS Number 2020407-65-0; Chemical D);
PMN Number P-16-190: Aryl polyolefin (generic);
PMN Number P-16-260: Melamine nitrate (generic); and
PMN Number P-16-272; CAS Number: 308068-11-3: Lecithins, soya, hydrogenated.
http://www.natlawreview.com/article/epa-to-promulgate-snurs-37-chemical-substances
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Dems Question Budget's Oil and Gas Focus
Jun 9, 2017 | E&E Energywire
By Pamela King
Democratic appropriators yesterday criticized the Interior Department for proposing a budget that neglects the agency's conservation duties in favor of bolstering fossil fuel extraction.
The White House has recommended an $11.7 billion Interior budget, a reduction as high as 13 percent, depending what numbers are used for comparison (Greenwire, June 8). Two of the department's few increases come in the form of a $16 million bump for its onshore oil and gas programs and a $1.1 million raise for offshore development (Energywire, May 24).
On- and offshore renewables, however, fielded a cut, which Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has said is consistent with expected demand.
"Sadly, this budget advances an agenda that puts profits of oil companies above the public good. There is a place for responsible oil and gas development on our public lands, but it must be balanced, and it must be sustainable," said Rep. Betty McCollum of Minnesota, the top Democrat on the House Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee. "This budget abandons the department's conservation responsibilities. The administration has already begun to reverse critical environmental policies such as those that limit offshore drilling, a moratorium on coal mining leases and the control of methane venting from drilling operations. These policies were carefully developed through scientific and public processes."
During a hearing yesterday, Zinke told the panel that he supports an "all-of-the-above" approach to achieving U.S. energy independence and dominance.
"We do not value oil and gas over alternative energy," he said.
Zinke called the budget proposal a "starting point" that includes funding decisions with which he doesn't always agree. He noted that "Congress has the last say" on Interior's expenditures in the coming fiscal year.
Several times during his testimony to the panel, Zinke said Interior's proposal is an example of a balanced budget.
"This is what a budget would look like if we're going to balance in 10 years without increasing revenue," he said.
Revenue has been a major focus of Zinke's budget discussions. The secretary had previously suggested that boosting offshore revenue to 2008 levels would cover the National Park Service maintenance backlog — and then some (E&E News PM, May 5).
He repeated that estimate to the subcommittee yesterday, alongside a promise that his newly reinstated Royalty Policy Committee would look at department income from natural resource development across the board.
"We're all stakeholders, and I want to make sure that how we gain rents and royalties is transparent, as it should be," he said. "It should be fair. The rules should not be arbitrary, and it should be in the best interests of the public because the public owns public lands."
Nominations for the committee have been twice delayed. Applications are now due July 3.
GOP response
Zinke received praise from at least one Republican on the panel for his budget's oil and gas focus.
"I also want to thank you for sticking up for the oil and gas industry," said Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma. "That's pretty important in my part of the world."
Other GOP lawmakers took Zinke to task for eliminating the Abandoned Mine Lands pilot project to reclaim old coal sites.
House Appropriations Chairman Emeritus Hal Rogers said he was "flabbergasted" by the decision.
"The AML Pilot Program is a win-win," the Republican Kentucky congressman said in written remarks. "It's good for the environment, and it's good for jobs. It has bipartisan support here in the Congress, and we're seeing good results of projects that have been undertaken and delivered with this two-year pilot program.
"It's working, and it's helping desperate areas of the country."
Zinke promised to "shake loose" a 2016 study of the program's effectiveness.
Lawmakers and Zinke appeared prepared to collaborate on shaping Interior's final fiscal 2018 budget.
"This budget season is going to be a challenge," said subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert (R-Calif.).
https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2017/06/09/stories/1060055788
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Trump’s Proposed Climate Rule Reconsideration Nears Public Release
Jun 9, 2017 | The Hill - E2 Wire
By Timothy Cama
President Trump’s White House is reviewing the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed reconsideration of former President Obama’s climate change rule for power plants.
The White House’s Office of Management and Budget said early Friday that it received the proposed “review” of the rule Thursday from the EPA.
OMB review is the final step before the EPA can release the proposal publicly and start the required process of accepting public comments.
The Trump administration has not formally said exactly what it is proposing to change, though it is expected to seek a full repeal of the rule known as the Clean Power Plan.
Trump promised on the campaign trail to repeal the rule and EPA head Scott Pruitt opposes it, but the rulemaking process keeps all of the details hidden until release.
Pruitt said last month that it is “yet to be determined” whether the EPA will seek to replace the Clean Power Plan with another climate regulation.
Trump has called global warming a “hoax,” while Pruitt maintains that it is not clear how much human activity contributes to climate change.
Published in 2015, the Clean Power Plan was the main pillar of Obama’s aggressive second-term climate agenda. It sought a 32 percent cut in the power sector’s carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, through individual emissions goals assigned to each state based on its power mix and ability to reduce pollution.
It is opposed by nearly all Republicans, conservative states, fossil fuel-related industries and big businesses. Those groups — led in part by Pruitt, as attorney general of Oklahoma — sued to stop the rule and won a rare, temporary Supreme Court stay of it in 2016.
The OMB usually get 60 days to review regulatory proposals to ensure that they align with the law and the administration’s priorities, but the process has often taken longer.
During the OMB’s review, nearly any outside group or company affected by the rule can meet with administration staffers to try to sway them and some details of the meetings are publicized.
After the EPA publishes the proposal and gathers public comments, it can then publish a final version of the regulation and let it take effect.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/337097-trumps-proposed-climate-rule-reconsideration-nears-public-release
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EPA Takes First Formal Step to Roll Back CPP
Jun 9, 2017 | Inside EPA
EPA has taken its first formal step to roll back the Obama-era Clean Power Plan (CPP), which sets first-time greenhouse gas standards for existing power plants.
According to Abby Smith at InsideEPA/climate, the agency sent June 8 a proposal entitled “review of the Clean Power Plan” to the White House Office of Management & Budget (OMB) for interagency review. The proposal is “economically significant.”
The move confirms EPA’s May 30 status report to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which said it could soon seek interagency review for a “proposed regulatory action.” A prior report from E&E News quoted an administration official saying the plan would include a legal justification for rolling back the CPP and a draft economic analysis.
Such a proposal would repeal the CPP, though it is still unclear whether the Trump administration intends to replace the power plant GHG rule. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt told a May 24 conference hosted by Faegre Baker Daniels that issue was “yet to be determined.” And he suggested he would be reviewing EPA’s Clean Air Act authority.
And as Inside EPA's Dawn Reeves noted in a June 8 analysis, a “repeal and replace” plan is likely not yet on the table, in part because Pruitt still does not have many political appointees at the agency -- including a deputy administrator and an air chief -- to do the work.
But industry attorneys are warning that there could be legal risk if EPA repeals the CPP without a replacement. While there is “no ticking clock to replace it, at some point someone will sue,” says Jim Rubin of Dorsey & Whitney, who worked at the Department of Justice’s Environment & Natural Resources division for 15 years.
He warns a “repeal only” approach allows CPP supporters to file a legal challenge arguing that EPA's GHG endangerment finding creates a “mandatory duty” to issue regulations under Clean Air Act sections 111(b) and 111(d), the sections under which the Obama EPA issued the power plant rules.
The attorneys see several other potential risks -- including an “unreasonable delay” suit that could prompt the court to put EPA on a schedule to issue a new rule.
https://insideepa.com/daily-feed/epa-takes-first-formal-step-roll-back-cpp
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EPA Sends Draft Rollback to White House
Jun 9, 2017 | E&E Greenwire
By Emily Holden
The Trump administration made its first formal move to roll back Obama-era climate standards for the power sector.
The White House's Office of Management and Budget yesterday received from U.S. EPA a proposed rulemaking for rescinding the Clean Power Plan.
The regulation called on states to write plans to reduce carbon emissions from electricity 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. It was central to U.S. international climate commitments to slash emissions 26 percent by 2025. But even with it, the country would have needed to pursue more cuts, according to studies (Climatewire, June 2).
The rulemaking to rescind the Clean Power Plan focuses on the Trump administration's reasoning that it is illegal, according to an official with knowledge of the process, as E&E News reported last month (Climatewire, May 25).
Environmental advocates have vowed to fight the effort at every turn.
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has said he doesn't know whether the agency will try to replace the rule with less stringent standards (E&E News PM, May 24). Doing so might position EPA better against legal challenges from environmental groups and green states, but it would also mean conceding that the agency will have to regulate greenhouse gases eventually.
President Trump directed EPA to "review" the rule as part of an executive order he issued in March. The text of the document isn't yet available, although it is widely expected to revoke the Clean Power Plan.
During interagency review, OMB typically holds meetings with some interested parties before tweaking and publishing the draft rule in the Federal Register. That could take weeks or months.
The Clean Power Plan is also undergoing court review. The Supreme Court put the climate standards on hold pending court review in February 2016. Since then, states and companies haven't needed to ready their plans.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit heard oral arguments in September. After Trump was elected, government lawyers told D.C. Circuit judges that they are reconsidering the Clean Power Plan, so the court temporarily froze the case and is now considering whether to keep proceedings on hold or close the case entirely.
In the meantime, the Trump administration must give judges monthly updates on efforts to revise or rescind the regulation (Climatewire, May 31).
https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/06/09/stories/1060055828
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Proposed 500 MW-Plus Gas-Fired Power Plant in Wisconsin to Support Renewable Investments
Jun 9, 2017 | Natural Gas Intelligence
By Jamison Cocklin
Minnesota Power and the Dairyland Power Cooperative this week said they plan to co-develop a 525-550 MW combined-cycle natural gas-fired power plant in Superior, WI, to support major wind and solar investments in their service territories.
The entities plan to invest $350 million in the Nemadji Trail Energy Center, which would be built at a shovel-ready industrial site along the Nemadji River that has access to existing natural gas pipelines. Regulatory filings are planned for later this summer, and the facility is expected to be in service by 2024.
Minnesota Power, a utility division of the publicly traded energy provider Allete Inc., would purchase 250 MW of power from the facility under a joint ownership structure with Dairyland. As part of the company's filing with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, Minnesota Power would request another 250 MW of wind power capacity and 10 MW of solar power. The combined-cycle facility would complement the company's renewable resources as capacity backup and would help fulfill its initiative to cut carbon emissions.
Minnesota Power's plan calls for a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) from what would be a new wind farm operated by Tenaska in southwestern Michigan and the addition of 10 MW of solar power by 2020 through a 25-year PPA with Cypress Creek Renewables. If approved by regulators, the resource package, along with existing assets, would result in renewables generating 44% of the company's energy supply by 2025.
Minnesota Power's long-term goal is an energy mix of two-thirds renewable energy and natural gas, and one-third "environmentally compliant" coal. The company serves 145,000 customers, 16 municipalities and large industrial consumers within a 26,000 square-mile area in Northeastern Minnesota.
Dairyland, an energy cooperative formed decades ago that provides the wholesale electrical requirements for 24 distribution cooperatives and 17 municipal utilities in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator footprint, has long considered more natural gas in its portfolio. CEO Barbara Nick said the gas-fired plant would help diversify its generation assets.
The announcement comes at a time when natural gas deliveries for electric generation continue to climb because of the low-cost supplies from shale drilling. In the nearby PJM Interconnection market, dozens of gas-fired facilities are under construction to replace coal-fired facilities or outdated gas plants. Shale development has also influenced shifts underway in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions, which have long been some of the nation's largest consumers of coal-fired power.
While new markets for natural gas, electricity efficiency initiatives and price swings threaten the long-term role for gas in the generation stack, combined-cycle facilities have also gained as a capacity backup source because their turbines can be turned on quicker and come up to power faster to meet peak demand or fill the void of variable output renewables.
Minnesota Power said it needs the resource package to meet growing power demand within its service territory. Without the gas-fired plant, the company said it would be more reliant on "fluctuating wholesale market prices when sun and wind resources aren't available." The company expects state regulatory approval in the second half of 2018.
http://www.naturalgasintel.com/articles/110729-proposed-500-mw-plus-gas-fired-power-plant-in-wisconsin-to-support-renewable-investments
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'Homegrown' Clean Energy Equals Environmental Protection Plus Jobs!
Jun 9, 2017 | The Hill - Congress Blog
By Douglas Dougherty
On June 1, President Trump followed through on his campaign promise to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord, an international agreement struck last year for long-term, worldwide actions to cut carbon emissions and reduce the threat of climate change.
Calling out the agreement’s economic unfairness to the country, he said: “The United States, under the Trump administration, will continue to be the cleanest and most environmentally friendly country on Earth…. We will be environmentally friendly, but we’re not going to put our businesses out of work and we’re not going to lose our jobs.”
Fortunately, America is already a world leader in the implementation of efficient and clean, renewable energy, which must remain as a cornerstone of the administration’s developing environmental policy. Government stewardship has been crucial to helping nascent clean energy industries gain a toehold in markets dominated by fossil fuels—from power transmission and transportation to the heating and cooling of buildings.
Our nation’s efforts to transform energy markets cannot afford to stumble at this critical stage of development. That’s why scores of legislators are standing up for a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that will continue to provide real and direct tax relief to individual and business consumers as it promotes clean energy technology adoption and retains tens of thousands of jobs right here in America.
The Technologies for Energy Security Act of 2017 (H.R. 1090), offered by Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) would correct a congressional oversight in late-2015 that extended tax credits for solar and wind, but left behind “orphaned” technologies like geothermal heat pumps, fuel cells, microturbines, small wind and combined heat and power when their credits expired January first of this year. The Reed bill already has more than 80 cosponsors, including 50 Republicans.
Federal clean energy tax credits for clean energy technologies like geothermal heat pumps are not “corporate welfare.” Far from it, they are simply a tax reduction that helps middle-class citizens with the upfront cost of installing these technologies in their homes and businesses.
The goal of the credit is to achieve greater market penetration and help drive down the cost of the technology. We are not looking for a permanent tax credit—just the same gradual phase-out schedule that Congress adopted for solar technology.
At the same time, the nation benefits as modern technologies allow consumers to enjoy long-term reductions in energy costs that pump more dollars into local economies while putting less strain on electric power grids.
Not only that, residential and commercial geothermal heat pump installations retain and create thousands of jobs across a broad spectrum, from manufacturing to distribution and sales, drilling and excavation, and installation and maintenance. That’s why H.R. 1090 is so important to our country’s future.
In his speech declaring America’s exit from the Paris Climate Accord, President Trump said the country won’t be closing factories and losing jobs. But that is already happening to the industries left behind by Congress’ inaction on clean energy tax credits. Their expiration beginning this year now threatens thousands of geothermal and other clean energy jobs, with hard-hitting reports of layoffs increasing across the country.
Trump said, “My job as President is to do everything within my power to give America a level playing field and to create the economic, regulatory and tax structures that make America the most prosperous and productive country on Earth, and with the highest standard of living and the highest standard of environmental protection.”
The Trump Administration and Congress can help accomplish those goals by standing up for fairness across U.S. clean energy markets. They can do that by standing with so many others already in strong bipartisan support of the provisions of the Technologies for Energy Security Act of 2017, H.R. 1090.
Douglas Dougherty, President and CEO GEO – The Geothermal Exchange Organization, is a non-profit 501(c)(6) trade association representing the interests of all businesses involved in the geothermal heat pump industry across the United States.
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/337059-homegrown-clean-energy-equals-environmental-protection
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Overheated Anti-Fossil Fuel Rhetoric Fooling Young People, Says Blacklight Researcher
Jun 9, 2017 | Natural Gas Intelligence
By Jeremiah Shelor
Despite the current wave of anti-fossil fuel sentiment, many in the public would shift their attitudes if they realized what "keep it in the ground" actually entails, according to a managing partner of Blacklight Research LLC.
Colin Fenton, in a keynote presentation at the LDC Gas Forums Northeast conference in Boston this week, offered a harsh critique of the rhetoric used to attack the oil and gas industry amid the current policy debates over how to address climate change.
He quoted statements from the Rockefeller Family Fund asserting that companies should completely stop exploring for and developing hydrocarbons. The fund last year said it would divest from fossil fuels and eliminate holdings in ExxonMobil Corp., whose predecessor Standard Oil Co. Inc. was founded in 1870 by John D. Rockefeller Sr.
"I'm a fellow at Columbia University," Fenton said. "I can assure you that today there are living, breathing Ivy League students who firmly believe this as a matter of conscience, as a matter of morality, and if you do not agree with them, you are amoral, you do not have a conscience, according to them."
But while this no-more-fossil-fuels idea might have appeal in the current political discourse, particularly to younger people, the arguments don't hold up, especially when expanding to consider the prevalence of hydrocarbons in technology, medicine, agriculture, entertainment and more.
"You're going to find if you put the spotlight on the 20-year-old" arguing to halt all new fossil fuel development "they're going to feel very uncomfortable very quickly because their argument cannot be won. Let me repeat that. It is not possible to win their argument. It is not possible for it to be right. It's too extreme. It is too binary. It displays not even a rudimentary knowledge of engineering, physics or chemistry."
Fenton highlighted that even a Tesla electric car needs "thermal plastics, adhesives, synthetic rubber, driving on asphalt. Without hydrocarbons, Tesla blinks into nonexistence in a poof of irony. Without natural gas giving ethane to go into a cracker, to make that stuff, there is no Tesla."
Removing all hydrocarbons from the modern economy would be like returning "to the land of 1850 but you arrive there with 7.5 billion human beings this time, on the way to having nine billion. The suffering you would inflict on the human species would be palpable."
If all other uses of oil and gas were cut by an annual rate of 5% but petrochemical demand still grew at a 5% annual rate, "it'd be back to the same size market in 48 years...if you acknowledge that you still want to use this stuff in materials you're right back there in 48 years, and yes, when you make hydrocarbons go into materials, there are emissions."
If confronted with their "ignorance" on the uses of hydrocarbons, Fenton said he thinks young people sensitive to anti-fossil fuel rhetoric "are going to pivot and be like, 'Oh no, did I say all hydrocarbons? Yeah, no I meant like coal and burn, no I like gas, gas is great. Ethane? What's ethane? No, I still want the Super Bowl.' You're going to get this pivot."
Even with "very draconian" cuts to oil and gas use, the world would still fall short of emissions limits targets based on global growth scenarios, he said, meaning governments and companies will need to develop methods for pulling carbon from the atmosphere.
Fenton speculated on a future in which the oil and gas industry's competition comes from companies that "start to extract hydrocarbons from the atmosphere, not just from the ground."
"My bet is job security" for oil and gas "is great, your industry is fine," Fenton said. "Our species is slightly crazy right now. We'll get past it. It it is way too partisan. It is way too argumentative. It has a policy vision masquerading as science, and at some point science is going to stand up and say, 'Wait a minute, actually that's not right.' And you're going to get whatever solution the market will demand."
He said there are misconceptions about what hydrocarbons are and where they come from that are underlying the anti-fossil fuel sentiment that has taken hold.
"I think most human beings actually believe there were these large terrestrial animals that lived a couple hundred million years ago and they fell over and then a lot of stuff got on top of them and then you dig them up and there's a fixed supply, and that's it," Fenton said.
"That's the concept they have. Most people don't ask the question where'd the dinosaur get the carbon? Most people are not aware that geologists don't think it was actually dinosaurs, they think it was the ferns and marine algae, because we're talking back so many hundreds of millions of years you don't even have dinosaurs yet.
"And then, if the plants got it from the atmosphere, where'd the atmosphere get the carbon? Interstellar space -- that's your natural logical conclusion, right? -- and stars that went supernova billions of years ago," he continued.
"So this carbon I'm spitting out right now was literally in a star 10 billion years ago, somewhere. That is not at all what I saw when I observed Columbia University students take over [university president] Lee Bollinger's office, demanding divestment [from fossil fuels], ordering in Chinese takeout from Amsterdam Avenue delivered in styrofoam plastic, as they put in their earbuds and typed out really angry screeds on Apple Mac computers."
http://www.naturalgasintel.com/articles/110730-overheated-anti-fossil-fuel-rhetoric-fooling-young-people-says-blacklight-researcher
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US Exports Record LNG Volume in May, Despite Low Profits
Jun 9, 2017 | Platts
By J. Robinson
US LNG export volumes climbed to a record high in May which came in spite of exceptionally low profit margins on spot cargoes sold into consumer markets in Europe and Asia.
Last month, the US exported 17 LNG cargoes carrying the liquefied equivalent of 58.3 Bcf of gas, data compiled by Platts Analytics showed. Over roughly the same period, the profit margin for traders selling spot cargoes to West India and Northeast Asia fell to record lows at minus 26 cents/MMBtu and 4 cents/MMBtu, respectively, Platts Analytics data show.
Compounding the puzzling coincidence, at least seven of the cargoes exported last month now appear to be sailing toward destinations in Northeast Asia, West India and the nearby Middle East region.
Historical data collected by Platts Analytics on US export trends show offtakers Shell, Cheniere Marketing, Gas Natural and others having delivered large volumes to India, China, Jordan, Japan, Turkey and South Korea, implying that some of last month's deliveries to the Middle East and Asia were used to fulfill contractual obligations.
Another six cargoes shipped from Sabine Pass in May appear to be en route to destinations in South America and Mexico, where shorter shipping distances may have provided exporters with a more robust margin for profit. In May, Platts' DES Brazil netforward price, which provides a price indication for demand in the South Atlantic, averaged $5.57/MMBtu, roughly on par with the prompt-month JKM price, Platts data show.
EXPORTS TRACK SABINE PASS COMMISSIONING MILESTONES
Record-high export volumes in May come as Cheniere Energy continues to ramp up liquefaction capacity at the Sabine Pass terminal, which currently stands at 2.1 Bcf/d with Trains 1-3 having all reached substantial completion.
Feedgas deliveries to the Louisiana Gulf Coast terminal, which exceed liquefaction capacity due to operational losses, have surpassed 2.4 Bcf/d on two occasions in April and May. Last month, gas deliveries to Sabine Pass averaged just below 2.1 Bcf/d, due in part to lower feedgas volumes from mid-to-late month.
In late May, Cheniere requested authorization from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to begin introducing feedgas and refrigerants to Train 4, which is one of the final milestones before bringing a liquefaction facility into commercial operation.
Historical data tracking the time duration from the introduction of feedgas to substantial completion shows the process lasting 190 days for Train 1, 177 days for Train 2 and 133 days for Train 3, suggesting that Train 4 could achieve commercial completion, possibly by late September or early October, according to data compiled by Platts Analytics.
JKM, WEST INDIA PRICES HOVER ABOVE ANNUAL LOWS
Weak profit margins on exports of US LNG to the Middle East, West India and Northeast Asia last month came, in part, as destination market prices remained depressed.
In May, the prompt-month JKM price averaged just $5.59/MMBtu, according to S&P Global Platts data, and was only about 4 cents higher than the average price in April when the index briefly dipped to its lowest this year at $5.35/MMBtu.
The DES West India marker meanwhile saw its monthly average sink to just $5.36/MMBtu, the lowest year to date. In late May, the daily index briefly sank to a 2017 low at just $5.15/MMBtu.
Both the JKM and the DES West India prices climbed to multi-year highs in December and January, when prices in both regions approached the $10/MMBtu level on elevated demand and tight regional supply, Platts data show.
https://www.platts.com/latest-news/natural-gas/denver/us-exports-record-lng-volume-in-may-despite-low-21983026
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First U.S. Natural Gas Shipped to Poland
Jun 9, 2017 | Foreign Policy (via Real Clear Energy)
By Robbie Gramer
Poland just took a symbolic step forward in wresting itself from Russia’s energy dominance.
On Thursday, the first ever liquified natural gas shipment from the United States arrived in Poland, a landmark of sorts in Europe’s continuing drive to diversify the sources of its energy imports. The gas came from an export terminal in Louisiana that was first out of the gate to exploit the U.S. shale boom to supply the global market.
For Warsaw, the first delivery is fruit of new energy infrastructure that allows it to reduce near total dependence on Russian imports, following closely in step with neighboring Lithuania’s move to open its own floating LNG terminal.
“It’s very important, it’s a milestone,” one Polish diplomat told Foreign Policy. The diplomat said energy diversification is a top priority for eastern Europe countries in Russia’s shadow, a safety net if Moscow ever decides to cut supplies in geopolitical ploys against its neighbors — something it has repeatedly done in the past.
Eastern European countries like Poland and the Baltic states have already suffered past episodes of Russian energy bullying. Now, they are increasingly unnerved by Russia’s tense showdown with NATO over Ukraine, Syria, and a slew of other geopolitical minefields. But they also remain heavily reliant on Russian energy.
Russia, for its part, is just as reliant on cash from its energy exports to Europe to shore up its anemic economy. (Europe is by far the biggest market for Gazprom, the big natural gas firm, grandiose plans to expand to China notwithstanding.) As Europe diversifies its gas supplies — from the United States, Norway, and other gas exporters like Qatar, Russia will face a choice between losing its big share of the market — and the political clout that comes with it — or lowering prices to stay competitive.
“[Russia] will have to rethink their tactics and strategy…they’ll have to consider the United States as an increasing power in the European gas market,” the diplomat said.
What’s more, as U.S. and European energy officials point out, the mere availability of U.S. natural gas in the global market can be a boon to countries even when they don’t physically receive gas. Gazprom was forced to slash its price for Lithuania by 20 percent after the small Baltic country opened its floating LNG terminal, simply because it suddenly saw the prospect of competition in the future.
Extra supply of affordable U.S. natural gas in the global market has also pushed down contract prices for gas in other parts of Europe and in Asia, benefitting consumers and industry. The United States, in other words, isn’t just exporting gas: It is also exporting America’s low gas prices.
That doesn’t mean Russia’s going anywhere. It still supplies Europe with 35 percent of its total gas imports, and 13 European countries rely on Russia for over 75 of their annual gas imports. LNG shipments from the United States won’t change that.
“It’s not practical to say Russia is going to replaced as a supplier,” one State Department official told FP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Still, it needn’t be overly dominant. During the George W. Bush and Obama administrations, the United States sought to help Europe diversify its sources of energy. That’s because Russia habitually used disruptions of energy exports — especially in 2006 and 2009 — to try to cow smaller neighbors, such as Ukraine or the Baltic countries. U.S. efforts included working with Europe to build more connective tissue so that energy supplies could flow throughout Europe more easily, as well as supporting the development of new infrastructure like LNG terminals and pipelines.
The Trump administration said it will continue to support Europe’s diversification efforts. Mary Warlick, the State Department’s top energy diplomat, said at an event Wednesday at the Atlantic Council, that Washington supports Europe’s efforts to find new sources of supply — including exports from the United States, but also other projects, like a new pipeline to bring gas from the Caucasus into southern Europe.
The flip side of that is concern in Washington — shared by many in Central and Eastern Europe — about Russia’s plans to build yet another gas pipeline to Europe. The Nord Stream 2 project would bypass Ukraine, costing Kiev billions of dollars in transit fees, and redouble Europe’s dependence on Russian gas by funneling 80 percent of Russian gas imports to the EU through one big route. That would “significantly increase Europe’s vulnerability to a supply disruption,” Warlick warned in Brussels last week.
Polish authorities have tried to trip up the project on antitrust grounds, and there is also a campaign afoot to block the pipeline on environmental grounds. Many eastern European countries have attacked the project as a Russian geopolitical ploy to strengthen its energy leverage over Europe, rather than a commercial project that makes economic sense. (The existing pipeline is not used at full capacity, and European gas demand growth is pretty much flat, making it hard to justify a new $10 billion pipe.)
Warlick said the project’s geopolitical ramifications raise “concern” for the Trump administration. However, the project is supported by a handful of Western energy companies and seems to have the tacit support of Germany, which would be a big beneficiary of the new pipeline.
And while Thursday’s LNG shipment is welcome news for Poland, it is not yet a reprieve from the threat of Nord Stream 2.
“The problem of Nord Stream 2 still looms large, as this is a pipeline with a much greater capacity that has major regional implications,” said Sijbren De Jong of the Hague Center for Strategic Studies. “That is not shoved aside by the arrival of U.S. LNG at this point.”
While the debate over Nord Stream 2 plays out, Poland is eager to accept non-Russian gas wherever it can get it. In recent weeks, Warsaw signed a gas contract with Qatar and announced plans to increase its capacity to import liquefied natural gas by about 50 percent.
http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/06/08/first-u-s-natural-gas-shipped-to-poland/?
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(ACC Mentioned) EPA Sends Industrial Safety Reg Freeze for White House Review
Jun 9, 2017 | E&E Greenwire
By Sean Reilly
U.S. EPA'S planned long-term freeze on implementation of new industrial safety regulations is under review by the White House Office of Management and Budget.
The agency's accidental release prevention rule had originally been scheduled to take effect in March. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt first stayed implementation until June 19, then proposed another hold lasting until February 2019 while the agency considers administrative petitions for reconsideration (Greenwire, March 31).
Pruitt unveiled the proposal for a longer-lasting freeze in March; after a public comment period that ended last month, EPA sent the final version to OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on Wednesday, according to the Reginfo.gov website. It was unclear whether the agency has made any changes from the original draft.
As published by the Obama administration in January, the new regulations could apply to as many as 12,500 refineries, chemical plants and other industrial facilities covered by federal risk management program requirements. They are intended to strengthen accident prevention safeguards, better protect firefighters and other first responders from chemical exposure, and do more to keep the public informed of potential hazards.
The new requirements, spurred by a 2013 explosion at a Texas fertilizer storage and distribution facility that killed 15 people, have run into resistance from industry groups contending that they will bring higher costs with no perceptible benefits.
Those organizations generally back the proposed implementation delay, according to their written comments. "Such an extension has a firm legal basis and would not jeopardize the EPA's mission of protecting communities or the environment," Ron Chittim, the American Petroleum Institute's manager of downstream/refining, wrote in a filing last month.
Opposed are labor and environmental groups, many of which already thought the new requirements didn't go far enough. "We cannot afford to wait two more years for these basic improvements to take effect," Jessica Eckdish of the BlueGreen Alliance said in a prepared statement at an April public hearing.
The American Chemistry Council and other industry organizations are also challenging the new regulations in court. Those lawsuits, brought before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, are pending.
https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/06/09/stories/1060055835
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Regulate This: Worker Safety in Trump's America
Jun 9, 2017 | Forbes
By Andy Knauer
In recent months, occupational safety regulations have been revisited by the Trump Administration as part of their more sweeping agenda to promote growth and competition. Recently, for example, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration abruptly sidelined imminent action on rules that would lower workplace exposure to silica and beryllium, two commonly used minerals linked to debilitating lung diseases. Further, the President’s recent budget draft eliminated funding to the Chemical Safety Board and an OSHA grant program, both of which are designed to promote worker safety.
At JUST Capital, we have surveyed tens of thousands of ordinary people to find out what issues they prioritize when it comes to corporate behavior. Our 2016 polling revealed that the American people value workers – how well they’re paid and treated – above else when it comes to corporate behavior. Worker Treatment, which accounts for about 25 percent of our scoring model, is comprised of several key components – the second most heavily weighted of which is whether companies provide a safe workplace.
The revision of occupational safety regulations has major implications across the board, but it’s especially relevant for certain industries. In JUST Capital’s research, we analyzed companies based on metrics of Worker Safety, including commitments to providing a safe workplace, total recordable incident rates, and controversies in workplace safety.
When we score each industry relatively, those with the highest scores in worker safety include Banks, Commercial & Professional Services, Insurance, Internet Software & Services, and Software. This is not entirely surprising, considering these industries have less exposure to worker safety risks. Those with the lowest scores in worker safety include Capital Goods, Chemicals, Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels, Retailing, and Utilities. These lower scoring industries might be more prone to incidents and controversies, or they might more inconsistently commit to workplace safety, or both. Regardless, workers in these industries may be most vulnerable to shifts in federal regulation.
That said, in those lower scoring industries, each has companies that stand out for their efforts in promoting safety in their workspaces – including AES Corp (Utilities), Cabot (Chemicals), Cimarex Energy (Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels), Home Depot (Retailing), and WW Grainger (Capital Goods). Despite industry trends, these corporations have taken the lead in providing structures for safe workplaces, an effort which grows more relevant by the day.
These companies:
had minimal or no safety incidents, and
committed to at least four of the following:
a policy to improve employee health and safety
a policy to improve employee health and safety within the company and its supply chain
an employee health and safety team
training its executives or key employees on health and safety
health and safety management systems in place
In the coming months, all inhabitants of the corporate ecosystem will continue to be vulnerable to shifts in federal regulations. Workers, whose fair treatment exists at the forefront of Americans’ perception of JUST business behavior, could be impacted severely by these changes. JUST Capital will continue to track how companies perform on issues of worker safety, regardless of whether the federal government sets standards for corporations to follow. As the corporate landscape grows more uncertain, individual companies and industries will likely need to uphold the values of the American people themselves.
JUST Capital is an unaligned non-profit that ranks companies against Americans’ top priorities. JUST’s second annual ranking on corporate behavior is slated to be published in October.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/justcapital/2017/06/09/regulate-this-worker-safety-in-trumps-america/#e645c2b64bfb
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Positive Train Control System Implementation Helps Launch Rail Safety Projects
Jun 9, 2017 | Born2Invest
By Mary Scott Nabers
An abundance of rail safety projects are about to be launched. That’s because commuter and intercity passenger railroads must meet a federally mandated December 2018 deadline to implement Positive Train Control (PTC) systems. And, it’s also because the federal government just awarded millions to help transit agencies throughout the U.S. meet that deadline. Additionally, cybersecurity is increasingly becoming a concern for the commuter rail industry and funding is available for adding cybersecurity as a safety component to rail systems.
Unlike most other project-related funding which has been placed in limbo by the proposed Trump budget, funds for train safety projects have not been affected. Last week, the Federal Railroad Administration and Federal Transit Administration announced the recipients of $197 million in funding for train control system projects. While that is good, a total of $455 million was requested for 27 eligible projects. The ones that were not funded will likely be launched with assistance from alternative funding sources.
The most recent federal funds were made available through the FAST Act, the $305 billion, five-year transportation funding bill that was signed into law in December 2015. PTC Systems prevent collisions, derailments and wrong-track switching. A number of projects also received funding for back office systems, communications equipment and onboard hardware.
With the “interconnectedness” that comes with improved technology, the risks of cybersecurity attacks are rampant. Cybersecurity attacks can bring down an entire transit system so some projects will have a funding component for this safety feature. In November 2016, the San Francisco Metropolitan Transit Authority was the victim of a ransomware attack that kept the city’s light rail transit system ticket machines offline for a day. Although the machines were restored by the next day, the event heightened this type of scrutiny on all transits systems.
Some projects that were afforded funding include the following:
The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, which operates Caltrain, has been awarded $21.68 million to equip seven Caltrain trains with the Incremental Train Control System and Interoperable Electronic Train Management System.
The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) has been awarded $9.44 million for the installation of a crash avoidance safety system that will be installed along 77 miles of track.
The Southern California Regional Rail Authority will receive $3.2 million to develop, test, and deploy tools and processes to improve the reliability, efficiency and security of the train’s PTC system. Additional encryption and physical firewalls to protect data from cyberattacks will be included.
The Florida Department of Transportation will receive $1.84 million to implement an Interoperable Electronic Train Management System (I-ETMS) PTC system along 110 miles of the Central Florida Rail Corridor in the Orlando region. The maximum contract amount for the program management services is listed at $20 million.
This federal funding will, in most cases, be combined with other funding because the projects are large. Companies that offer transit solutions, especially PTC systems, will find an attractive marketplace that is opening up immediately.
https://born2invest.com/articles/rail-safety-projects/
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Trump Rightly Picks Abundant Energy and Prosperity with Paris Agreement Withdrawal
Jun 9, 2017 | The Hill - Congress Blog
By Rep. Tom McClintock
President Trump’s most important mandate is to revive America’s struggling economy. According to many economists, that can’t be done under the terms of the Paris Climate Accord. There’s a reason why we suffered the slowest economic growth of the post-war era under Barack Obama: bad deals and bad policies like this.
President Obama bound America to the Paris Accord by executive fiat. He committed billions of dollars of taxes paid by American families to an international slush fund for third world countries, and set his agencies loose to suppress American industry regardless of the costs imposed on working families. According to a Heritage Foundation analysis, adhering to the accords would destroy 400,000 American jobs and forfeit $2.5 trillion in lost productivity by 2035 – lowering average family earnings by about $20,000.
Astonishingly, by the EPA’s own modelling, the accord would reduce global temperature increases by only 0.17 of one degree (C) by the end of the century if fully implemented. Its advocates have recently dismissed this inconvenient truth by explaining it would at least “send a powerful signal.”
The cost of this “powerful signal” to average families is debilitating and has been keenly felt wherever these policies are practiced. European energy prices are more than twice as high as the United States and their economies lag far behind even the anemic growth under Obama. California has adopted many of these policies and now bears one of the highest energy costs in the country. Not coincidentally, it also suffers the highest poverty rate. Without the high-tech wealth of the Bay area, California’s economy would trail well behind the national growth rate.
We’re promised a new green economy and told that solar jobs already dwarf those in the outdated fossil fuel sector. But that’s not the whole story. Those 374,000 solar jobs generate just 9/10 of one percent of U.S. electricity. The 187,000 coal, oil and gas jobs produce 64.8 percent. As long as government coerces consumers to buy overpriced green products and forces taxpayers to fork over billions of dollars of subsidies to solar companies through higher utility and tax bills, solar jobs will flourish – but at the great expense of everyone else.
The wide historical fluctuations in both CO2 atmospheric concentrations and global temperatures suggest that natural influences vastly outweigh the human causes of global warming. Paleo-climatologists document that atmospheric CO2 levels were five times higher during the Jurassic Period and global temperatures were about 13 degrees (F) higher during the Pleistocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum – long before humans or the SUV.
In 2016, President Obama came to Yosemite Valley to warn that the last of Yosemite’s glaciers would soon disappear. Timing is everything: if he had stood on the same spot 20,000 years earlier, he would have been buried under about 2,000 feet of glacial ice.
The first IPCC report in 1990 sounding the alarm over global warming gives us some actual experience with the accuracy of its climate modelling. Actual global temperatures are now well below the smallest temperature increases it originally projected. Twenty years before, the scientific consensus warned pollution was about to trigger another Ice Age.
The inaccuracy of past projections suggests that the current state of science is still far from understanding the intricate natural forces and interrelationships at play – and farther still from accurately forecasting temperatures over hundreds of years within fractions of a degree. Perhaps that’s why many prominent and respected climatologists continue to challenge and debate the question, despite claims that “97 percent of the scientists agree” and despite calls to silence “climate deniers” as heretics.
As the fable of the “Emperor’s New Clothes” illustrates, nothing is more threatening to a flawed consensus than a single dissenter. Our politically incorrect President has just stepped forward from the crowd and pointed out the obvious.
The Paris Accord points the way to a future of skyrocketing energy prices, lower productivity and wages, a massive wealth transfer from America to nations like China and India, and a permanently declining quality of life for our children.
Fortunately, President Trump has a different vision: a future in which families can enjoy the prosperity that abundant energy provides and the quality of life that comes from that prosperity. We can’t get there from Paris.
Whichever course we take -- whether we choose abundance and prosperity or scarcity and poverty -- one thing is certain. The earth will continue to warm and cool as it has for billions of years.
McClintock represents California's 4th District.
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/336980-trump-rightly-picks-abundant-energy-and-prosperity
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