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Coal to seek billions in tax credits; House panel OKs ban on coal moratoriums

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Coal to seek billions in tax credits; House panel OKs ban on coal moratoriums

Coal, nuclear power backers planning to seek billions in tax credits

Coal and nuclear power proponents are pressing supporters in Congress to introduce new tax credits before the end of the year, potentially providing billions in dollars of support to coal and nuclear plants.

Backers of the plans, first reported by Axios, said tax credits would level the playing field for coal and nuclear plants, which are under pressure due to market and regulatory challenges and are competing with renewable power facilities, which they said receive billions of dollars each year in federal tax credits.

House committee passes bill to ban future federal coal lease moratoriums

A U.S. House committee has voted to pass a bill to ban future federal coal lease moratoriums without congressional approval.

On Nov. 30, the House Committee on Natural Resources voted 17-12 to pass H.R. 1778, introduced in March by Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., without amendments. The bill will go next to a full vote by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Bill banning social cost of carbon in policymaking gets House panel's OK

A U.S. House committee has voted to pass a bill that would ban federal agencies from taking into account the social cost of greenhouse gas releases in policymaking.

At a Nov. 30 bill markup, the House Committee on Natural Resources voted 18-15 to pass H.R. 3117, introduced by Rep. Evan Jenkins, R-W.Va., to prohibit the Energy and Interior departments, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Council on Environmental Quality from considering the social cost of carbon, methane or nitrous oxide when taking any action.

Coal sector sees potential harm in Senate's attempt at tax reform

At least some in the American coal industry were disappointed to see the U.S. Senate's version of sweeping changes to the U.S. tax code.

"It effectively raises taxes on coal operations, potentially offsetting practically everything the Trump administration has done to help the U.S. coal industry to get back on its feet," West Virginia Coal Association Senior Vice President Chris Hamilton said. "We remain optimistic that the Tax Conference Committee will recognize this mistake and move to adopt the House provisions that deal with the alternative minimum tax and frankly cannot support the Senate tax bill until it does."

Coal miners find broad support, but solutions differ at Clean Power Plan hearing

Coal miners and industry supporters rallied in Charleston, W.Va., on Nov. 28 as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency accepted public feedback at a hearing on its proposal to repeal the Clean Power Plan.

Those who presented testimony appeared relatively evenly split between backers and opponents of the Clean Power Plan, although support for coal miners themselves was prominent on both sides. When Sierra Club Climate Policy Director Liz Perera took the podium, she remarked that coal miners "have been the backbone of our country for many years" and thanked them for enduring such a difficult job.

EPA to hold climate change debate after new year, Murray Energy CEO says

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will "come out" with a planned climate change science debate in early 2018, one of the Trump administration's biggest coal industry allies said Nov. 30.

Robert Murray, CEO of Ohio-based coal producer Murray Energy Corp., said he met with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt last week and the agency is moving ahead on plans for a "red team-blue team" debate in which scientists with opposing viewpoints on climate change will test each others' arguments.

Millennium Bulk appeals permit decision, sues state agency for withholding data

Millennium Bulk Terminals-Longview has appealed a decision against critical shoreline permits needed for its planned coal export terminal and has separately sued a Washington state agency for allegedly withholding essential information on how the final environmental impact statement was made.

According to documents to be filed Dec. 4 before the Washington Shorelines Hearing Board, Millennium Bulk is appealing the decision, alleging the Cowlitz County hearing examiner "thoroughly and fundamentally misreads and, therefore, misapplies the State Environmental Policy Act and the Shoreline Management Act, and does not analyze the project's consistency with the local [Cowlitz County Shoreline Master Program] as required."