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Pritzker administration criticized for helping coal mining industry

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Illinois

* Michael Hawthorne at the Tribune takes a look at the Pritzker administration’s actions on Illinois coal…

Illinois already is a major supplier of coal, the chief source of heat-trapping gases warming the planet. After Pritzker took office in early 2019, his administration began clearing the way for a new coal mine, despite a sharp fall in demand for the fossil fuel as electric utilities shift to cheaper, cleaner sources of energy.

Pritzker appointees also tentatively approved a 12-mile pipeline that every day would dump millions of gallons of toxic waste into a Mississippi River tributary, making it easier for a recently bankrupt company to continue digging coal out of the state’s second-largest mine.

The governor’s aides said their reviews of the projects are far from over. “We don’t agree that the administration’s decisions are locking Illinois into a coal-dependent future,” Jordan Abudayyeh, Pritzker’s spokeswoman, said in an email response to questions from the Chicago Tribune.

Abudayyeh said the governor made his intentions clear with a list of principles for a clean-energy future. But Pritzker’s “Putting Customers & Climate First” agenda does not address the impacts of coal mining.

Go read the whole thing. IDNR appears to be at the root of much of this. But the governor is the governor. And governors own.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Oct 2, 20 @ 2:03 pm

Comments

Illinois should have a Royalty tax on mineral extraction.

Comment by Al Friday, Oct 2, 20 @ 2:20 pm
I know it’s late on a Friday (at least for me anyway), but there wasn’t anything in the article about Vistra’s closing of plants and transitioning those to solar… was there? I know the Trib did an article on that a couple of days ago, but including that information in this article would have made it more balanced.

Comment by Anon221 Friday, Oct 2, 20 @ 2:31 pm
=despite a sharp fall in demand for the fossil fuel as electric utilities shift to cheaper, cleaner sources of energy=

Illinois Basin Coal prices and demand have been stable for over a year, and they are higher today than they were three years ago.

https://www.quandl.com/data/EIA/COAL-US-Coal-Prices-by-Region

Comment by Donnie Elgin Friday, Oct 2, 20 @ 2:33 pm
Despite everything, the Trib still does some valuable reporting. Very good work.

Comment by Keyrock Friday, Oct 2, 20 @ 2:43 pm
“but there wasn’t anything in the article about Vistra’s closing of plants and transitioning those to solar… was there?”

Why would there be? There is no indication the closing of Vistra had to do with the Governor, or rules/regulations or decisions at the state level under his administration.

The article cited in the post is based off of historical state policy decisions including policy decisions under his administration. Further, it contrasts what he said on the campaign trail and what has actually occurred since coming into office.

Comment by 1st Ward Friday, Oct 2, 20 @ 2:44 pm
===Vistra’s closing of plants===

This story is about coal mines. Illinois mines. I don’t think any Illinois coal-fired plant currently burns Illinois coal.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Oct 2, 20 @ 2:53 pm
1st Ward- the article did allude to the clean energy work the Governor had promised to collaborate on. Isn’t that something Vistra is doing and won’t it close coal plants and help transition to cleaner renewables? I’m not defending Vistra or the Governor’s office, just commenting that the article was a bit lop-sided. Just a couple of sentences would have evened it up a little.

Comment by Anon221 Friday, Oct 2, 20 @ 2:56 pm
Apologies to Rich and 1st Ward- like I said, it’s late in the day and the caffeine isn’t working. Pant and mine weren’t connecting well in my tired eyes.

Comment by Anon221 Friday, Oct 2, 20 @ 3:00 pm
Plant not pant—- geesh.

Comment by Anon221 Friday, Oct 2, 20 @ 3:01 pm
Does Viper Mine still supply CWLP, Springfield’s city owned plant?

Comment by BTO2 Friday, Oct 2, 20 @ 3:09 pm
Viper supplies coal to CWLP

Comment by Cool Papa Bell Friday, Oct 2, 20 @ 3:21 pm
FWIW - This is from the IL Coal Association webpage.

“Now about 85% of coal mined in Illinois is shipped to other states or exported to foreign countries.”

Comment by Cool Papa Bell Friday, Oct 2, 20 @ 3:23 pm
= Does the Viper Mine still supply CWLP, Springfield’s city-owned plant?=

Also the Prairie State Energy Campus, a 1600 MW mine-mouth plant near Marissa.

Comment by Going nuclear Friday, Oct 2, 20 @ 3:43 pm
What does Hawthorne want the governor to do? Shut down the mines? Cancel contracts between Illinois mines and private companies. I’ve read this story twice and other than complaining that there is still coal mining in Illinois, I can’t figure out specifically what the governor is supposed to do and what he is empowered to do under law.

Hawthorne is a pretty good investigative reporter but he knows nothing about energy and it often shows. Look, I’d like to see the state completely out of the coal business but that’s going to take time.

Comment by Southern Skeptic Friday, Oct 2, 20 @ 3:58 pm