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EPA probing Exxon Mobil toxic spill
The Environmental Protection Agency is working with local authorities to investigate a potential toxic spill stemming from two Exxon Mobil refineries damaged by Hurricane Harvey, the agency confirmed to the Washington Examiner late Tuesday night.
Exxon filed a report earlier Tuesday with Texas environmental regulators saying its Baytown refining facility, the second largest in the country, sustained damage after it became “partially” submerged from the record heavy rain. Its Beaumont petrochemical refining facility also was damaged.
The oil company said the damage caused the release of more than 1,300 pounds of sulfur dioxide, which is a serious air pollutant and toxic gas regulated by EPA’s air and radiation office.
“This is an unprecedented storm, and we have taken every effort to minimize emissions and safely shut down equipment,” an Exxon spokeswoman said. “We are working hard to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our employees, our neighbors and the public.”
Exxon’s attempt at damage control comes after some Houston residents complained of an “unbearable chemical” smell.
Exxon has faced scrutiny for releasing hazardous chemicals before.
In 2010, Environment Texas and the Sierra Club sued the company, charging that the Baytown refinery emitted eight million pounds of pollutants over five years. A federal judge fined Exxon $20 million in that case.
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt was unaware of the refinery sulfur dioxide release Tuesday when he called into the Chad Hasty Show on KFYO in Lubbock, Texas, to talk about his role in the federal recovery effort following the hurricane and the ongoing flooding.
Environmentalists bash Trump over climate change
As President Trump flew to Texas, the debate over the severity of flooding got ugly, with environmental groups blaming both Trump and a hotter planet for the devastation.
“The situation unfolding on Texas’ Gulf Coast is unlike anything else in history, and it is the product of both a hotter planet and this administration’s climate denial, racism and callousness,” said May Boeve, executive director of 350.org.
The group pushed the anti-fossil fuel “Keep It In the Ground” campaign during last year’s election. Boeve played up Trump’s trip to Texas as a harbinger of more disastrous storms under his policies.
Boeve and others were quick to point out the damage to the two Exxon Mobil refineries as a key reason for leveling blame on Trump.
“The flooding is expected to get worse, more people are in need of shelter and services, damaged oil refineries are spewing toxic fumes into communities, and public health is at risk,” she said.
Trump not ready to get roped into climate debate
Climate scientists also have been saying that a warmer globe is making storms such as Harvey much more frequent. The Trump administration said it wouldn’t get dragged into a political debate over climate change when the focus should be on recovery.
EPA spokeswoman Liz Bowman said the focus is “on the safety of those affected by Hurricane Harvey and providing emergency response support — not engaging in attempts to politicize an ongoing tragedy.”
A White House official told Reuters: “Right now, the top priority of the federal government as we work together to support state and local authorities in Texas and Louisiana is protecting the life and safety of those in impacted areas.”
Anti-nuclear groups scream Chicken Little
The group Beyond Nuclear on Tuesday issued a press release that screams alarmism: “Credible threat of severe accident at two Texas nuclear reactors still running during hurricane.”
It’s a headline that the nation’s top nuclear watchdog, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, told the Washington Examiner is completely without cause. The commission said it has been monitoring the South Texas Project in Baytown for the past week.
The commission would order the power plant to do a controlled shutdown if it were at risk of an accident, an NRC spokesman said.
More than a quarter million still without power
More than a quarter of a million people across Texas are without electricity Wednesday morning.
More than 270,000 Texans were without power as of 6:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to Data Fusion Solutions’ power outage tracker.
About 10,000 utility workers are trying to get power restored, said Tom Kuhn, president of the Edison Electric Institute, the top trade group for investor-owned utilities. He suggested the situation could get worse as Harvey hits Louisiana Wednesday.
New rain record set at just under 52 inches
The National Weather Service said Tuesday that Cedar Bayou, Texas, recorded 51.88 inches of rain from Harvey, calling it a new continental U.S. record.
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Coal group touts power plant benefits with new study
A pro-coal group issued a report Wednesday underscoring the benefits of the nation’s coal-fired power plants one week after the Trump administration issued its own study on how to support the struggling plants for their resilience and reliability.
The report highlights the reliability of coal power plants and points out that coal can be stored for long periods at or near power plants, limiting the risks associated with transporting fuel via pipeline or rail.
“The coal fleet reduces the risk of adverse price changes in other fuel sources, especially natural gas,” according to a summary of the report’s findings. “While natural gas prices are currently at historic lows, natural gas prices can be volatile due to a variety of factors.”
The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity will begin pressing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to implement many of the Energy Department’s recommendations, a number of which involve the commission making rule changes that would take into account the particular attributes of coal and nuclear plants, such as reliability.
The report is expected to help the industry’s argument at FERC and other parts of the Washington bureaucracy.
Senate climate stalwart Ed Markey pleads with Tillerson over envoy
Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, not surprisingly, is lashing out at the prospect of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson firing the agency’s climate change envoy.
“Secretary Tillerson must retain this position so that the United States keeps a seat at the table,” Markey said Tuesday after Tillerson sent a letter to Foreign Relations Committee saying he would eliminate the position with over “special envoys.”
The envoy serves as the government’s representative on climate change negotiations, such as those underpinning the 2015 Paris climate change agreement that President Trump announced the U.S. would be exiting from.
Markey’s reaction could signal yet another point of contention from Democrats when the Senate returns next month. Restoring the envoy post could be used by some Democrats to hold up legislation that Trump wants passed or even the State Department’s budget.
Children’s book creates new dystopian world after climate change destroys the old one
As Harvey prompts fresh consternation about climate change, a new children’s book promises to promote “environmental awareness” to the next generation.
Heartlab Press announced the Dec. 14 release of the “Planet of the Orb Trees,” written by Barton Ludwig.
The book tells the story of a boy who lives on a planet where natural disasters have destroyed the world and pushed the last humans to live in an old amusement park.
Nuclear reactor developer bolsters communications team
Nuscale Power is bolstering its communications team as it aims to build the first small modular nuclear reactor in America.
Energy industry veteran Diane Hughes is Nuscale Power’s new vice president of marketing and communications.
Hughes was formerly the social media and marketing director at Florida Power & Light.
Hughes takes on her role at a crucial time for Oregon-based Nuscale. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission this year approved the company’s design certification application for the planned nuclear reactor.
Small modular nuclear reactors can produce enough power for about 50,000 homes, Nuscale says. They are smaller than traditional nuclear power plants and require less capitali nvestment.
The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy says small modular reactors are a key part of the department’s “goal to develop safe, clean and affordable nuclear power options.”
Duke Energy looks to scrap nuclear projects in favor of solar
The largest coal utility in the country, Duke Energy, filed in two states this week to close existing nuclear power plants or scrap construction of new ones, while pursuing new renewable energy development instead.
In Florida, the company filed with the public utility commission to scrap the Levy nuclear plant that it was building, which has become bogged down by expenses, and turn to solar energy development, smart meters, battery storage and electric car charging.
“The company will also no longer move forward with building the Levy Nuclear Project and customers will not pay any further costs associated with the project,” the company said. The agreement is a settlement with the state on projects that customers will help pay and those the ratepayers should not. Environmental groups were also part of the negotiations, and they said they were pleased with Duke’s proposal.
Meanwhile, further north, the company asked the regulators in South Carolina to scrap its plan to build the William States Lee III nuclear power plant. The decision was based on the plant’s developer, Westinghouse, going bankrupt earlier this year. Duke was issued a federal license to build and operate the power plant last year.
Old dog teaches Tesla new tricks, but not for long
Diesel engine maker Cummins beat electric carmaker Tesla in the race to commercialize the first all-electric freight-hauling truck.
It unveiled the 18,000-pound truck at its factory in Columbus, Ind., on Tuesday, saying the trucks will be used first on short deliveries. A Cummins official said the transit bus market also will be a main area of focus.
But the engine maker’s lead on the competition my not last long. Tesla is slated to release its electric big rig next month, and it is expected to outperform the Cummins model. The Tesla truck is expected to have a range of 300 miles per charge, while the Cummins model can drive 100 miles per charge.
RUNDOWN
New York Times An American company gives up majority stake in one of the mining industry’s crown jewels to Indonesia
Wall Street Journal Peabody Energy says bankruptcy shields the company from climate change lawsuits by California communities
Reuters China delays rules setting quotas for electric vehicles
Denver Post Colorado’s largest utility to retire two coal plants, add wind, solar, natural gas generation
Dallas Morning News Native American tribes seeking to shut down Dakota Access Pipeline claim in court that project is overstating economic impact
Washington Post Weedkiller meant to help farmers is now out of control
Calendar
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 30
2 p.m., Webinar: Grid Energy Storage Systems Modeling, Evaluation, and Testing. The Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Project Agency on Energy (ARPA-E) provides an update on its CHARGES project for advanced battery storage.
MONDAY, SEPT. 4
Sept. 4-6. The third annual International Conference on Renewable Conventional Power and Green Technology will be held at Auburn University. The conference will cover solar, wind, geothermal and biomass energy. greenenergyandpower.com/index.php
THURSDAY, SEPT. 7
10 a.m., 366 Dirksen Senate Office Building. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing to consider the nominations of Joseph Balash to be assistant secretary of the Interior for Land and Minerals Management, and Richard Glick and Kevin McIntyre to be members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/
