News of the Day: ALASKA BY THE NUMBERS: May 2020
OIL
Oil falls as U.S.-China tension escalates
Oil jumps nearly 90% in May to $35, registering best month on record
GAS
EPA Narrows States’ Veto Power Over Infrastructure Project
Bloomberg Law, June 1, 2020
States will have less time to try to block infrastructure projects requiring federal licenses—including oil and natural gas pipelines—solely over water quality concerns under a final EPA rule released Monday. The Environmental Protection Agency rule (RIN: 2040-AF86) aims to discourage coastal states from relying on part of the Clean Water Act to block fossil fuel projects that pass through their states. Certain states were “inappropriately” holding up critical energy infrastructure projects, and this rule “puts an end to an abuse to this practice,” Wheeler told news reporters Monday.
MINING
New minerals permitting legislation receives praise from US mining sector
Yoana Cholteeva, Mining Technology, June 1, 2020
Following the recent introduction into Congress of the American Critical Mineral Exploration and Innovation Act, intended to modernise the federal permitting systems and improve access to minerals critical for the nation, Rich Nolan, president and CEO of the National Mining Association, has praised the bill. He said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed the perils of our alarming minerals import dependence. Our global peers accomplish in two to three years what takes a decade to permit in the US, deepening our reliance on foreign imports at a time when doing so holds the greatest risk
POLITICS
Today, at 5pm, is the deadline for state candidates to file for the August primary. We will provide a complete list of candidates tomorrow.