Mercury Mining

Impact of FPLs clean coal plant may foul future

An official for the Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks said Tuesday that Florida Power & Light Co. must address how its proposed “clean” coal plant in Glades County will affect the parks’ air quality before it moves ahead with the project. “You can’t impact a Class 1 airshed, and they have to address that,”... 

GE to invest in coal gasification

GE’s energy finance unit will take a 20 percent stake in a power plant project using coal gasification, a sign that the cleaner-burning technology is attracting the attention of investors with deep pockets. The 630-megawatt Cash Creek project in Henderson County, Ky., will be one of the largest and most advanced clean coal projects of its kind... 

EPA orders cleanup of toxic Nevada mine

After years of delay, federal regulators have ordered Atlantic Richfield Co. to take the first major step toward cleaning up contamination at a huge abandoned copper mine in northern Nevada that they say poses an “imminent and substantial” threat. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s order to determine the extent of the contamination... 

Feds order company to study Nev. mine

Federal regulators have ordered Atlantic Richfield Co. to take the first major step toward cleaning up contamination at an abandoned copper mine in northern Nevada, saying it poses an “imminent and substantial threat.” Environmental Protection Agency ordered the company to begin determining the extent of contamination at the half-century... 

Coal tops Legislatures environmental agenda

Coal-burning power plants, smog and toxic pollution are pushing the environment high on the Legislature’s agenda in 2007. Environmental lobbyists say a combination of electric companies’ massive building plans and public health worries could bring changes in how Texas deals with energy and air quality. “I think we have great prospects,”... 

Conservationists ask if Chuitna coal mine is worth the risks

Mining the Beluga coal fields across Cook Inlet from the Kenai Peninsula may put a spark in the Southcentral Alaska economy, but conservationists say it also will endanger rich salmon spawning streams and add significant pollution to the local atmosphere. PacRim Coal LP, the company developing the Chuitna Coal Project located within the Beluga deposit,... 

New Mindanao coal-fired power plant goes on stream Monday

The controversial 210-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant in Misamis Oriental would formally operate on Monday with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo scheduled to lead the inauguration rites, company officials said. The $305-million power plant, built by German energy firm STEAG on a 55.42-hectare property inside the Phividec Industrial Estate in Villanueva... 

Xcel proposes expansion of Becker coal-fired plant

Xcel Energy wants to boost capacity and reduce emissions at its coal-fired Sherco power plant in Becker, Minn., with a $900 million expansion. The proposal would add 140 megawatts of electricity to Sherco’s current 2,400-megawatt capacity and use state-of-the-art technology to reduce emissions of mercury, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and soot,... 

DEC approves mercury emission limits to coal-burning power plants

A plan to cut toxic mercury emissions from power plants is approved by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Under the plan, coal-burning plants in New York state will have to cut mercury emissions by 90 percent by 2015. The plan sets a cap on the emissions allowed from each plant without trading other plants for the right to emit more.... 

Argentina’s Mendoza Province suspends mining, new permits & claims

The ongoing conflict between officials in Argentina’s Mendoza Province and miners escalated as the provincial parliament Wednesday suspended all open-pit mining, and halted issuing any new exploration and mining permits in the province. Wednesday’s decision will also ban the awarding of mining claims until they are approved by the environmental...