 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Features
 How do industrial minerals enhance our daily lives and how are they mined in Texas? This month, 14 Texas science teachers learned the answers at an intensive industrial minerals mining workshop jointly sponsored by the Texas Aggregates & Concrete Association (TACA) and the Texas Mining and Reclamation Association (TMRA). Teachers learned science-based information on the availability, importance and development of industrial minerals, including aggregates like sand, gravel and crushed stone. Texas is a top producer of industrial minerals, which play a key role in our modern lifestyle by providing the materials necessary to build essential infrastructure, including vital highways, roads, schools, hospitals and other commercial, residential and industrial facilities.
   
Industry News
 Global coal-fired electricity generation is expected to rise by nearly 5 percent on the year and exceed pre-pandemic levels in 2021, before climbing a further 3 percent to an all-time high in 2022, the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) said. Expansions in renewables capacity will only be able to cover half of the anticipated rise in global electricity demand in 2021 and 2022, meaning fossil fuel-fired generation — and primarily coal — will need to step up.
 On July 1, 2021, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) announced its intent to procure additional capacity to meet this summer’s electricity demand after the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) and the California Energy Commission (CEC), in a joint letter, urged CAISO to do so.[i] California is one of several power regions in the country that have been identified as being at risk of grid emergencies this summer.
 As the inclusion of a potential clean electricity standard continues to be linked to infrastructure talks, context is important. The United States is already living on the grid reliability edge and, without thoughtful planning, could be poised to lunge towards the chasm. With the energy transition accelerating, and proposed timelines becoming shorter, just how much worse can the reliability crisis become? Or, rather, how much worse will we make it?
TMRA News
Join us for a fun-packed meeting! Speakers Legislative Panel Activities Good Friends, Good Food, Good Fun! Contact Cathy Pierce for more information:  We are in the process of developing a social media campaign for our Facebook and Twitter social media channels – #TheFutureIsBright – to highlight how you, a TMRA member, are supplying the power and materials that ensure a bright future as we move through 2021.
Sponsor a Teacher
Regulatory Update
 With the Biden EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) promising to replace the NWPR with a new rule that goes even further than the Obama-era Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Rule, this legislation is needed now more than ever. If the NWPR is replaced, the EPA could go as far as to regulate ditches on private lands and converted croplands, which could ultimately inflict severe harm upon the agriculture, construction, home building, forestry, mining, and energy sectors of the economy.
 Texas' head utility regulator on Thursday said the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) intends to realign incentives related to how the state's power grid procures resources, following a cold snap in February that led to devastating outages across the region. Last month, ERCOT released a 60-point road map outlining how the grid operator plans to ensure the state's power grid is more reliable, following legislation that calls for tighter weatherization standards for power plants and makes changes to ERCOT's board structure. The governor has also called on the PUCT and ERCOT to take additional steps toward creating a more reliable grid.
Reclamation
 Wyoming lawmakers are considering a new option for coal mine reclamation bonding that could reduce risk for the state in the event of insolvency. Both environmental and industry advocates have identified advantages to the proposal, which could also help the financially troubled industry. With the coal industry facing unprecedented difficulties, the DEQ developed the first-of-its-kind concept to diversify its portfolio of reclamation bonds.  It will cost an estimated $11.3 billion to reclaim all of the abandoned mine lands (AML) across the United States, according to federal data. A bill recently advanced by the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources, chaired by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., could mean a significant investment in AML reclamation projects — resulting in new jobs and economic opportunities.
Recruitment and Hiring
 America's mines are open for business. Not for coal necessarily, but definitely for the critical minerals seen by the Biden administration as essential for economic and national security, like lithium to power batteries or aluminum for wind turbines. But there's a hitch. Companies are struggling to hire miners. Mining and geological engineering employment is estimated to grow 4% from 2019-2029, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As demand keeps rising for these minerals, there are fewer skilled employees to fill job openings in the industry.
Technology
 Drones in mining operations are used for a varied range of applications: from exploration, surveying and mapping to maintaining safety and enhancing security. Different unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are equipped with different sensors and cameras based on their mission.The popularity of drones across the mining industry has grown immensely in recent years, with a 2019 GlobalData survey of 179 mine sites showing 26% of mines with considerable investments in drone technology, versus just under 20% in 2018.
Legislative Update
 The US Senate is considering an amendment to a moving reconciliation bill that will immediately impose a 80% reduction of carbon emissions by 2030. Please, Please, Please, Respond! This threat is real and it has picked up significant support and has gained momentum in a relatively short time. Please reach out today and voice your concerns and encourage your friends, family and colleagues to do the same!
Upcoming Events
Submit a Story
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
