by Denise A. Dragoo During the recent General Session, the Utah Legislature enacted several major energy bills which confirm the State’s continued investment in, and support of, both conventional and renewable energy sources. The Legislature consistently chose to promote “all of the above” as the energy mix for a more reliable electric grid. Following austerity […]
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by Denise A. Dragoo On April 10, 2019, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order seeking to address permitting and policy obstacles preventing the export of coal and other energy resources through West Coast ports. New port facilities and improvements have been halted or delayed by state, local and tribal governments in California, Washington and […]
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by Denise A. Dragoo The Utah coal industry has benefited from recent reforms in federal coal leasing, permitting and streamlining of environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”). During the previous administration, applications to lease millions of tons of federal coal reserves encountered significant delays in NEPA review and were ultimately halted by […]
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by Denise Dragoo (The following article appears in The Enterprise – Utah’s Business Journal) In his 2017 State of the State address, Gov. Gary R. Herbert challenged Utah businesses to create 25,000 jobs in 25 rural counties throughout Utah over his next four-year term. During the 2017 Legislative Session, the governor’s Rural Jobs Initiative was […]
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By Denise Dragoo, Natural Resources Partner, Snell & Wilmer, LLP During the first six months of the new Administration, President Trump has delivered much needed relief to the coal industry. The President and Congress have been particularly effective at rolling back policies proposed at the end of the previous Administration. Half-way through this first year, a […]
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by Denise A. Dragoo On October 17, 2016, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia granted summary judgment to Murray Energy Corporation and its subsidiary coal companies, including UtahAmerican Energy, Inc. The decision requires the U.S. EPA to follow the mandate of Section 321 of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. […]
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By Denise A. Dragoo On January 15, 2016, Interior Secretary Jewell halted federal coal leasing on public lands. Western coal companies are attempting to sort out the implications of the moratorium and exemptions set out in Secretarial Order 3338. The Order places a “pause” on leasing for an indefinite period while the Secretary undertakes a […]
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