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EPA Retains Soot Standards; Drastic PM Reductions Already Achieved, Industry Says

December 9, 2020

The post EPA Retains Soot Standards; Drastic PM Reductions Already Achieved, Industry Says appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In a significant but controversial final action, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Dec. 7 retained its existing National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for both fine and coarse particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10).

While the EPA said the decision came “after careful review and consideration of the most recent available scientific evidence and technical information, consultation with the agency’s independent scientific advisors, and consideration of more than 60,000 public comments on the proposal,” environmental groups largely viewed the action as a dereliction of the agency’s regulatory duty.

The power sector, meanwhile, supported the measure, underscoring its success at slashing PM and precursor air pollutant emissions and pointing to future reductions from electrification of the transportation and industrial sectors.

Why the Final Action Is Notable

Fine particles (PM2.5), which are 2.5 micrometers in diameter and smaller, are emitted by a variety of sources, including smokestacks, vehicles, and fires, but they also form when gases emitted by power plants, other industrial processes, and gasoline and diesel engines react in the atmosphere.…

How to Monitor Assets Remotely Today

December 7, 2020

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The post How to Monitor Assets Remotely Today appeared first on POWER Magazine.

As long as products have had ethernet ports, people have been asking for remote access to them. They believed they could just plug the devices into the internet, and it would all work. At first, there wasn’t necessarily a clear path to making this dream a reality without assistance from the user’s IT department. IT would need to set up networks and give access through their firewalls, granting the proper access to those who needed it. This raised all types of security and maintenance concerns and the IT departments simply wouldn’t allow these holes in their firewalls.

As more software tools became available and internet speeds increased, capable users found ways to give themselves access to their assets. But there was still a catch—one needed a dedicated computer for the system.

With today’s products, an operator has numerous options for products that he or she can install into a system that creates a remote access portal without needing to use a dedicated computer.…

Continued Toll on Coal; More Companies File Bankruptcy

December 5, 2020

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The post Continued Toll on Coal; More Companies File Bankruptcy appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The struggling U.S. coal industry, decimated by falling demand for the fuel from the power generation sector, and hit hard by low prices during the coronavirus pandemic, saw two more mining companies declare bankruptcy this week.

White Stallion Energy, which operates in Indiana and Illinois, and Lighthouse Resources, a coal company with mines in Wyoming and Montana, filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware, on Dec. 2 and Dec. 3, respectively. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has reported that the nation’s power sector consumed 30% less coal in the first half of 2020 than during the same period last year, as demand for electricity fell due to the pandemic, and natural gas and renewable energy continued to take market share from coal.

“In light of the challenging market conditions and other impacts on our business from COVID-19, we have been required to reduce costs and reorganize our business, resulting in the reduction of our workforce in Montana,” Lighthouse CEO Everett King said in a statement.…