W&J webinar leads a high-energy notebook
Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Coal Alliance
Rachel Gleason, executive director of the Pennsylvania Coal Alliance, and industry officials celebrate award-winning year.
Brown
Fackler
Washington & Jefferson College’s Center for Energy Policy has organized a seminar that promises to be electric.
“Plugging In: EVs and the Charging Network” will be the focus of the Nov. 16 webinar, which will get cracking at 11 a.m. The free, hour-long event will examine the basics of electric vehicles; state and federal incentives to ramp up their use; and federal funding that is available to hasten the buildup of a national network of charging stations along major highways, allowing easier access to charge up during a lengthy commute.
Pennsylvania officials Natasha Fackler and Colton Brown will lead the webinar. Fackler is infrastructure implementation coordinator for the Department of Transportation, and Brown is energy program specialist for the Department of Environmental Protection.
Electric vehicles are touted for their environmental, economical and societal benefits, and their usage has been rising across Pennsylvania and other states. There is, however, an element of unfamiliarity with EVs among the general public and local government officials. Some do not realize there are different types of vehicles and chargers, and are unaware of government incentives that can help with their purchases.
The U.S. bipartisan infrastructure law will provide $171.5 million through 2026 to help Pennsylvania initially add charging stations every 50 miles on alternative fuel corridors along major highways.
To register for the webinar, visit wjenergy.org.
Archaea Energy
BP, the London-based oil and gas giant, has agreed to purchase renewable natural gas producer Archaea Energy Inc. for about $4.1 billion. The agreement was reached three weeks ago, and would be the largest RNG transaction ever, topping Chevron Corp.’s $3.15 billion buyout of Renewable Energy Group Inc., a bio-diesel manufacturer, earlier this year.
Archaea is one of the largest renewable natural gas producers in the United States. The company is based in Houston, Texas, but was headquartered at Southpointe in April 2021, when Rice Acquisition Corp. bought and merged it with Aria Energy. Archaea, which went public last year, operates landfill and farm gas collection systems.
Archaea’s chairman, Daniel Rice, is a former CEO of Rice Energy Inc. Rice Energy was operating at Southpointe when it was purchased by Pittsburgh-based EQT Corp. in June 2017. Daniel Rice also is an EQT board member.
Coal awards
Coal still plays an influential role in the state’s energy grid, and the Pennsylvania Coal Alliance recently acknowledged operators and their employees.
At its annual awards ceremony, the industry group recognized member companies for their employee safety records and commitment to reclaiming coal mine sites throughout the state.
Enlow Fork Mine, owned by Southpointe-based Consol Energy Inc., received a Keystone Mine Safety award. Enlow Fork, which operates in Washington and Greene counties, had 787,575 man-hours and a 1.523 non-fatal day lost rate. That mine was honored in the longwall category.
Cleveland Cliffs received the Best Overall award in Mine Reclamation Enhancement. That category acknowledges companies that have exceeded Pennsylvania and federal regulations in 2022, while turning former mining operations into land with environmentally sound conditions and productive uses.
The Cleveland-based firm purchased the former Arcelor-Mittal coke plant in Monessen a year ago.
A second for First
For the second consecutive year, First Commonwealth Bank is the top lender – of dollars lent – in the Pittsburgh District of the Small Business Administration. The ranking is for the federal fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.
The Indiana, Pa.-based institution also was first the previous fiscal year. The Pittsburgh SBA District comprises 27 Western Pennsylvania counties.
First Commonwealth also was No. 2 in Pennsylvania and No. 4 in Ohio.