The placement of solar panels in Colorado’s grasslands could help decrease water stress and increase plant growth by about 20 percent during dry years, a new study has found. In these semi-arid areas, where grasslands often don’t get as much water as they need, the partial shading offered by solar systems can help plants get...
Regional officials, diplomats and analysts warned of China’s growing influence in Latin America and urged Paraguay to safeguard its democratic sovereignty as it considers potential economic agreements with Beijing. Since 2020, China has become South America’s top trading partner, actively promoting investment and cooperation agreements that expand its influence in the region. This comes as...
As wildfires grow in frequency and intensity across the United States, more Americans are becoming familiar with smoke-filled days.
NuScale Power Corp., the only company with US approval for a small nuclear reactor, has now won regulatory support for a second design that may go into service by the end of the decade. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission formally authorized the company’s 77-megawatt reactor design, according to a statementThursday. NuScale won similar approval in 2020 for a...
The European Union is set to offer greater flexibility in July over achieving its emissions-reduction target for the next decade, as the bloc seeks to bolster flagging support for its ambitious climate plans. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, told member states it’s considering publishing a measure to set an interim climate goal for...
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Thursday that a federal agency had done enough to consider the environmental impact of a proposed 88-mile railway in Utah. The ruling limits the scope of environmental reviews required by federal law in all sorts of settings. The proposed railway would connect oil fields in the Uinta Basin in northeast Utah...
Why the Electricity Competition Debate Just Flipped—Again In 1998 California’s Power Exchange wholesale power market went live, symbolizing the then-new impetus for efficiency through electricity markets. The promise then was disarmingly simple: generation prices that reflected actual costs, customer choice, and an information revolution that would make your toaster as smart as your telephone. California, Pennsylvania, New...
A fresh assessment from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has thrown a spotlight on Nevada’s Great Basin, suggesting the region could support up to 135 gigawatts of baseload power—about 10% of current U.S. electricity demand. Unlike intermittent sources like wind and solar, enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) offer continuous output, making them an increasingly attractive option for utilities focused on...
The Supreme Court cleared a major obstacle for a giant copper project in Arizona being developed by the world’s two most valuable mining companies, declining to review a case from a coalition of Native American people, religious groups and others who say the planned mine will destroy a sacred site. The project, called Resolution Copper,...
In a groundbreaking move to bolster domestic critical mineral production, the U.S. Department of the Interior has greenlit the Velvet-Wood uranium and vanadium mine in San Juan County, Utah—marking the nation’s first project approved under a newly accelerated 14-day environmental review process, initiated in response to the national energy emergency declared by President Donald J. Trump. “This approval marks a...
Help us promote free market solutions for climate change.
Thank you for signing up