The federal government is proposing potentially steep cuts to water used by California, Arizona and Nevada, a major step toward figuring out the management of the dwindling Colorado River. The river provides water to states throughout the West, including drinking water and water for agricultural, industrial and municipal uses. As the West becomes drier, figuring out...
Americans are worried about energy costs, grid reliability and falling behind China. The Supreme Court is about to weigh in on something that touches all three. The case, Suncor Energy v. Boulder County, is one of the numerous climate litigation cases seeking to hold energy producers financially responsible for the purported consequences of climate change. Supporters...
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) is imposing the nation’s first-ever statewide freeze on new “hyperscale” data centers. Hochul is pausing state-level environmental permits for “up to” a year to give the state time to put together a framework to protect the environment, the energy grid and New Yorkers’ electric bills, her office said. Hochul aides told...
The federal government is proposing to overhaul radiation safety regulations for nuclear power, including by eliminating a long-term principle for nuclear safety. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) this week proposed to get rid of the requirement for nuclear plants to ensure that radiation exposure is “as low as is reasonably achievable.” Read more in The Hill here.
s an electric grid operator warns of potential power shortages amid this week’s heat wave, the Trump administration is issuing emergency orders aiming to maximize output. Energy Secretary Chris Wright issued orders directing grid operator PJM to dispatch more power generation from various fossil fuel plants, as needed, despite environmental restrictions that are typically in place. Read more...
The Trump administration is proposing to relax rules to make it easier for companies to drill for oil and gas on public lands. The Interior Department, which oversees federal lands, said that it would propose to loosen two Biden-era regulations that sought to rein in planet-warming methane and ensure that energy companies are on the...
Federal regulators on Thursday took steps aimed at both speeding up the buildout of AI data centers and reducing costs. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) directed regional electric grid operators to reform various processes related to the connection of these and other large sources of power demand to the grid. “We are charting new...
The Trump administration on Friday auctioned off rights to drill in a pristine wildlife refuge in Alaska, but the lease sale attracted only two bidders on a few tracts of land. Of the about 60 tracts of land opened up for leasing by the Trump administration, only five received bids. Only Hex Energy and the...
The U.S. has announced a new partnership with Japan on science and artificial intelligence. Energy Department Under Secretary for Science Darío Gil told reporters Thursday that each country would invest $500 million in the joint venture. “This is the defining moment for the next era of science,” he said. “We’re linking our brightest minds and...
The Energy Department may allow up to five companies to use its surplus plutonium — which it has historically been used in nuclear warheads — as fuel. The department has selected the firms for “advanced negotiations regarding the potential allocation of surplus plutonium materials,” a spokesperson for its nuclear energy office said Tuesday. The five...
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