President Trump and Republican lawmakers passed their major tax-and-spending cut bill earlier this summer, faster than almost anyone else in Washington, D.C., was expecting. Now, they’re planning their second act. The law extended Republicans’ 2017 tax rate reductions while making big cuts to health care and other social programs, adding $3.4 trillion to the national...
Author: The Hill
Google inks deals with TVA, Indiana Michigan Power on AI grid strain
Google announced Monday that it has struck agreements with two regional grid operators to reduce its data center demand at times when the grid is under more strain. The tech giant unveiled agreements with Indiana Michigan Power and the Tennessee Valley Authority to shift certain workloads to limit the stress on the grid in a process...
Scuba diving generates up to $20B annually, with conservation benefits: Study
The global scuba diving industry generates between $8.5 billion and $20.4 billion each year, while also providing widespread marine conservation benefits, a new study has found. The diving sector supports up to 124,000 jobs across 170 countries on an annual basis, contributing to both ocean ecology and local communities, according to the study, published Friday...
Yellowstone aspen may be recovering thanks to 1990s reintroduction of wolves
The restoration of gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park has helped revive an aspen tree population unique to the region, a new study has found. Quaking aspen, one of the few deciduous tree species in the northern Rocky Mountain ecosystem, is once again thriving, after suffering severe decline during the 20th century, according to the...
Amazon emissions ticked up in 2024 amid data center push
Amazon’s emissions increased 6 percent last year, as the e-commerce and cloud computing giant continued to expand its artificial intelligence (AI) efforts and build out its data center footprint. The company’s total emissions ticked up from 64.38 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2023 to 68.25 metric tons in 2024, according to its annual sustainability...
Republicans fear Washington headed for shutdown after bruising spending fights
Republican lawmakers fear Washington may be headed for a government shutdown later this year after two bruising fights over President Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill Act and a $9 billion rescissions package created bad blood on Capitol Hill. White House budget director Russell Vought says the administration plans to send up another wave of spending rescissions to...
Removing aging dams could help strengthen communities facing extreme weather: Report
Eliminating obsolete or unsafe dams could help bolster community safety amid climate-induced weather extremes, watershed experts are recommending. Storms and floods have intensified in both frequency and severity, since the construction of the dams — many of which are now in a state of disrepair, according to a new white paper, published by Utah State University. “Removing...
Trump Energy secretary: AI race is next Manhattan Project
Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Tuesday compared the race to dominate artificial intelligence (AI) to an American atomic bomb program during World War II. “The AI race is the second Manhattan project,” Wright said in a Tuesday poston the social platform X. During the World War II, the U.S. government’s Manhattan Project eventually succeeded in the creation of atomic weapons...
California has lost up to $3B in cap-and-trade revenue over past year: Report
California may have lost up to $3 billion in potential revenue from a signature emissions reduction program over the past year, a new report has found. The Golden State’s cap-and-trade program — a system that sets emissions caps and distributes tradable credits within that framework — has incurred these losses in response to weak auction results, according...
DOGE staffer takes on Trump reform role at independent Nuclear Regulatory Commission
A staffer with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has now taken on a key role at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), which President Trump has sought to reduce and reform despite its independent status. David Wright, whom Trump has renominated for a spot on the commission, told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that...









