When wildfires are treated as a temporary, seasonal disruption rather than a continual, chronic risk, the default policy response is suppression. But a new analysis from PERC shows just how much that’s costing us.
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Congress’ Quick Fix For Astronomical Gas Prices Is Anything But
The national average for gas prices has surpassed $4.50 per gallon, up roughly 45% from a year ago. If Congress passes a bill that allows for year-round higher ethanol content in gasoline (“E15”) without protecting small refineries, Americans’ pain at the pump will only get worse.
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Trump Administration to Invest $14 million for Next-Gen EGS
The Department of Energy’s Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO) is allocating $14 million to fund field-testing of next-generation geothermal technologies. According to an announcement on April 14, the Pennsylvania-based enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) pilot project will reuse existing oil and gas infrastructure to test the potential of geothermal energy in the eastern U.S., where resources are less accessible due to the region’s unfavorable geology.
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A New Regulatory Paradigm for Advanced Nuclear Energy
In the coming months, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will finalize a slate of rulemakings that, taken together, represent the most consequential overhaul of America’s nuclear regulatory framework in nearly 70 years. The modernizations will address many significant regulatory cost drivers that have disadvantaged advanced nuclear energy as a reliable, emissions-free, dispatchable source of power. For nuclear energy to be a viable option, it needs to work for the American taxpayer and ratepayer. The NRC’s reforms give all forms of nuclear power a better shot at doing so.
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California’s new plastic recycling rules spark fights from all sides
California just gave plastic producers until 2032 to make all their packaging recyclable or compostable — the most ambitious deadline in the country. Advocates say it doesn’t go far enough. Producers say it goes too far. At least one of them is threatening to sue. The sweeping regulations, finalized at the start of the month,...
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Geothermal-Champion Fervo Energy’s Shares Soar in Trading Debut
Shares of geothermal developer Fervo Energy soared in their public-market debut, a sign of investor appetite for energy companies as the U.S. faces record amounts of new power demand. Fervo’s stock climbed 35% to $36.54 from its $27 initial public offering price. It trades on the Nasdaq under the ticker FRVO. The details Houston-based Fervo uses...
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Trump Administration to Scrap Rule That Elevated Land Conservation
The Trump administration on Monday said it would repeal a Biden-era rule that allowed public lands to be leased for conservation purposes, abandoning an effort to protect millions of acres from both industrial development and the effects of climate change. The rule, issued by the Bureau of Land Management, had prioritized the use of federal...
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Defense Department delays 54 wind projects in Texas, citing national security concerns
Dozens of wind projects in Texas are in limbo after the U.S. Department of Defense paused issuing routine federal permits citing national security concerns, a move that experts say expands the Trump administration’s crusade against wind energy. According to data collected by the American Clean Power Association, 54 Texas wind projects are waiting for the...
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Can We Refill the Great Salt Lake?
The Great Salt Lake is drying up. Since the mid-1980s, the lake has dropped 22 feet, and its surface area is 60 percent smaller than it once was. If that doesn’t sound like a lot, consider this: it takes 12 minutes and 13 seconds to walk from where the lake’s shoreline once was to where it is today.
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Energy Innovation Is Worth Funding, If It’s Well Targeted
This month, C3 Solutions Action signed on to a bipartisan coalition letter calling for steady, robust federal funding for energy research, development, and demonstration. Addressed to the leadership of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, the letter highlights the United States’ long history of energy innovation and the importance of maintaining that leadership.