President Trump said on Sunday that the U.S. reached a trade agreement with the European Union that would impose a 15% tariff rate on its goods. Why it matters: Europe is the latest major partner to accept significantly higher tariffs to stave off worsening trade fights with Trump. Details: Trump announced the deal alongside European Commission President Ursula von der...
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...
NRC approvals move Palisades nuclear plant closer to restart
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Thursday granted multiple licensing and regulatory approvals necessary for the 800-MW Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan to restart operations later this year. Palisades is now authorized to receive new fuel and formally transition licensed reactor operators to on-shift status, Holtec International said in a statement. The company is leading the effort to...
The precious ‘white gold’ fuel buried in the Earth
Naturally occurring “white hydrogen” lies in vast reservoirs beneath our feet – now the gold rush of the clean energy era is beginning. Investors had lost faith in Edwin Drake’s obsessive hunt for oil when the American entrepreneur finally struck black gold in an underground reservoir in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in 1859. The discovery spurred an exploration frenzy...
Spotted Lanternfly Threatens Pennsylvania Vineyards and Wine Industry
Spotted lanternfly season is back in Pennsylvania. The polka-dotted, gray-and-red-winged adult insects make their appearance each July and tend to hang around until December. It’s an unwelcome summer ritual that started in 2014 when the invasive pests were first detected in the U.S. The Conversation U.S. talked to Flor Acevedo, an assistant professor of entomology at Penn State...
Nuclear Developer Oklo Advances Dual Alliances Targeting Data Center and Industrial Power Needs
Advanced nuclear technology company Oklo entered into two separate high-profile collaborative agreements this week that seek to supply integrated energy solutions to data centers and large load industrial operations. The alliances—one with Liberty Energy, an energy services and technologies firm, and another with critical digital infrastructure provider Vertiv—mark the newest notch in the growing market for...
The Pacific island nation that wants to mine the ocean floor
Fringed by sparkling lagoons and palm-shaded beaches, Pacific nation the Cook Islands has opened its vast ocean territory for mining exploration. Research vessels roam the seas searching for deposits of battery metals, rare earths and critical minerals that litter the deep ocean’s abyssal plains. The frontier industry is likened by some to a modern-day gold...
Why U.S. Geothermal May Advance, Despite Political Headwinds
On his first day back in the White House in January, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency and set out to reshape the nation’s energy landscape by gutting federal support for renewables and propping up what he deemed acceptable sources of power. And yet, as clean energy advocates braced for the worst, there were reasons to...
Congress considers permanent national park fee increase for international visitors
President Donald Trump’s executive order increasing fees at National Parks for foreign tourists could soon be made permanent by a new bill led by Indiana Senator Jim Banks. The Patriot Parks Act looks to address the U.S. National Park Service’s (NPS) $23 billion maintenance backlog that threatens repairs to visitor facilities, trails, roads, and NPS conservation needs. “Americans...
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...









