While the hilltop overlook here boasts a splendid view of the Pacific coast, the land all around us is far less impressive. Municipal garbage trucks rumble along gravel roads to an adjacent landfill. Stumps and branches of dead eucalyptus trees form huge piles, refuse left behind by a former commercial forestry operation. Aclara Resources, the...
Bipartisan groups in Congress introduce bill to protect strategic petroleum reserve
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced a bill to limit, not prohibit, the sale of crude oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). The Banning SPR Oil Exports to Foreign Adversaries Act was filed in the U.S. Senate by Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, John Fetterman, D-Penn., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich. U.S. Reps. Chrissy...
A new nuclear plant proposal and its impact on Arizona’s energy landscape
Arizona’s energy landscape may be changing. Three of the state’s largest utilities; Arizona Public Service, Salt River Project, and Tucson Electric Power are exploring a joint venture to bring a Generation III+ Small Modular Nuclear Reactor to Arizona. The plan is to take advantage of a $900 million grant from the Department of Energy. Arizona is one...
Beer, not tariffs, will boost US aluminum capacity
If in doubt, double down. Seven years ago President Donald Trump ordered 10% tariffs on US imports of aluminum with the stated aim of increasing domestic primary metal production. They haven’t worked. This time the tariff is going to be 25% without “exceptions or exemptions” effective March 4. Together with a similar-sized duty on steel imports,...
Trump’s Energy Czar Can Unleash Energy Dominance With Carbon Capture
Last week, the Senate voted to confirm former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum as Secretary of the Interior. As Secretary and expected chair of the soon-to-be-established National Energy Council, Burgum has promised to follow President Trump’s directive to increase oil and gas production. But, if Burgum’s unique record is any indication, his approach might also involve carbon...
The United States Can Beat China on Solar
China dominates solar power supply chains, but the era of American energy dominance could change that. Recent domestic manufacturing investments in the solar industry have totaled more than $40 billion since 2022, further unleashing the industry’s potential here at home. Solar has firmly cemented itself as a key part of our all-of-the-above energy strategy and has steadily grown in...
How AI, Automation, and Renewable Energy Are Reshaping the Future of Farming
The 2024 Global Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Census reveals an industry at the cutting edge of technological transformation. As farms scale and optimize operations, the adoption of smart technology, AI, and renewable energy is accelerating. These innovations are driving efficiency, sustainability, and profitability in an industry poised to reshape global food production. AI and Automation:...
Baltic countries sever final power ties with Russia
Europe’s Baltic nations have cut themselves off from the Russian electricity grid for the first time in history, ending a precarious, decades-long energy partnership with Moscow. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia will connect to the EU’s power system on Sunday, roughly 20 years after joining the bloc and cementing a westward trajectory. The Soviet-designed network will still...
Secretary Wright Acts to “Unleash Golden Era of American Energy Dominance”
As Secretary of Energy, it is an immense privilege to serve alongside each of you at such a consequential moment in American history. Energy is the essential ingredient that enables everything we do. A highly energized society can bring health, wealth, and opportunity for all. At the Department, we have an opportunity to promote energy...
Meet Chris Wright, Donald Trump’s Energy Evangelist
The GOP has spent the many hot years of Washington’s climate wars on defense, unable to articulate a positive alternative to the left’s grim new religion. It’s offered critiques—climate change isn’t real; climate change is overhyped; climate policies are costly, ineffective, stalking horses for government control—but never a rousing alternative. Into this unholy war steps...









