The city of Richland is considering selling 425 acres of former Hanford nuclear site land for a $4.5 billion project related to advanced nuclear fuel. The company interested in the project, which is projected to employ 1,000 workers, has not been made public. It is identified in city documents only under the code name of...
DOE Releases Three Funding Opportunities for R&D of Electricity Grid Technologies
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Electricity (OE) has released three Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs) worth about $18.4 million for programs to support research and development of electricity grid technologies. The programs will reduce the cost of HVDC circuit breakers, improve risk assessment and communication for grid operators, and ensure communities respond...
We Don’t Need This Much Permitting
America’s process for permitting infrastructure is a convoluted mess of federal, state, and local procedures, regulations, bureaucracies, lawsuits, judges, activists, and landowners. “Getting approval from all of them, getting every single box checked, is the biggest hang-up to getting projects up and running,” says Cary Davis of the American Association of Port Authorities in a video making...
EPA will grant California the right to ban sales of new gas cars by 2035
The Environmental Protection Agency plans to grant California permission to set stronger climate rules for cars and SUVs — a move that President-elect Donald Trump could attempt to reverse — according to two people briefed on the matter. The EPA intends to issue California a waiver as soon as next week to enforce its rule aimed at banning...
Permitting Reform: A Strategic Imperative for U.S. National Security and Global Competitiveness
Permitting reform has swiftly risen to the forefront in Washington as a pressing national security priority. The United States is grappling with the dual challenges of escalating energy demand and mounting global competition, particularly from China. Despite the critical role of our nation’s energy infrastructure, the U.S. is ensnared in a permitting process that can...
Japan Sees Nuclear as Cheapest Baseload Power Source in 2040
Nuclear power is forecast to be the cheapest baseload electricity source in Japan in 2040, highlighting the government’s desire to restart the nation’s idled reactors. The cost of constructing and operating a new nuclear power plant for 2040 is estimated at 12.5 yen ($0.08) per kilowatt-hour, according to documents released from a trade ministry panel meeting on...
Low-Energy Fridays: The Intersection of Trade and Energy Policy
The Biden administration recently set new tariffs on photovoltaic solar panels imported from Southeast Asia. Always a thorny issue, trade policy is expected to be especially controversial in 2025. Therefore, it’s worth understanding when tariffs might be appropriate and when they might carry more cost than benefit. The solar panel import issue is challenging because it isn’t...
Exxon Plans to Sell Electricity to Data Centers
Demand for electricity is rising so quickly in the United States that even Exxon Mobil, the country’s largest oil and gas company, is planning to get into the power business. Exxon is designing a massive natural-gas fueled plant meant to directly supply electricity to data centers. The company says the plant will be fitted with...
Water-Smart Crops Could Transform Western Agriculture
Colorado River water conservation and drought-resistant agriculture are at the forefront of a groundbreaking study that could reshape farming across the Western United States. Led by Colorado State University researchers, the study examines three innovative alternatives to alfalfa: Kernza, sainfoin, and silflower. These crops have the potential to dramatically reduce water usage while supporting sustainable...
U.S. Department of Energy invests $17M to shore up Americas energy security with robust supply chain for critical materials
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced an investment of $17 million across 14 projects that will accelerate critical materials innovation while promoting safe, sustainable, economic, and efficient solutions to meet current and future supply chain needs. The projects, which span 11 states, are strengthening and streamlining manufacturing for high-impact components and technologies such...









