Fifty years ago, when the grizzly bear was listed as a threatened species, the federal government intervened to save this iconic American animal. Its recovery is one of the nation’s signature conservation success stories: In 1975, there were at least 700 bears in the northern Rockies. Today, thanks in large part to the Endangered Species Act, there...
The New York Times’ Solar Subsidy Delusion
Tom Friedman, opinion columnist at the New York Times, recently complained that Trump’s tax bill “quickly phases out tax credits enjoyed by utility-scale solar and wind, as well as electric vehicle tax credits.” Well, yes. That’s the point. Instead of the federal government handing out subsidies and selecting winners and losers, we will allow consumers to drive the energy future.
Trump, GOP face tough choices for second tax bill
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...
US EPA approves biofuel waivers for small refiners, stirring concerns over demand
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday approved most of its backlog of requests by small oil refineries for biofuel law exemptions, raising concerns among biofuels advocates over a potential hit to demand. The approvals are also a mixed blessing for the cohort of small U.S. refiners who have argued for years they are hurt...
Federal Climate Regulations Have Been a Bad Deal for Society
Last month, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced a proposed rule to overturn the 2009 endangerment finding. The finding, which declared greenhouse gases a threat to public health and welfare, provided the legal backbone for the federal government to regulate carbon dioxide from cars, trucks, power plants, manufacturing facilities, and more.
Conservation Victory: Feds to Restore Targeted, Science-Based Endangered Species Policy
In a major win for wildlife conservation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced it will pause use of the controversial “blanket 4(d) rule” and initiate steps to rescind it over the next 14 months—a key objective of a lawsuit filed last year by the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) and the Rocky...
Trump administration halts work on New England offshore wind project
The Interior Department on Friday halted construction on Ørsted’s Revolution Wind project off Rhode Island’s coast. Why it matters: It’s another sign of the Trump administration’s hostility to offshore wind and comes after it issued — then lifted — a stop-work order on a major wind project under construction off New York’s coast. Driving the news: Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued...
Maryland’s energy price explosion
In July, my electric bill crossed a number I never thought I’d see: over $500. Yes, it was a brutally hot month, but we’ve had very hot summers before in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. We’ve run the air conditioning nonstop before and never reached even $400. What’s going on? A few things. Let’s start with...
The Case for Easing Regulations on Electricity Generation
Power demand is surging. New data centers, factories and the electrification of the economy propel a thirst for electricity not seen in decades. Markets are responding but state and local governments have largely been caught off guard. The state blueprint for power demand largely boils down to three approaches: reducing permitting and siting barriers, unleashing...
Researchers Achieve Major Breakthrough in Performance of Aqueous Battery Systems
Conventional lithium–ion batteries are used in cell phones, laptops, and electric vehicles. With rising energy needs and critical minerals mining being highly resource-intensive, innovative companies are looking for environmentally friendly ways to meet our future battery needs.. Aqueous batteries, which use water-based electrolytes instead of organic solvents, offer an innovative and sustainable alternative to traditional...









