Wright Said ‘Over 80%’ of DOE Grants Are Moving Forward. That Number Is Misleading.
Secretary of Energy Chris Wright told the House Appropriations Committee that more than 80% of the 2,270 DOE grant awards under review are moving forward, citing a list of roughly 1,950 retained or modified projects. Critics note the list omits reinstated awards from a recent court ruling and includes 18 grants previously terminated, while excluding formula‑based funding such as weatherization and Inflation Reduction Act rebates. Lawmakers from Florida and Connecticut highlighted that over $345 million in rebate funds remain withheld, and Wright offered no concrete timeline for release. The hearing also touched on the ARCHES hydrogen hub’s $1.2 billion funding request.
Why Microsoft’s Carbon Removal Pullback Is Such a Big Deal
Microsoft has been the dominant buyer in the carbon‑removal market, purchasing roughly 72 million tons of CO₂‑negative solutions—over 40 times more than any other organization. This week the tech giant announced a pause on new carbon‑removal contracts, although it says the...
New Documents Add to Doubt Over Trump’s Deal With TotalEnergies
A newly released Interior Department decision shows the agency intends to pay TotalEnergies $133 million from the federal Judgment Fund to settle the cancellation of the Carolina Long Bay offshore wind lease. The document, dated April 9, 2026, contradicts earlier statements that the...
What Went Wrong With Biden’s Big Climate Law
A new report by three former Biden‑era officials details the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean‑energy tax credits. Treasury published 96 guidance packages—over 5,000 pages—in just 26 months, driven by the law’s $80 billion IRS funding boost. Yet agencies faced...
Data Shows the U.S. Blockade Is Halting Ships in the Strait of Hormuz
Financial Times tracking data confirms the United States’ naval blockade is halting vessels at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz. Several tankers, including two sanctioned Iranian ships, turned back or stopped before reaching the Gulf of Oman. China has denounced...
What the U.S. Naval Blockade Reveals About the Iran War’s Next Phase
After negotiations with Iran collapsed, U.S. Central Command announced a naval blockade of all vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports. The move follows weeks of restricted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, where only a handful of tankers—primarily from China—have...
Trump Threatens His Own Blockade of the Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that the United States will impose a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, interdicting any vessel that passes after Iran’s toll demand. The move follows a failed diplomatic effort to fully reopen...
Texas Investigates Battery Project Over China Fears
Texas Attorney General Will Wassdorf announced an investigation into Finnish firm Taaleri’s battery storage project after a complaint alleged that Chinese‑made CATL cells could let Beijing monitor or control the Texas grid. The probe marks the first state‑level action targeting...
America’s Transformer Crisis Has Supercharged a Wave of New Startups
The global transformer shortage, exacerbated by COVID‑induced supply‑chain disruptions, has pushed lead times for high‑voltage units to three‑plus years and driven up costs. Startups are moving in, with Ayr Energy standardizing component designs and leveraging under‑utilized Indian factories to slash...
Clean Energy Champions Win Control of Arizona’s Top Utility
Liberal‑aligned Clean Energy Team captured an eight‑to‑six majority on the Salt River Project board, Arizona’s largest public utility that provides power and water to millions. The election, framed as a showdown between the Sierra Club and Hollywood activist Jane Fonda...
Scoop: Iran War Has Already Cost Americans $17 Billion At the Pump
A new analysis by Brown University researchers estimates that the Iran‑Israel war has cost the United States about $17 billion in higher gasoline and diesel prices. The price shock translates to roughly $129 extra per household, with diesel accounting for nearly...
Even the Midwest Wants to Encourage More Housing Density
Illinois and Michigan are advancing comprehensive housing packages that relax single‑family zoning, permit accessory dwelling units, and slash parking minimums. The proposals would allow duplexes and multi‑unit homes across residential zones, reduce lot‑size requirements, and encourage infill development. Proponents argue...
New Jersey Legalizes Nuclear
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill signed legislation that repeals the state’s decades‑old moratorium on new nuclear reactors, allowing permits for fresh plants and removing the requirement for a federal waste‑disposal solution. The move aims to add at least one gigawatt...
Scoop: Energy Vault Makes a Play for Japan’s Storage Market
Energy Vault announced a binding agreement to acquire a pipeline of Japanese battery projects, adding 350 MW of advanced‑stage and 500 MW of early‑stage storage capacity. The deal marks the Swiss‑engineered firm’s formal entry into Japan, a market praised for its revenue‑stacking...
Trump Finally Found a Carbon Tax He Can Love
The United States and Iran have agreed to a cease‑fire, ending a war that disrupted the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for about 25% of global oil, LNG and jet fuel. As part of the peace deal, Iran and...
The Planet Is Flickering
NASA’s Artemis II mission captured a new "Blue Marble" image, prompting a fresh look at Earth’s night‑time glow. A Nature study led by University of Connecticut’s Zhe Zhu examined 1.2 million daily Black Marble satellite images from 2014‑2022, revealing a 34% rise in...
Trump and Iran Agree to 2-Week Ceasefire
President Donald Trump announced a two‑week ceasefire with Iran, pausing planned attacks on Iranian civilian infrastructure and allowing coordinated safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The deal includes a controversial proposal for a $2 million toll on ships, which Iran...
Will Trump Bomb Iran’s Power Plants?
President Donald Trump revived his threat to bomb Iran’s civilian power infrastructure, setting a deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The move follows recent strikes near the Bushehr nuclear plant and raises concerns about a potential nuclear...
How Utilities Actually Think
In a recent Shift Key episode, Alice Yake – former Xcel Energy chief planner and now VP of GRIDS at Breakthrough Energy – dissected how utilities decide what to build, revealing decades of over‑investment driven by shifting natural‑gas expectations. She...
Exclusive: Merino Energy Launches an All-in-One Heat Pump for $3,800
Merino Energy, a newly emerged startup, unveiled the Merino Mono, an all‑in‑one wall‑mounted heat pump priced at $3,800 that plugs into a standard 120‑volt outlet and can be installed in about an hour. The unit eliminates the outdoor condenser and...
Trump Sets a Tuesday Deadline to Start Bombing Iran’s Power Plants
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday as “power plant day,” threatening to bomb Iran’s electrical grid, including the Bushehr nuclear facility. The declaration follows two weeks of escalating rhetoric and comes as U.S. officials warn of imminent strikes. Analysts say a...
How Electricity Prices Fuel Data Center Opposition
Data center developer Hut 8 faced fierce opposition in Logan County, Illinois, after residents linked a proposed AI‑focused facility to rising electricity costs. Heatmap Pro’s opposition index gave the county a score of 69, placing it just outside the top ten...
How the Iran War Could Scramble the Climate Tech Capital Stack
The Iran‑Iran war’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz is choking oil exports, slashing revenues for Gulf sovereign wealth funds and oil‑backed venture arms. Those investors have been a major source of early‑stage climate‑tech capital, funding electric mobility, clean hydrogen,...
How Virginia, Texas, and Other States Are Starting to Regulate Data Centers
State lawmakers in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas and Indiana are moving from ad‑hoc opposition to formal regulation of data centers. Virginia leads with bills on site permitting, water‑use disclosure and a review of its lucrative sales‑tax exemption. Pennsylvania is pushing...
Scoop: This GOP Lawmaker Is Aiming to Stop an Arizona Wind Farm
Republican Rep. Eli Crane is lobbying the FAA, Fish and Wildlife Service, and FCC to halt the Lava Run wind farm in Arizona’s White Mountains, arguing federal permits could block the project. In Oregon, Amazon agreed to a $20 million settlement...
A New Tool to Help Solve State Permitting Problems
RMI has launched the State Permitting Power Tool, an interactive web‑based decision tree that distills roughly 100 permitting reforms into a searchable matrix. The platform guides users through four challenge categories—complexity, delays, political hurdles, and financial burdens—to surface the most...
How Extreme Weather Shows Up on Your Electricity Bill
Utilities in at least 18 U.S. states are increasingly adding disaster‑related charges to electricity bills, according to Heatmap and MIT’s Electricity Price Hub. Since 2020, 36 utilities have introduced specific storm‑recovery surcharges that often start as tiny line items before...