Can Hydropower Ride the Wave of the Energy Boom?
Hydropower, once the leading U.S. renewable source, posted only a 1.7% increase in generation last year, keeping its share at about 5.6% of electricity. Most of the 79,892 MW capacity is tied to dams over 50 years old, with the last major addition in 1985. Industry leaders are pushing for streamlined licensing and expanded loan guarantees, while pumped‑hydro storage projects such as the 1,200 MW Goldendale facility promise long‑duration clean power. Climate variability and environmental concerns, however, cast uncertainty on future output and new development.
There’s Something in the Air in South Portland, Maine
South Portland, Maine’s first year of fenceline monitoring revealed benzene concentrations above state limits at two petroleum tank farms—Citgo and Buckeye Partners. The Citgo site averaged 2.18 µg/m³ (limit 1.28 µg/m³) and Buckeye peaked at 3.05 µg/m³, with a short‑term spike of 11.8 µg/m³...
Trump’s EPA Claims Strong Enforcement. But the Data Tells a Different Story.
The EPA’s recent press release boasts that more enforcement cases were closed in President Donald Trump’s first year of his second term than in any year of the Biden administration. However, EPA records reveal that 75 % of the 61 criminal...
Tiny Texas School District Rejects Tax Deal with $6 Billion LNG Project
Point Isabel Independent School District voted down a $160 million, ten‑year property‑tax abatement offered by Texas LNG for its $5.7 billion liquefied natural gas project. The deal would have added roughly $15 million per year to the district’s budget, but the board said...
New Lawsuit Aims to Halt Expansion of a Montana Coal Mine Blamed for Drying up the Land Above It
Environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit in Montana to block the Bull Mountains Mine expansion, arguing that the Trump‑era "energy emergency" justification violated the National Environmental Policy Act. The suit highlights long‑wall mining’s subsidence and dewatering effects, which have dried...
Environmental, Community Groups to Challenge Regulators’ Approval of Dominion’s Gas Plant
Three climate‑justice nonprofits have filed a Virginia Supreme Court notice to appeal the State Corporation Commission’s approval of Dominion Energy’s $1.47 billion, 944‑megawatt Chesterfield natural‑gas plant. The appeal, filed through the Southern Environmental Law Center, invokes the Virginia Environmental Justice Act...