The Quad Report

By Kennedy Maize Congress and the courts are weighing in on the Trump administration’s actions dating to early in his arrival in D.C. for a second go-round, cancelling legal energy and environmental grants for purely partisan reasons. In a matter of two days early this month, prominent Congressional Democrats called on the Justice Department to … More Trump political energy and environmental grant cancellations draw fire

By Kennedy Maize Hydrogen, 1H, the primary and most common element in the universe, consists of one proton, one electron, and no neutrons. It’s in first place on the periodic chart of the elements. In common, gaseous form, H2, it is colorless, odorless, and highly combustible. It is the fuel of the sun. For many … More Hydrogen energy: here, there, anywhere?

By Kennedy Maize After more than a year of bickering and negotiating, the U.S. Department of the Interior Friday (July 31) unveiled its plan for dealing with the Colorado River crisis, as it rolled out its final environmental impact statement on river policies. The statement is a clear indication of what the agency-imposed plan for … More Interior’s Colorado River plan: electrification trumps irrigation

By Kennedy Maize Coerced, cowed, and reconfigured by President Trump, the federal government’s Tennessee Valley Authority has issued a “final draft” 2026 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) that targets coal, nuclear, and gas — its resource mix for much of the past — for its old, new future. The giant public power system, the largest in … More TVA bows to Trump’s back-to-the-future energy strategy

By Kennedy Maize One word succinctly describes Donald Trump’s possible give-away nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia: incoherence. The U.S. Department of Energy announced the long-anticipated agreement between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia on July 22 with almost no details, just claims of its importance. Energy Secretary Chris Wright bragged, “These agreements reflect our two nations’ … More Trump’s Saudi nuclear deal: Is it is, or is it ain’t?

By Kennedy Maize Is the Colorado River basin crisis finally coming to a head after a year-long stalemate pitting the four Upper Basin supplier states (Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and New Mexico) against the three Lower Basin ) consumer states?  At an event in Wyoming last week with Wyoming Republican Gov. Mark Gordon, Interior Secretary Doug … More Burgum vows DOI action on the Colorado River crisis

By Kennedy Maize The Trump-dominated U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission this month has rolled back a series of long-standing regulations aimed at environmental, worker, and public health protections. In each case, the NRC moves reflect actions long on the nuclear power industry’s regulatory wish list, and many promoted in White House executive orders. In chronological order:  … More Trump’s NRC launches a sweeping suite of proposed regulatory rollbacks

By Kennedy Maize For decades, U.S. geothermal energy enthusiasts have been promising great advances from drill bit to megawatt. Many experts have predicted that geothermal could provide as much as 20% of U.S. electricity, with a renewable and non-polluting energy source. That’s greater than coal (17%) and nuclear (18%). Geothermal’s tale has mostly been one … More Is U.S. geothermal energy finally ready to deliver?

By Kennedy Maize When it comes to the levelized cost of energy (LCOE), “Unsubsidized renewable energy remains the most cost competitive form of new-build generation…. Wind, solar and storage are expected to continue to account for the majority of near-term U.S. capacity additions given their relatively short deployment timeline,” according to a new report from … More Lazard: renewables consistently lowest cost of new electric generation

By Kennedy Maize The federal government’s assault on the 1969 National Environmental Policy Act — pronounced in the Trump administration and abetted by the U.S. Supreme Court — continued yesterday (July 16) at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. A unanimous FERC at its July meeting approved two measures to fast-track agency review of the environmental … More FERC rolls back hydro power environmental analysis