By Dan Yurman The Department of Energy (DOE) last week (Apr. 3) announced a plan to boost U.S. artificial intelligence efforts and lower energy costs by co-locating data centers and new energy infrastructure at up to 16 DOE sites. There are multiple problems with DOE’s plan. The first is that complex and lengthy federal site … More Guest Commentary: DOE data center plans, DOGE firings don’t mix
By Kennedy Maize On March 27, President Trump fired Michelle Moore from the board of directors of the federally owned Tennessee Valley Authority. On April 1, he followed up by firing TVA board chairman Joe Rich, leaving the already-depleted nine-member TVA board with only four members, lacking a quorum. All the TVA current board members … More Trump tosses TVA into turmoil
By Kennedy Maize The Department of Defense, working through the U.S. Air Force, on Feb. 28 selected 11 companies that are eligible for contracts with military to pursue geothermal technologies for electric generation at military bases. In a solicitation issued last September, the Air Force said it is “seeking novel approaches to generate electricity at … More Drill, sergeant, drill: Pentagon promotes geothermal for military bases
By Kennedy Maize “‘Drill, baby, drill’ is nothing short of a myth and populist rallying cry. Tariff policy is impossible for us to predict and doesn’t have a clear goal. We want more stability.” That comment comes from a purposely unnamed oil and gas executive commenting on the state of the industry come in the … More O&G execs blow raspberries at Trump’s ‘drill, baby, drill’ meme
By Kennedy Maize President Trump has given an unconditional pardon to convicted fraudster Trevor Milton of Nikola electric truck notoriety. Milton, founder of the once high-flying electric truck company that is now bankrupt, was facing four years in prison following his 2022 federal jury conviction of one court of securities fraud and three counts of … More Nikola’s Trevor Milton: Pardon for sale or rent?
By Kennedy Maize Taiwan’s state-owned CPC Corp. has signed a letter of intent to buy liquefied natural gas from the nascent Alaska LNG project and invest in the project, according to a news release from the giant Taiwanese firm. Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy and Taiwan’s Geu Zhihui, minister of economic affairs, witnessed the signing of … More Gas gatherings: Taiwan, ANWR, Trump’s EPA
By Kennedy Maize The Department of Energy Tuesday (Mar. 24) announced a $900 million pot of money for development of small modular nuclear reactors to, in the agency’s words, “de-risk the deployment of Generation III+ light-water small modular reactors (Gen III+ SMR).” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said (although it’s more likely someone wrote the words … More Commentary: DOE’s doofus SMR subsidy, whether Trump’s or Biden’s
By Kennedy Maize North Dakota proclaims, “Give us your tired, your poor, your captured carbon dioxide that never will run free.” South Dakota retorts, “Not across our state.” Iowa, from a distance, chimes in, “Nor here.” Last December, North Dakota’s Industrial Commission, headed by outgoing Republican Governor Doug Burgum, approved a plan by Iowa’s Summit … More Carbon dioxide capture kerfuffle in the Dakotas and Iowa
Energy Secretary Chris Wright and the White House appear to be headed for a clash on major DOE spending programs, including the agency’s Loan Programs Office and the main research arm, ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy). On Monday (Mar. 17), DOE sent another $57.8 million in federal money to the Palisades nuclear plant resurrection in … More Are Wright and the White House getting crosswise on DOE spending?
By Kennedy Maize Are tariffs infectious? Maryland’s General Assembly is considering identical bills that would impose what looks like a tariff on West Virginia coal shipped through the Free State to Baltimore’s port for export. The cross-filed bills, titled “Coal Transportation Fee and Fossil Fuel Mitigation Fund (Coal Dust Cleanup and Asthma Remediation Act),” dropped … More Maryland, coal, and the ‘dormant Commerce Clause’