Every one of the projects on the list ought to be a topic for local news coverage. Each project means new jobs and economic advancement as well as addressing climate. Yes, I am well aware of the pitiful state of local news in most areas, but local reporting hasn't totally vanished.
It’s so disheartening to read this. But then you envision sending a letter to each of your congressional representatives. You silently imagine your representatives walking over to the DOE's front steps with the press core and other representatives in tow, making a fiery speech, passionately calling out Secretary Wright’s confirmation hearing lies from the steps of the Department of Energy—forcefully defending Congress’s bipartisan legislation and power of the purse. You think to yourself, it could happen, that's what I would do. Then you realize your representatives will likely reply with a brief email stating they share your concerns and might mention their concerns to an empty house or senate chamber some lazy Friday afternoon. Ugh. That's even more disheartening.
What's so aggravating about Wright and his ilk moving to roll back renewable energy projects is that these endeavors lower energy costs and create jobs. Simply put, they're good for the economy on top of being more climate-conscious. But alas, we're committed to the most painful option for everyone not in bed with the fossil fuel industry.
Yep. Nihilistic self harm to our industries of a low-carbon future. But it won't be the first time. E.g. University of Maine was supporting one of the first developers of an floating offshore wind turbine, and the GOP won the governorship, cancelled all support, and now that company works across the pond. So if we ever want to deploy these, the xenophobes can holler OMG, the Scots, the Portuguese, the...
In any case, this may be nit-picking, but you write "There is a physical way that wind, solar and batteries could replace gas for electricity generation: LDES."
Actually wind and solar have been replacing (OK, maybe just "displacing"), gas USE for generation, for a generation now. Wind and solar. Bigly and getting more bigly with "4 hour" and "8 hour" lithium-based batteries. Just not COMPLETELY replacing. Here in Colorado, a lot of activist angst is being directed against a local utility that has a good plan to get from 40% renewables to 80 or 90% by adding wind, solar and medium-term storage. But to deal with that 10-20%, they would use some fast-acting gas turbines . IMHO, that's OK and we should focus on using that 80-90% world-heating-free electricity efficiently in heating and transport. The growth of this off-the-shelf tech is what's got FF flacks like Chris Wright on a rampage.
And as far as alternatives to Li-ion, which seem to be the focus of angst in the environmental community, virtually all containerized utility batteries are lithium-ferrous phosphate which are eliminate the two "worst" materials, nickel and cobalt, and are far less likely to burst into flame, and the containerization means that any fire won't spread. The Moss Landing facility, which burned two months ago, used the lithium-nickel-cobalt cells and was revealed as a dangerous early design a few years ago during some "high-temperature incidents" and should have been dismantled then. In any case, the Chinese are moving forward in both LFP and alternatives, which most of the world will be scrambling for, even if they do also genuflect and ask for our LNG. (https://www.ess-news.com/2025/03/24/china-announces-procurement-of-sodium-ion-batteries-with-price-ceiling-at-150-kwh/)
Finally, it would have been a lot harder to cancel/rescind/whatever these grants if they got out the door before November 2024. IMHO, liberal/progressive funders of projects or programs, whether private or public, need to focus on main issue, and perhaps a bit less on connecting these to every other problem of society. In cases like this, resulting in lengthy program design, grant applications, application reviews, etc., and three years to grant issuance from program start. (Some might say I'm taking Ezra Klein's crusade too seriously, but I have seen this in action on the local level.)
Sorry about the long rambling "comment," I think about this stuff perhaps a tad too much.
In the texas state leg has renewable energy in the cross hairs: HB 912/SB 1003 will override local municipalities requirements for a net metering option. SB819 is trying to say that renewable energy is a greater environmental threat than extractive energy. SB388 requires that all renewable energy projects must be matched megawatt to megawatt with gas powered energy projects. there are probably others too. The thing that is kind of bonkers is that even the American Petroleum Institute thinks 388 is a bad idea (at least publicly). Maybe they are targetting blue states cuz they figure the red states already will put a kabosh on clean energy without federal help. The Texas fiefdom leads the way with gusto, despite benefitting tremendously from the clean energy revolution! A union organizer friend told me that a group of unions went to the TX and LA state legislatures with a fully funded IRA renewable energy project (i think windmills off the coast).... and the TX state leg said they could go ahead and build it but they would never let it connect to the grid (therefore making it a moot project). meanwhile our power goes out at the drop of a hat.
We live in very scary times, when a president feels like he can just do whatever he wants with no consequences. It's time for people to start standing up for their rights as humans and American citizens. Our futures and the futures of our children and future generations are at stake now.
It does seem like part of the strategy going forward is to essentially pay off the red states by not cancelling some of their projects while blue states get nothing. A lot of this has to work out through the courts still but I would definitely support withholding taxes from blue state if Trump and Republicans ignore funding we should receive by law.
And I will never understand the mindset that thinks cutting 30 million, a minute fraction of the budget, for a cool storage system for a hospital to pay for trillions in tax cuts is something to do or be proud of.
I love this partnership between Heated and Popular Information - even for such a terrifying situation and topic!
Every one of the projects on the list ought to be a topic for local news coverage. Each project means new jobs and economic advancement as well as addressing climate. Yes, I am well aware of the pitiful state of local news in most areas, but local reporting hasn't totally vanished.
Terrific work, as usual, Emily.
It’s so disheartening to read this. But then you envision sending a letter to each of your congressional representatives. You silently imagine your representatives walking over to the DOE's front steps with the press core and other representatives in tow, making a fiery speech, passionately calling out Secretary Wright’s confirmation hearing lies from the steps of the Department of Energy—forcefully defending Congress’s bipartisan legislation and power of the purse. You think to yourself, it could happen, that's what I would do. Then you realize your representatives will likely reply with a brief email stating they share your concerns and might mention their concerns to an empty house or senate chamber some lazy Friday afternoon. Ugh. That's even more disheartening.
As a government staff person who likely has a project or two on this list, it would be great to be able to see a copy. Any chance?
What's so aggravating about Wright and his ilk moving to roll back renewable energy projects is that these endeavors lower energy costs and create jobs. Simply put, they're good for the economy on top of being more climate-conscious. But alas, we're committed to the most painful option for everyone not in bed with the fossil fuel industry.
Yep. Nihilistic self harm to our industries of a low-carbon future. But it won't be the first time. E.g. University of Maine was supporting one of the first developers of an floating offshore wind turbine, and the GOP won the governorship, cancelled all support, and now that company works across the pond. So if we ever want to deploy these, the xenophobes can holler OMG, the Scots, the Portuguese, the...
In any case, this may be nit-picking, but you write "There is a physical way that wind, solar and batteries could replace gas for electricity generation: LDES."
Actually wind and solar have been replacing (OK, maybe just "displacing"), gas USE for generation, for a generation now. Wind and solar. Bigly and getting more bigly with "4 hour" and "8 hour" lithium-based batteries. Just not COMPLETELY replacing. Here in Colorado, a lot of activist angst is being directed against a local utility that has a good plan to get from 40% renewables to 80 or 90% by adding wind, solar and medium-term storage. But to deal with that 10-20%, they would use some fast-acting gas turbines . IMHO, that's OK and we should focus on using that 80-90% world-heating-free electricity efficiently in heating and transport. The growth of this off-the-shelf tech is what's got FF flacks like Chris Wright on a rampage.
And as far as alternatives to Li-ion, which seem to be the focus of angst in the environmental community, virtually all containerized utility batteries are lithium-ferrous phosphate which are eliminate the two "worst" materials, nickel and cobalt, and are far less likely to burst into flame, and the containerization means that any fire won't spread. The Moss Landing facility, which burned two months ago, used the lithium-nickel-cobalt cells and was revealed as a dangerous early design a few years ago during some "high-temperature incidents" and should have been dismantled then. In any case, the Chinese are moving forward in both LFP and alternatives, which most of the world will be scrambling for, even if they do also genuflect and ask for our LNG. (https://www.ess-news.com/2025/03/24/china-announces-procurement-of-sodium-ion-batteries-with-price-ceiling-at-150-kwh/)
Finally, it would have been a lot harder to cancel/rescind/whatever these grants if they got out the door before November 2024. IMHO, liberal/progressive funders of projects or programs, whether private or public, need to focus on main issue, and perhaps a bit less on connecting these to every other problem of society. In cases like this, resulting in lengthy program design, grant applications, application reviews, etc., and three years to grant issuance from program start. (Some might say I'm taking Ezra Klein's crusade too seriously, but I have seen this in action on the local level.)
Sorry about the long rambling "comment," I think about this stuff perhaps a tad too much.
In the texas state leg has renewable energy in the cross hairs: HB 912/SB 1003 will override local municipalities requirements for a net metering option. SB819 is trying to say that renewable energy is a greater environmental threat than extractive energy. SB388 requires that all renewable energy projects must be matched megawatt to megawatt with gas powered energy projects. there are probably others too. The thing that is kind of bonkers is that even the American Petroleum Institute thinks 388 is a bad idea (at least publicly). Maybe they are targetting blue states cuz they figure the red states already will put a kabosh on clean energy without federal help. The Texas fiefdom leads the way with gusto, despite benefitting tremendously from the clean energy revolution! A union organizer friend told me that a group of unions went to the TX and LA state legislatures with a fully funded IRA renewable energy project (i think windmills off the coast).... and the TX state leg said they could go ahead and build it but they would never let it connect to the grid (therefore making it a moot project). meanwhile our power goes out at the drop of a hat.
We live in very scary times, when a president feels like he can just do whatever he wants with no consequences. It's time for people to start standing up for their rights as humans and American citizens. Our futures and the futures of our children and future generations are at stake now.
I just wonder how long it’ll be before everyone realizes (even if they won’t admit it) that this is setting us back.
It’s getting almost Wizard of Oz like with these people-
“pay no attention to the Texas grid behind the curtain”
Does anyone have a link to the full list?
It does seem like part of the strategy going forward is to essentially pay off the red states by not cancelling some of their projects while blue states get nothing. A lot of this has to work out through the courts still but I would definitely support withholding taxes from blue state if Trump and Republicans ignore funding we should receive by law.
And I will never understand the mindset that thinks cutting 30 million, a minute fraction of the budget, for a cool storage system for a hospital to pay for trillions in tax cuts is something to do or be proud of.
Thank you for the reporting!