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Category Archives: Energy

Donald Trump, Revenge Junkie

Mother Jones, David Corn: “Now that he’s back in the White House—after his humiliating 2020 defeat—Trump has embarked on a revenge-a-thon that goes beyond what we might have expected even from a vengeance junkie. He has removed security protection from past aides who pissed him off—including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former National Security Adviser John Bolton, and former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Mark Milley—exposing them to serious danger. Angry at the National Archives for its role in the stolen documents case in which his Mar-a-Lago home was raided and he was indicted, Trump booted out the leadership of that agency. He moved to revoke the security clearance of a private Washington, DC, lawyer who represented the whistleblower at the center of the first impeachment of Trump. He did the same concerning Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and others. Trump has tried to freeze out media outlets that draw his ire, particularly the Associated Press, which would not follow his lead and refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” FBI officials and Justice Department prosecutors who worked on the January 6 investigation—which led to the convictions of more than 1,000 Trump supporters who rioted at the US Capitol—have been dismissed or demoted. And Trump’s antagonistic treatment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy—calling him a “dictator,” blaming him for the war that Russia launched, and berating him on live television during a White House meeting—is likely rooted, in part, in Trump holding him and Ukraine responsible for that first impeachment. (During the infamous call with Zelenskyy that led to the impeachment, Trump referred to a bonkers conspiracy theory that held that Ukraine, not Russia, was involved in the computer hacking during the 2016 election that was blamed on Moscow.)”

Global Atlas of Environmental Justice

What type of information can you find in the EJAtlas? The EJatlas maps conflicts across 10 main categories: Nuclear Mineral Ores and Building Extractions Waste Management Biomass and Land Conflicts Fossil Fuels, Energy and Climate Justice Water Management Infrastructure and Built Environment Tourism Recreation Biodiversity Conservation Conflicts Industrial and Utilities Conflicts The database contains information… Continue Reading

Federal Worker Layoffs Climb Toward 250,000 as Deadline Looms

Bloomberg Law: “The Trump administration’s push to drastically shrink the federal government shifts to a new gear Thursday, when agencies face a deadline to submit plans for large-scale layoffs and budget cuts. With them, the list of government job cuts that for weeks had been measured in the tens of thousands — and included retirements,… Continue Reading

Half of world’s CO2 emissions come from 36 fossil fuel firms

The Guardian: “Half of the world’s climate-heating carbon emissions come from the fossil fuels produced by just 36 companies, analysis has revealed…The Carbon Majors report calculates the emissions released by the burning of the coal, oil and gas produced by 169 major companies in 2023. The database also includes emissions from the production of cement,… Continue Reading

Trump Moves to Increase Logging in National Forests

“A rarely used amendment to the Endangered Species Act allows for the creation of a committee nicknamed “the God Squad” to take unprecedented action during emergencies like hurricanes and wildfires. Trump wants to convene this committee to bypass endangered species protections and other environmental regulations to ramp up timber production across 280 million acres of… Continue Reading

Website tracking how many people have lost their jobs because of the USAID Stop-Work Order

US AID STOP WORK – Tracking. Informing: “As of February 19, 2025, 55K confirmed, 100K+ estimated globally – these are the confirmed jobs lost from USAID and their implementing partners who have had to lay off or furlough employees due to the funding freeze. The confirmed number is based on 83 organizations. These numbers are… Continue Reading

Fired NPS, USFS, BLM Employees Share Their Stories

The Guardian: “Approximately 5,000 people have been terminated from the agencies that manage the 35m acres (14m hectares) of federal public lands in the US. These are our lands. They encompass national parks and forests, wilderness and marine protected areas, scenic rivers. They are home to campgrounds, river accesses, hiking trails and myriad other sites… Continue Reading

How an obscure advisory board lets utilities steal $50b/year from ratepayers

Pluralistic:  “Two figures to ponder. First: if your local power company is privately owned, you’ve seen energy rate hikes at 49% above inflation over the last three years. Second: if your local power company is publicly owned, you’ve seen energy rates go up at 44% below inflation over the same period. Power is that much-theorized… Continue Reading

Metals in Wildfire Suppressants

Metals in Wildfire Suppressants. Marella H. Schammel, Samantha J. Gold, and Daniel L. McCurry. Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett. 2024, 11, 11, 1247-1253. Open Access Publication Date (Web): October 30, 2024. Pages 1136-1259. ABSTRACT: Frequent and severe wildfires have led to increased application of fire suppression products (long-term fire retardants, water enhancers, and Class A foams)… Continue Reading

How Trump Could Remake the Supreme Court for a Generation

The Nation: Donald Trump is poised to become the first president since FDR to have appointed the majority of high-court justices. His potential picks are terrifying.This article appears in the March 2025 issue, with the headline “The Supreme Trump Court.” Donald Trump’s first term as president gave the republicans control over the most dangerous body… Continue Reading

Policy Map – Where to Find Trump’s Disappeared Data

“The administration removed hundreds of federal web pages containing critical information about Americans. Fortunately, it still lives at Philly-based PolicyMap, whose director walks us through what just happened — and why it’s too soon to Last week, President Donald Trump came for our data. Executive orders to eliminate any DEI and climate change-related language from… Continue Reading

The Open Energy Data Initiative

As energy, climate and weather datasets and resources  are removed from government websites, there are open source initiatives that remain available and to which organizations may submit data. “The Open Energy Data Initiative (OEDI). Enabling research, collaboration, and transparency by providing open access to energy data and information. Provides free access to data generated from… Continue Reading