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Brad Plumer @bradplumer.bsky.social · 12d

If you’re asking me, sure, put it on Google calendar….

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Brad Plumer @bradplumer.bsky.social · May 30

full list of canceled awards here....

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Brad Plumer @bradplumer.bsky.social · May 30

DOE cancels $3.7 billion in demonstration projects aimed at cutting emissions — a couple big carbon capture demos, but also cement, glass, iron, chemicals projects.

Calpine and Exxon Mobil were hit, as were startups like Sublime and Brimstone. (Full list in story.) www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/c...

Energy Dept. Cancels $3.7 Billion for New Technologies to Lower Emissions

www.nytimes.com

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Brad Plumer @bradplumer.bsky.social · May 22

Latest House GOP bill has faster phaseout of IRA clean electricity credits—need to start building wind/solar/battery/geothermal before 60 days after law passes and finish by end 2028, or no credit.

Nuclear gets an exception—a new reactor can get the credit if it starts construction by end 2028.

amendments-rules.house.gov

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Reposted by Brad Plumer

Paul DV @paul-dv.bsky.social · May 16

DOE's super useful guides to commercializing key technologies are back! You can find the collection of "Pathways to Commercial Liftoff" reports here: yardsale.energy/liftoff-reports

Plus check out my amazing graphic design skillz!

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Brad Plumer @bradplumer.bsky.social · May 13

Since the IRA passed, companies have made plans to invest over $843 billion in clean energy projects. But just one-third of that has actually been invested, new data shows. Much of the rest is now at risk.

On the new House Republican plan to dismantle the IRA, with @harrystevens.bsky.social

A Clean Energy Boom Was Just Starting. Now, a Republican Bill Aims to End It.

www.nytimes.com

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Brad Plumer @bradplumer.bsky.social · Apr 21

excellent news, congrats!!

Brad Plumer @bradplumer.bsky.social · Mar 7

oh for sure, i'm just curious what drove the earlier decline

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Brad Plumer @bradplumer.bsky.social · Mar 6

This chart makes it look like Tesla’s decline in Germany has been happening for awhile and not really related to any recent DC stuff, no?

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Reposted by Brad Plumer

Josh Chin @joshchin.bsky.social · Mar 4

Not an exaggeration to say this was pound-for-pound the most effective piece of US public diplomacy in China. Twitter was blocked, but U.S. embassy pollution tweets forced Beijing to start publishing its own pollution data, which fed public outrage. Result: millions breathing vastly less toxic air

U.S. Embassies Halt Air Quality Monitoring Abroad

Since 2008, embassies and other diplomatic posts had been publishing data about local air quality. In many countries, it was the only reliable source of such information.

www.nytimes.com

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Brad Plumer @bradplumer.bsky.social · Feb 15

More than 300 workers at the National Nuclear Security Administration were told they were fired on Thursday.

Now many of them are getting contacted and told to come back to their jobs: www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/u...

Layoffs Expand at Federal Agencies, Part of Trump Purge

Mass firings have rocked multiple agencies as President Trump and Elon Musk ramp up plans to drastically slash and reshape the federal work force.

www.nytimes.com

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Brad Plumer @bradplumer.bsky.social · Feb 11

New York Times is hiring for two climate reporter jobs — descriptions/how to apply at the links:

1) Climate policy reporter: nytimes.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/NYT/de...

2) Climate adaptation reporter: nytimes.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/NYT/de...

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Reposted by Brad Plumer

Jesse D. Jenkins @jessedjenkins.com · Feb 2

Update 2/2: Dept of Justice memo directs all agencies to comply with Friday's federal Court injunction prohibiting any arbitrary suspension of federal grants & assistance due to OMB memo or Trump's Executive Orders! Effective Monday 9am. Hat tip @benjaminwittes.bsky.social & @azevin.bsky.social

Text of a February 2nd Department of Justice memo directing all agencies to comply with Friday's federal Court injunction prohibiting any arbitrary suspension of federal grants & assistance due to OMB memo or Trump's Executive Orders. Effective Monday 9am. Applies to all programs.

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Reposted by Brad Plumer

Jesse D. Jenkins @jessedjenkins.com · Feb 2

“These are real human beings. We have one woman in her 80s who lives alone, and if she does not get her roof fixed, well, we’re going to have a senior in her late 80s who is homeless."

More on the human cost of this illegal freeze of obligated grants
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/01/c... 🎁🔗

Trump’s Halt on Climate Spending Freezes Jobs and Stalls Projects

www.nytimes.com

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Brad Plumer @bradplumer.bsky.social · Jan 29

That said I do think @liamdenning.bsky.social makes a bunch of great points here — there's a lot of risk for the nuclear industry in counting on AI-driven load growth to drive the development of small modular reactors. www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

DeepSeek Is Coming for Sam Altman’s Other Company Too

Oklo’s prospects depend on AI’s insatiable need for electricity fueling demand for carbon-free electricity and expensive nuclear projects.

www.bloomberg.com

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Brad Plumer @bradplumer.bsky.social · Jan 29

I've seen stories about how DeepSeek is upending expectations of rising demand but is that what the market's saying? Maybe things evolve further, but right now most of these stocks are back to… early January levels.

A correction, sure, but doesn't seem like the big picture has hugely changed. No?

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Brad Plumer @bradplumer.bsky.social · Jan 24

that is a very good question

Brad Plumer @bradplumer.bsky.social · Jan 24

oh for sure, i've definitely had developers tell me they avoid federal lands because of NEPA (among other things).

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Brad Plumer @bradplumer.bsky.social · Jan 24

Fair point, for scale, NREL says about 4% of utility-scale renewable energy capacity is currently on federal land (wind/solar/geothermal). www.nrel.gov/analysis/ren...

Doesn't include proposed projects though. There is a lot of solar potential on federal lands, fwiw.
bsky.app/profile/rose...

Christian Roselund @roselund.bsky.social · Jan 24

Before you freak out about this, it's a good idea to ask just how much #solar is being developed on US federal land vs. private land.

In my experience, the large majority is on private land. But would love to see some robust numbers around this.

Brad Plumer @bradplumer.bsky.social · Jan 24

New Interior memo orders a 60-day pause on new approvals for all renewable energy development on federal land—not just wind, this one also affects solar. www.doi.gov/document-lib...

(Very similar to an early Biden DOI memo ordering a 60-day freeze on new fossil fuel authorizations on public lands.)

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Brad Plumer @bradplumer.bsky.social · Jan 24

oh interesting i'll look/ask

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Brad Plumer @bradplumer.bsky.social · Jan 24

that is what i'm hearing although certainly could be wrong — though i think the 2021 version of this memo was in effect a pause on fossil fuel authorizations no? www.doi.gov/sites/doi.go...

www.doi.gov

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Brad Plumer @bradplumer.bsky.social · Jan 24

oh yeah, just meant the language is extremely similar except swapping "fossil fuels" with "renewables." obviously very different real world impact!

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Brad Plumer @bradplumer.bsky.social · Jan 24

Possibly relevant... bsky.app/profile/atru...

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Jan 24

Trump: "We don't want windmills in this country. We're putting an order on it. I've already sort of done it. We don't want windmills ... you know what else people don't like? Those massive solar fields."

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Brad Plumer @bradplumer.bsky.social · Jan 24

New Interior memo orders a 60-day pause on new approvals for all renewable energy development on federal land—not just wind, this one also affects solar. www.doi.gov/document-lib...

(Very similar to an early Biden DOI memo ordering a 60-day freeze on new fossil fuel authorizations on public lands.)

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Brad Plumer @bradplumer.bsky.social · Jan 22

DOE and nuclear folks talk a lot about how a lot of lessons were learned from the Vogtle project in Georgia and that the next AP-1000s could be built more efficiently, with fewer problems and overruns.

TBD whether anyone wants to test that out — and what kind of federal backing they'd need.

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