Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich

@riogranderift.bsky.social

1.7K followers 1.1K following 2.2K posts

I wield the power of the law to foster thriving, resilient western U.S. lands, waters, wildlife, and communities in the face of a changing climate. Executive Director: @westernlaw.org Thoughts my own.

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · Jan 16

My thoughts on @westernlaw.bsky.social's strategic approach to the Trump 2.0 era.

✅ Hold the line at the federal level
✅ Move in space at the state level
✅ Build power for change

How? With an ecology of kinship.

TO THE WESTERN HORIZONS!

The Western Environmental Law Center’s Strategic Approach to the Confluence of Political, Ecological, and Economic Crises Faced by the…

medium.com

5 25

Reposted by Erik Schlenker-Goodrich

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 1h

The elimination of USAID is a moral atrocity and all involved made a choice to enable, and then lie about, ending the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in the world.

MAE SOT, Thailand (AP) - Mohammed Taher clutched the lifeless body of his 2-year-old son and wept. Ever since his family's food rations stopped arriving at their internment camp in Myanmar in April, the father had watched helplessly as his once-vibrant baby boy weakened, suffering from diarrhea and begging for food.
On May 21, exactly two weeks after Taher's little boy died, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio sat before Congress and declared: "No one has died" because of his government's decision to gut its foreign aid program. Rubio also insisted: "No children are dying on my watch."
That, Taher says, "is a lie."

40 1.2K 2.4K

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 49m

Just like the fossil fuel industry, Big Tech, flush with investor money and a rabid desire to build out data centers, cares little about affordability and is more than happy to leverage it's power to have utilities shift the energy costs of AI data centers onto families.

Nick Cunningham @nickcunningham.bsky.social · 1d

“By 2028, an average family in the region will be paying around $70 a month extra on their electricity bills because of forecasted data center growth”

I'm once again asking why ratepayers are subsidizing AI titans?

www.eenews.net/articles/dat...

Data center boom sparks sticker shock for PJM ratepayers

New analyses show that costs passed on to utility customers to guarantee future electricity demand are rising rapidly.

www.eenews.net

1 3

Reposted by Erik Schlenker-Goodrich

🥈72 dogs 🐝 @careycuprisin.bsky.social · 59m

This is exactly right. Local urban politics terms like YIMBY and NIMBY are actively unhelpful in this context and should not be imported here.

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 1h

The desire to further plunder public lands owned by all Americans (not oil & gas companies) is a key reason why the fossil fuel industry relentlessly pushes for "permitting reform."

Typical API post advocating for permitting reform.

1 1

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 58m

Don't think for a second that the fossil fuel industry cares about affordability. They care about profits. And right now, they want to drill, baby, drill to feed the buildout of AI data centers to peddle even more AI slop.

Stand.earth @stand.earth · Sep 3

Even in areas with high amounts of renewable energy already online, data center buildout is leading to plans for new fossil fuel infrastructure.

Big Tech companies have a responsibility to ensure new data centers run on around the clock renewable energy, not dangerous and polluting fossil fuels.

Washington's hydropower has created a data center boom. Some are concerned about its future

In small town Washington — where hydropower is plentiful — data centers are creating jobs and funding amenities. But water and energy aren't unlimited — and some worry about long-term sustainability.

www.kuow.org

1 1 3

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 1h

The desire to further plunder public lands owned by all Americans (not oil & gas companies) is a key reason why the fossil fuel industry relentlessly pushes for "permitting reform."

1 3 3

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 1h

Remember, too, that Sen. Mike Lee wanted (but failed) to sell off millions of acres of public lands -- lands owned by the American people.

"Permitting reform" is simply a different mechanism for Lee to achieve the same objective: The plunder of America's cherished public lands & environment.

Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 2h

The opponents of wind and solar and climate action in general sure do love permitting reform

www.eenews.net/articles/mik...

Lee hasn’t met with House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), who has been helping lead the push for a permitting overhaul and amending the Endangered Species Act.

A lot of Lee’s time has gone to helping craft the Republicans’ party-line budget bill, which is expected to include provisions to promote fossil fuel production and roll back Biden-era regulations.

Lee has deemed the idea of expanding renewable energy sources like solar and wind power at the expense of gas and coal “very disturbing.”

This weekend Lee made clear he also supports the sale of some public land to build housing. He called Democratic attempts to thwart such efforts “disgraceful.”

1 3 8

Reposted by Erik Schlenker-Goodrich

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 4h

WATCH: Trump’s lawless Ice goons shoot an unarmed priest in the head with a pepper ball. Completely out of control.

260 1.7K 2.9K

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 4h

"Scarcity is indeed a choice...but not one being made by overzealous regulators or litigators. Scarcity is a choice made by those who profit from imposing it on the rest of us...Abundance is a detailed indictment of the wrong suspect, which only serves the interests of the real culprits."

An Abundant Blindspot

The warping, smothering influence of corporate money and power lurks on every page unacknowledged, a monster Klein and Thompson refuse to see.

blog.ucs.org

2 2

Reposted by Erik Schlenker-Goodrich

Cheryl Rofer @cherylrofer.bsky.social · 11h

This is the way.

Courtney Vaughn @courtneyvaughn.bsky.social · 12h

Streets are still closed off in front of the Portland ICE facility at 8:30pm. Protesters have gathered on a side street. Dance party in progress.

7 40 240

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 11h

This is pretty good.

Chuck Schumer @schumer.senate.gov · 16h

The government is shut down because Trump and the Republicans are hellbent on taking health care away from you.

And they won’t even come to the table to talk to us about it.

This is not about politics. It's about people.

Let’s break it down:

Reposted by Erik Schlenker-Goodrich

Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 11h

I was completely unprepared for the threat posed by the Antifa super soldiers.

Courtney Vaughn @courtneyvaughn.bsky.social · 12h

Streets are still closed off in front of the Portland ICE facility at 8:30pm. Protesters have gathered on a side street. Dance party in progress.

12 190 760

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 11h

Context:

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 11h

This is 💯 MAGA + Tech bullshit vision of the future.

It’s ridiculous pablum. And it should be mocked relentlessly.

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 13h

What will the new Adam O'Neal–hosted WaPo opinions podcast sound like for the next few decades? Maybe a little something like this x.com/WashPostComm...

1 1

Reposted by Erik Schlenker-Goodrich

Doug Lindner @douglindner.bsky.social · 14h

The #1 thing you need to know about the Supreme Court’s new term is that Roberts, Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett are bad-faith actors.

18 150 500

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 14h

Genuinely looking forward to the post-Trump Billionaire Big Tech / AI backlash. 👹

Erin Fogg says Free Link @criminalerin.bsky.social · 2d

I am once again asking why these data centers are all fucking SECRETS

"A controversial plan to build a 2.2-million-square-foot data center on farmland may still happen. A rural community... is looking to settle a lawsuit recently filed by a development firm working for an unidentified tech giant."

Reposted by Erik Schlenker-Goodrich

GHOULLIKEHELLMACHINE @golikehellmachine.com · 16h

this is such a fucking idiotic farce

Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 16h

Kristi Noem confronts enemy combatants in the Portland war zone today.

29 69 490

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 1d

Carbon capture is a waste of time, resources, and attention as well as a dodge from the good, hard work of investing in a just community-led energy and economic transition away from fossil fuels.

The Collapse of Confidence in Carbon Capture | OilPrice.com

Carbon Capture and Storage, once seen as a lifeline for the oil and gas industry, is facing mounting doubts as delays, high costs, and poor performance cast serious doubts on its future viability.

oilprice.com

1 5

Reposted by Erik Schlenker-Goodrich

Aarne Granlund @aarnegranlund.bsky.social · 17d

Maybe my simple country-brain cannot understand 'AI' or massive factories removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in 2050, or 'SAF' fuels for jets.

I'd rather have fewer cars in the regional capital right now and remove unnecessary dams for migratory fish habitat.

#RestoreNature #ClimateAction

The Joensuu pedestrian area and cycle parking on the market square on a sunny day. Hundreds of bikes.

The Hiitolanjoki river restoration project seen from the upper rapids in the three series of dam removals.

1 2 16

Reposted by Erik Schlenker-Goodrich

Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 2d

In case you’re wondering how grassroots Republican activists in Oregon are metabolizing what’s happening in the state. This person is a coordinator for two long running conservative organizations in the state: The Gathering of the Eagles and the Abigail Adams project.

Oregon Republican League
... X
Bleiler Donna • 7h • G
Trump is preparing to go after Antifa, waiting for them to make a move. Antifa is preparing for riots in major cities. Since Portland is their headquarters, it seems essential that the National Guard would be in Oregon.
Governor Kotek is in panic mode releasing news every day on her opposition. Portland Police are working with Antifa to criminalize federal agents. "Out in Oregon, the Governor, the mayor and police are all part of Antifa." Shan Davis explains, "Once you understand that Portland police is Antifa, everything else it does and refuses to do suddenly makes sense." If they are part of Antifa, they are part of the insurrection.
Antifa has been hired to create a civil war. Kotek has been telling people to stay calm, all the while she is still promoting Antifa to start a civil war.
[https://rumble.com/embed/v6xoc3g/?
pub=50601&start=2506](https://rumble.com/embed/ v6xoc3g/?pub=50601&start=2506)
2X22 Report Political • Geopolitical
rumble.com
Ep 3745b - [DS] Pushing A Hybrid War, Trump Is Using The Shutdown To Defund The [DS], Timing,...
115
16 comments 25 shares

85 270 730

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 1d

… and efforts to weaken bedrock environmental laws in service of centrist “abundance” that uses housing/renewables as part of a bait-and-switch for Big Tech fever dreams.

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 1d

To be clear, if there’s centrist D involvement, the risk is Technofeudalism. If the Trump regime survives to a successor (e.g., Vance), that’s when we see Technofascism.

I don’t think any of this is a likelihood, but it is a risk warranting immediate pushback on the AI data center buildout …

2 1

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 1d

If and when the Trump regime collapses, there’s a risk of a Big Tech-centered regime supported by Rs + centrist Ds.

It’s why the massive buildout of AI data centers + “bipartisan permitting reform” is of such grave concern.

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · Jul 8

Pretty wild how "abundance" rides on centrist/center-left credentials but is rooted in right wing Technofascism.

Jenny Cohn @jennycohn.bsky.social · Jul 7

Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale announced today that, “The Abundance Institute, in partnership with Stand Together, is raising $4M to place a strike team of 15-20 AI-native software engineers, data scientists, & product leaders inside the FDA…” 7/7/25 1/ blog.joelonsdale.com/p/engineerin...

1 4

Reposted by Erik Schlenker-Goodrich

Laura Helmuth @laurahelmuth.bsky.social · 1d

"99.97 percent of families, even when given the option, chose to let their children learn about LGBTQ+ people."
Nice result, and it reinforces everything Montgomery County said to SCOTUS before its theocrats made their dehumanizing ruling. open.substack.com/pub/erininth...

Only 0.03% Opt Out Of LGBTQ+ Education In Maryland After SCOTUS Gives Them A Right To

After SCOTUS gave families a right to opt out of LGBTQ+ education, Montgomery County, Maryland is reporting only 43 families took them up on it.

open.substack.com

15 500 1.8K

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 1d

Also, what gobbledygook:

This involves a “deal” on “core principles” that go in a “compact” that might become a “framework” to serve as a basis for perhaps “negotiating” “legislation.”

WTF does that even mean?

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 1d

Danielle Allen fails the Lando test / lives out the Arrested Development meme: "A deal on the core principles in a compact could then become a framework for negotiating on legislation." Come ON. With this administration and this Congress?
therenovator.substack.com/p/why-im-exc...

Reposted by Erik Schlenker-Goodrich

Erin Sherman 🌱 65n Chesapeake rolling coastal plain @wearegonnafindout.bsky.social · 1d

I haven't dived into the underlying report, but this article is jaw-dropping. Data centers are apparently not *one of* PJM's demand-side problems. They are *the* problem.

Kevin J. CREATURE @kevinjkircher.com · 2d

$16 billion. That's how much the PJM market monitor estimates that electricity ratepayers will pay via increased utility bills to subsidize interconnection of data centers owned by Big Tech. A massive give-away to some of the most profitable companies in the world.

www.eenews.net/articles/dat...

Data center boom sparks sticker shock for PJM ratepayers

New analyses show that costs passed on to utility customers to guarantee future electricity demand are rising rapidly.

www.eenews.net

2 13 27