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westernlaw.org
Western Environmental Law Center
@westernlaw.org
2.4K followers 540 following 700 posts
We use the power of the law to foster thriving, resilient Western lands, waters, wildlife, and communities in the face of a changing climate.
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Reposted by Western Environmental Law Center
riogranderift.bsky.social
Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 14h
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.
nickcunningham.bsky.social
Nick Cunningham @nickcunningham.bsky.social · 2d
“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
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Reposted by Western Environmental Law Center
riogranderift.bsky.social
Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 14h
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 @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
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Reposted by Western Environmental Law Center
riogranderift.bsky.social
Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 14h
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.
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Reposted by Western Environmental Law Center
riogranderift.bsky.social
Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 15h
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.
ketanjoshi.co
Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 16h
The opponents of wind and solar and climate action in general sure do love permitting reform

www.eenews.net/articles/mik...
4. Senate’s lead Republican on energy: ‘It’s time for NEPA reform’ As you may recall from two consecutive newsletters last month, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said “permitting reform” was “the biggest remaining thing” in the administration’s agenda. Yet Republican leaders in Congress expressed skepticism about tacking energy policy into the next reconciliation bill. This week, however, Utah Senator Mike Lee, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, called for a legislative overhaul of the National Environmental Policy Act. On Monday, the pro-development social media account Yimbyland — short for Yes In My Back Yard — posted on X: “Reminder that we built the Golden Gate Bridge in 4.5 years. Today, we wouldn’t even be able to finish the environmental review in 4.5 years.” In response, Lee said: “It’s time for NEPA reform. And permitting reform more broadly.” Last month, a bipartisan permitting reform bill got a hearing in the House of Representatives. But that was before the government shutdown. And sources familiar with Democrats’ thinking have in recent months suggested to me that the administration’s gutting of so many clean energy policies has left Republicans with little to bargain with ahead of next year’s midterm elections. 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.”
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Reposted by Western Environmental Law Center
alanzibel.bsky.social
Alan Zibel @alanzibel.bsky.social · 1d
White House offers white glove, concierge service to fossil fuel companies.

Meanwhile, wind and solar aren’t even allowed to check into the Motel 6.

Great scoop from @jakespring.bsky.social

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
White House offers ‘concierge’ service to fossil fuel firms, official says
Brittany Kelm, a senior policy adviser for the National Energy Dominance Council, detailed in a podcast how the council works to advance fossil fuel projects.
www.washingtonpost.com
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Reposted by Western Environmental Law Center
riogranderift.bsky.social
Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 18h
"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
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westernlaw.org
Western Environmental Law Center @westernlaw.org · 2d
OK, this is funny.
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Reposted by Western Environmental Law Center
publiccitizen.bsky.social
Public Citizen @publiccitizen.bsky.social · 2d
BREAKING: The Trump admin has installed 100+ fossil fuel insiders and corporate lobbyists to roles across federal agencies.

These staffers are enacting a dirty energy agenda and destroying our public lands.

Our new report with Revolving Door Project breaks it all down ⬇️
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Reposted by Western Environmental Law Center
turtleisland-org.bsky.social
Turtle Island Restoration Network @turtleisland-org.bsky.social · 5d
Trump’s Exec. Order on seafood threatens decades of marine protections by opening national monuments to industrial fishing. Gear like trawls, gillnets and longlines devastates habitats and both targeted and not species. Tell NOAA to protect ocean ecosystems! secure.everyaction.com/cvNZk5i6cUaE...
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Reposted by Western Environmental Law Center
nytimes.com
The New York Times @nytimes.com · 5d
A fireball lit up the sky across the Los Angeles area on Thursday night after an explosion at a Chevron refinery in El Segundo, alarming nearby residents who said it felt like an earthquake. The cause of the explosion was not clear. No injuries were reported. nyti.ms/42pPCaW
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Reposted by Western Environmental Law Center
riogranderift.bsky.social
Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 6d
Love this work — We use it at my organization (@westernlaw.org) as a key conceptual tool for thinking about our advocacy goals and strategies. Recommend.
andrewlfanning.bsky.social
Andrew Fanning @andrewlfanning.bsky.social · 7d
📢BIG NEW STUDY📢
Out today in Nature: the all-new Doughnut! Transformed from a single-year snapshot to an annual global monitor of 21st century social & ecological thriving. Available to all in an open-access paper by @kateraworth.bsky.social and myself. 🧵 1/
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Infographic with a Doughnut diagram. Doughnut of social and planetary boundaries monitors a world out of balance. As global economy doubles, progress to end poverty is slow, while planetary overshoot worsens.
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Reposted by Western Environmental Law Center
riogranderift.bsky.social
Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 6d
More here, including a letter @westernlaw.org & friends sent to Congress in July.
Conservationists to House Natural Resources Committee: Permitting reform under Trump would spell disaster - Western Environmental Law Center
A coalition of 27 western conservation groups sent a letter to Rep. Huffman and the members of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources advising all to exercise extreme caution on permitting refo...
westernlaw.org
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Reposted by Western Environmental Law Center
riogranderift.bsky.social
Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 6d
But it makes utterly no sense to cut a shitty “permitting reform” deal w/the devil now that’ll just entrench fossil fuels for next 3 years vs. waiting until a post-Trump politics (assuming we survive) where pro-climate folk will presumably have a far stronger hand to secure good climate policy.
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Reposted by Western Environmental Law Center
riogranderift.bsky.social
Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 6d
Yglesias & Barro recognize “permitting reform” would prove meaningless during Trump (except re: buildout of natural gas infrastructure, which they support) with Barro, at the least, still evidently supporting it under pretext it sets stage for post-Trump action.
Screenshot of 3-post Twitter convo btw/Matt Yglesias and Josh Barro re: shutdown fight: 1. Yglesias: “Beyond the current CR standoff, this is a big issue lurking in the background of permitting reform talks. If Dems make concessions on pipelines to win concessions on electricity transmission, what assurance do they have that Trump won't stab them in the back after signing.” 2. Barro: “They don’t, but the permitting reform law will outlast Trump, and sooner or later Republicans will need more electrical transmission to meet demand and lower prices” 3. Barro: “(Also more pipelines is good on its own terms)”.
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Reposted by Western Environmental Law Center
oilchange.bsky.social
Oil Change International @oilchange.bsky.social · 7d
The Trump admin is doing this because they care more about providing a steady stream of profits to Trump's fossil fuel donors than providing clean, affordable energy to working people.
arinatter.bsky.social
Ari Natter @arinatter.bsky.social · 7d
The Trump administration plans to allow work on “priority conventional energy projects” to continue during the government shutdown, halting permitting for some renewable energy projects.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article... #energysky
Trump to Keep Oil Permits Moving in Shutdown, Freezes Renewables
The Trump administration plans to allow permits for oil drilling and other work on “priority conventional energy projects” to continue during the government shutdown, while work on some renewable ener...
www.bloomberg.com
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Reposted by Western Environmental Law Center
riogranderift.bsky.social
Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 7d
Yglesias is trolling various folks, but if you read the article (vs. screenshot it as Yglesias did), seems like UK's Labour intent to ban fracking is quite reasonable, supportive of working class voters, & is something that non-reactionary moderates would agree with!
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Reposted by Western Environmental Law Center
seanibus.bsky.social
Sean Scully @seanibus.bsky.social · 8d
Environmental groups are suing the Montana Department of Environmental Quality accusing the state agency of failing to follow the state Supreme Court’s order to consider a power plant's impact, report @dailymontanan.com and @statesnewsroom.com
Environmental groups sue Montana DEQ for ignoring impacts of Laurel power plant • Daily Montanan
Two groups are taking the Montana Department of Environmental Quality to court because they say the state officials are ignoring environmental impacts of the Laurel power plant.
buff.ly
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westernlaw.org
Western Environmental Law Center @westernlaw.org · 9d
NEWS RELEASE: We just filed a motion in the #NMPol #fracking wastewater rulemaking before the Water Quality Control Commission to disqualify 7 commissioners and vacate their votes to proceed because @govmlg.bsky.social and @jameskenney.bsky.social were caught tainting the process.
Water watchdogs file motion to disqualify commission members, vacate fracking waste discharge rulemaking after gov’s office caught tampering - Western Environmental Law Center
Citing hard evidence of the Lujan Grisham administration inappropriately pressuring the Water Quality Control Commission (WQCC) to fast-track a new rule proposed and written by Big Oil to allow discha...
westernlaw.org
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Reposted by Western Environmental Law Center
meic-official.bsky.social
MEIC Official @meic-official.bsky.social · 9d
“Once again, DEQ ignored Montanans’ constitutional right to a stable climate when it failed to disclose the impact of a whopping 25 million tons of greenhouse gases from NorthWestern Energy’s large methane gas plant along the Yellowstone River,” said Anne Hedges, executive director of the MEIC.
westernlaw.org
Western Environmental Law Center @westernlaw.org · 9d
NEWS RELEASE: MDEQ has once again not fully considered or disclosed the plant’s greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related harm despite being ordered to do so by the #Montana Supreme Court following an inadequate 2021 analysis.

cc: @meic-official.bsky.social @earthjustice.org
Groups challenge Montana’s second rubberstamp of methane gas plant near Laurel  - Western Environmental Law Center
Conservation groups today challenged an inadequate environmental analysis from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality for the 175-megawatt methane gas plant near Laurel, Mont. In August, DEQ ...
westernlaw.org
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westernlaw.org
Western Environmental Law Center @westernlaw.org · 9d
NEWS RELEASE: MDEQ has once again not fully considered or disclosed the plant’s greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related harm despite being ordered to do so by the #Montana Supreme Court following an inadequate 2021 analysis.

cc: @meic-official.bsky.social @earthjustice.org
Groups challenge Montana’s second rubberstamp of methane gas plant near Laurel  - Western Environmental Law Center
Conservation groups today challenged an inadequate environmental analysis from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality for the 175-megawatt methane gas plant near Laurel, Mont. In August, DEQ ...
westernlaw.org
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Reposted by Western Environmental Law Center
profbobhowarth.bsky.social
Prof. Bob Howarth @profbobhowarth.bsky.social · 13d
The fastest way to reduce methane emissions is to slash the use of natural gas, and particularly LNG
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Reposted by Western Environmental Law Center
riogranderift.bsky.social
Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 14d
Remarkably, I also heard this from a state Democratic legislator a year ago — one who is a solid climate vote — relative to state-level subsidies in New Mexico. Was a bit shocked. Seems there’s a myth that O&G = “free market”; renewables = “government-subsidized market.”
evanlgeorge.bsky.social
Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 14d
The U.S. Energy Secretary just said on stage at @nytimes.com Climate Forward event that “there are not oil and gas subsidies" in response to a good question from David Gelles. “It’s not a subsidized industry.” Uh. @oilchange.bsky.social @oilchangeus.bsky.social
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evanlgeorge.bsky.social
Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 14d
Full report here: oilchange.org/publications...
Paying for Climate Chaos: U.S. Federal Subsidies for Fossil Fuel Production - Oil Change International
“Paying for Climate Chaos” reveals the staggering scope of federal government subsidies for fossil fuel production, est. at a whopping $34.8 billion per year.
oilchange.org
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Reposted by Western Environmental Law Center
evanlgeorge.bsky.social
Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 14d
"The Trump administration has already added nearly $40 billion in new federal subsidies for oil, gas, and coal in 2025," is the way @wired.com reported on the 2025 @oilchange.bsky.social report. www.wired.com/story/us-tax...
US Taxpayers Will Pay Billions in New Fossil Fuel Subsidies Thanks to the Big Beautiful Bill
A report finds that President Trump’s flagship legislation will grant $40 billion in new subsidies to the oil and gas industry over the next decade.
www.wired.com
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