Environmental groups sue over Louisiana’s ban on community air monitoring
Meanwhile, a state task force’s call for beefed up air monitoring in areas affected by industrial pollution appears to be falling on deaf ears.
Latest
Trump’s USDA resurrects one climate grant program, kills another
Many farmers who spent big on solar are finally getting reimbursed. But another climate program for agriculture is headed for the morgue.
From EVs to HVAC, clean energy means jobs in Central Illinois
Decatur has been losing factory jobs for years. A clean energy workforce hub promises renewal — and provides training for students from disenfranchised communities.
Redlining shaped the power grid. Communities of color are still paying the price.
The clean energy transition is moving forward, but the legacy of segregation leaves many urban neighborhoods locked out.
Trump’s 2-year reprieve gives coal plants ‘a free pass to pollute’
A former EPA official warns exemption for some coal-fired power plants could be the first step toward gutting pollution rules for all plants
Even in red America, clean energy is booming. But now, huge renewable projects are dead.
Political uncertainty under Trump has dampened the market, with nearly $8 billion in clean energy projects scrapped or cut back already this year.
GOP support of carbon capture fractures in Louisiana, nationally
Fossil fuel interests like carbon capture — it helps them drill more oil and emit less greenhouse gas. Homeowners say, ‘Not in my backyard’
Cement is a climate menace. Under Trump, fixing it just got harder.
The cement industry has set ambitious goals to cut its carbon footprint. But as federal funding dries up, its path to a greener future is less clear.
Energy efficiency program killed; advocates say Louisianans will pay the price.
The state Public Service Commission voted along party lines to end a program to save energy and money for residential customers — who already top the US in electricity use
Video: The failed promise of industry jobs in polluted communities
A new documentary, based on a Tulane study, debunks the promise of high-quality employment for residents of color when new industrial plants come to their neighborhoods
Transmission line conflicts ahead as US electricity demand booms
A fight in Maryland may be a prelude to what lies ahead as artificial intelligence drives demand for more power — and more power lines
As Congress slashes spending, will clean energy tax credits survive?
Solar boosters say repealing Inflation Reduction Act incentives could drive up electricity costs, stall manufacturing and slow climate progress.
Flood risks getting worse along US coastlines, new analysis shows
Researchers predict rising seas will increase severe flood risks for about 2.5 million Americans by 2050.
As EPA pulls back, schoolchildren could face the steepest risks
Communities living and learning near petrochemical plants will face more pollution and less federal protection under Trump’s new policies.
Update: US electricity prices are surging. These companies want out.
Citing few renewable options and projected price jumps, industries in Louisiana propose their own power generation, free from monopoly utilities
Farmers in Trump country were counting on clean energy grants. Then the government moved the goalposts.
Thousands of farmers and small rural businesses remain in limbo as USDA demands grant rewrites favoring fossil fuels over renewables.
Gulf Coast
Fueling Knowledge: Oil and gas money shapes research, creates ‘echo chamber’ in higher education
Louisiana’s flagship university is looking to partner more closely with petrochemical industries in the state
Inflation Reduction Act
Criminal targeting of environmental groups ‘scary,’ advocates say
Groups now worry about FBI probes as they struggle to rebound from federal spending freeze enacted under President Donald Trump
Fueling Knowledge
Fueling Knowledge: LSU’s ties to oil and gas stretch back to the 1930s
This is part one of a two-part investigative series exploring the relationship between the fossil fuel industry and Louisiana State University. To Louisiana State University administrators 55 years ago, the front yard of fraternity houses seemed like the “least objectionable” location on campus to drill seven oil wells. That’s
Data Centers
Power for data centers could come at ‘staggering’ cost to consumers
New report highlights how traditional ways of setting rates don’t fit Big Tech’s massive, immediate demand for more electricity
Carbon Capture
Capturing CO2, sold as climate solution, rebranded as oil industry boost
Oil executives, business interests push economic benefits of carbon capture as President Trump takes aim at climate funding OK’d under Biden
Solar
EPA says it has unfrozen billions in funds for climate-related projects
The statement by an agency spokesperson comes after two judges ordered the environmental agency to pay contracts signed under Biden
Inflation Reduction Act
‘Chaotic’ USDA funding freeze stalls rural renewable projects
Thousands of farmers and a dozen rural electric cooperatives wait for news about billions in funds under Trump administration ‘review’
Inflation Reduction Act
Most in US worry about global warming — but their votes tell a different story
Researchers say environmental issues are not top of mind for many voters because these days, ‘people have a lot of different worries’
Gulf Coast
‘Superfund’ laws aim to make Big Oil pay for climate damage
News laws to hold oil and gas responsible for costs associated with climate change provide ‘hope’ for activists — and a legal target for the industry
Carbon Capture
CO2 pipeline company draws $2.4M fine for menacing federal inspectors
Workers were manufacturing pipeline to replace a ruptured section of carbon dioxide line that sent 45 people to the hospital in Mississippi
Solar
Trump’s funding pause clouds future of Solar For All Program
Before Donald Trump took office, solar advocates were optimistic the feds would keep their funding commitments. Now, they’re not so sure.
Data Centers
Utilities to spend billions to power AI. Are they jumping the gun?
Chinese AI tech DeepSeek is forcing a second look at proposals to build a record number of new fossil fuel power plants
Gulf Coast
Uncertainty looms over plan to save coastal Louisiana
Federal leaders and Gov. Jeff Landry clash over the state’s projected spending for the $3 billion project
Plastics
ExxonMobil sues, doubling down on advanced plastics recycling
In a new lawsuit, the oil giant alleges the California attorney general and environmental groups defamed the company
Coal
Coal was on its way out. But surging electricity demand is keeping it alive — costing customers and the planet
U.S. coal plant use is dropping, but utilities are delaying their retirement and running them — even when they cost more than renewable sources.
Inflation Reduction Act
Solar for All likely protected from Trump’s roll back of Biden’s IRA
The program is set to install solar panels to power nearly a million low-income households over the next five years