** The U.S. Commerce Department has seized control of a $7.4 billion semiconductor research fund from the National Center for the Advancement of Semiconductor Technology (NATCAST), a private non-profit set up during the Biden administration, as per Reuters. Describing it as a “slushfund,” for ex-Biden admin officials, the Commerce Department promised greater oversight and accountability for …
Category: EPA
Energy briefs
** Global investment in renewable energy projects hit a fresh record this year but fell in the U.S., an analysis released this week shows. U.S. spending fell by $20.5 billion, or 36%, from the second half of 2024 in what the firm calls a response to the U.S. presidential election. It was the steepest drop …
Judge revives lawsuit over Denver large building energy standards
A federal judge in Denver has revived a lawsuit challenging the state of Colorado and the city of Denver’s energy standards for large buildings, a suit that originally had been dismissed in March. U.S. District Judge Regina M. Rodriguez made the ruling after some apartment and hotel trade groups filed an amended complaint. …
Energy briefs
** The U.S. Department of the Interior, through the U.S. Geological Survey, today released the draft 2025 List of Critical Minerals and a report that outlines a new model for assessing how potential supply chain disruptions could affect the U.S. economy. The draft list will guide federal strategy, investment, and permitting decisions designed to secure the …
Wind farm setbacks and biosolids fertilizer to be discussed in Senate Committee hearing
Just because the idea of wind and solar farm setbacks failed to become law in the recent Oklahoma legislative session doesn’t mean the issue has died for good. The same applies for another controversial item that didn’t become law—the application of Human Biosolids on farmland and other sites. Both topics will be raised …
Lawsuit filed over Google data center in Stillwater
Construction companies doing some of the initial construction of a Google data center in Stillwater were sued by a homeowners association that accused it of ruining its pond and killing the fish in it. The lawsuit was filed in Payne County District Court by the Parkview Estate Home Owners Association. As reported by …
Energy briefs
** California advocates worry Phillips 66 may shirk its responsibilities to clean up a “lake of hydrocarbons” that has accumulated under a Los Angeles-area refinery slated for closure later this year. ** Republican U.S. senators move to strip federal funding for the U.S. Postal Service’s transition to an EV fleet to save taxpayer money, though …
Oklahoma AG signs letter questioning legality of net-zero carbon emissions standard
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is among 23 state Attorneys General questioning the legality of a new net-zero carbon emissions standard for businesses under state and federal law. Led by Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, the attorneys general co-signed a letter to David Kennedy, CEO of the Science Based Targets initiative which recently …
Energy briefs
** The proposed Constitution pipeline that would carry natural gas from Pennsylvania to New York would not help lower energy prices in New England, despite claims made by U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in a recent opinion piece. ** Houston-based oilfield services company Baker Hughes sees its income rise amid falling prices and slowed drilling …
State regulators focus on new law conflicting with current rules
Oklahoma Corporation Commissioners admit they held another non-public meeting last week to discuss several related issues about the plugging of nonproducing natural gas wells as well as carbon sequestration wells. But the closed meeting also revealed another potential constitutional issue for the regulators because of a new state law passed in the recent legislative …