Author name: Joe Fassler

The Trump administration just employed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Clean Air Act to discourage coal plant closures in Colorado — repurposing measures initially intended to safeguard public health and prevent pollution to reboot the dirtiest, deadliest fossil fuel.  Michael Hiatt, deputy managing attorney at the environmental legal nonprofit Earthjustice, told DeSmog that the EPA’s […]

The post Trump’s EPA Just Used the Clean Air Act to Prop up Coal Power appeared first on DeSmog.

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Massive cuts at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have hampered state-level regulators’ ability to rein in pollution, according to a new report. And now, with the Trump administration pushing for even deeper cuts at the agency in 2026, many states across the country may be in a dire position. “If EPA’s capacity to do […]

The post Report: Proposed EPA Cuts Further Imperil Environmental Protections in Cash-Strapped States appeared first on DeSmog.

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A version of this story also appeared on Inside EPA. Since the second Trump administration took power in January, at least 15 coal plants have had planned retirements pushed back or delayed indefinitely, a DeSmog analysis found.  That’s mostly due to an expected rise in electricity demand, a surge largely driven by the rise of […]

The post These 15 Coal Plants Would Have Retired. Then Came AI and Trump. appeared first on DeSmog.

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Major meat and dairy producers emit more greenhouse gases than the nation of Saudi Arabia, the world’s number two oil producer — emissions that rival those of the world’s biggest fossil fuel companies, according to a new analysis published Monday.  The assessment, which was produced by the nonprofit research firm Profundo and four environmental advocacy groups, […]

The post Top Meat and Dairy Companies Have Same Climate Impact as Biggest Oil and Gas Firms appeared first on DeSmog.

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As the U.S. braces for a surge in artificial intelligence (AI)–related electricity demand, the natural gas industry has a message for the public: Fossil fuels must power the future’s data centers, the computer-filled warehouses where AI models like ChatGPT primarily train and deploy.  A range of oil and gas industry groups and industry-friendly nonprofits are making the case that AI’s growing hunger for […]

The post No, the U.S. Doesn’t Need Fossil Fuels to Win ‘an AI Arms Race’ Against China appeared first on DeSmog.

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In the past two decades, new demand for electricity in Texas has largely been met by wind and solar, making it by far the leader in renewable energy development among U.S. states. But the AI gold rush, combined with a new, statewide subsidy system that prioritizes fossil fuel power, threatens to upend that longstanding dynamic.  […]

The post In Texas, AI Gold Rush Helps Spur Demand for Over 100 New Gas Plants appeared first on DeSmog.

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Elon Musk’s time in the federal government is entering a new phase, the White House has confirmed. But the work he began at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the hastily renamed agency he’s used to make legally questionable changes within the federal government, will clearly continue. “DOGE is a way of life. Like Buddhism,” he […]

The post Elon Musk’s Government Legacy Was Enacting Project 2025. His Ties Go Back Years. appeared first on DeSmog.

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