Watt’s Happening aims to provide breaking news, sharp analysis, and thoughtful commentary from the cutting edge of the energy sector as this dynamic area of the world continues to expand and grow before our eyes.
Weekly Highlights:
The Shutdown Curbs Energy Projects
Everyone is saying that the current government shutdown is the longest on record and that there doesn’t seem to be a solution on the horizon. Nor is it clear whether the furloughed federal workers will receive back pay. But the shutdown’s effect on energy has been less analyzed. While it is not surprising that certain green energy programs have been cut and projects that are currently underway, others are still alive — such as oil drilling — and currently fed by scrounged-up cash. With Tuesday’s elections a rout for the Republicans, it is possible that the Democrats may have some leverage to push back and help get the government open again.
Pro-Wind Democrat Wins in New Jersey
Another of the big winners in Tuesday’s elections is United States Representative Mikie Sherrill, who won the New Jersey governorship by defeating an anti-offshore wind power Republican. Representative Sherrill is not new to wind power, having advocated for wind projects during her time on Capitol Hill, even being one of the first Democratic candidates in this election cycle to explicitly push for it in her campaign speeches. Her opponent, former New Jersey Representative Jack Ciattarelli, by contrast, presented himself as anti-wind power and pledged to end offshore wind farms in the state.
Energy’s Role in the Recent Elections
There were almost certainly many reasons for the clobbering the Republican Party took in the elections on Tuesday — the government shutdown and the DOGE cuts among them. However, even if energy did not take center stage in an “it’s the affordable energy crisis, stupid” moment, it certainly played a supporting role. Indeed, many of the winners — regardless of state — crafted a “clean energy is cheaper” message that contradicted President Trump’s fossil-fuel-centered push for energy dominance and resounded with voters. Indeed, some analysts suggest that this message might even reverberate into the midterm elections next year.
Wisconsin’s Solution to Powering Data Centers
The need to power the data centers that are driving the AI revolution is, by now, an open secret that everyone knows. At the same time, the construction and maintenance of these data centers are vital for securing valuable and high-paying jobs in areas that desperately need them. We discussed Indiana’s controversial solution last week, but it is by no means the only state that has cooked up a solution. In Wisconsin, We Energies has petitioned the state’s regulating agency for permission to add three gigawatts of power to the grid, largely from solar and natural gas. It has also petitioned for special rates that would require data centers to pay for their electricity, limiting (at least in theory) the burden on consumers.
Ohio Enters Fight Over Air Pollution Regulation
Over the past fifty years, Ohioans (and residents of other states) have been allowed to sue violators of the Clean Air Act for any action that serves to “endanger the health, safety, or welfare of the public, or cause unreasonable injury or damage to property.” However, House Bill 96 has ordered the state’s environmental protection agency to cut that rule from the state’s own Clean Air Act. Not surprisingly, the decision to do this has triggered a flurry of lawsuits from organizations as diverse as the Ohio Environmental Council, SOBE Concerned Citizens, and the Freshwater Accountability Project.
About the Author: Toni Mikec
Toni Mikec is the managing editor for Energy World, a publication of the Center for the National Interest. Before that, he worked as a political consultant for Your Voter Guide in Sacramento and as a senior editor at Eagle Financial Publications in Washington DC. He holds a B.A. in International Relations (summa cum laude) from the University of California, Davis and a M.A. in International Relations and International Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Image: Shutterstock/Gdisalvo
