katie brigham

Trump to Cancel Direct Air Capture Hubs in Texas, Louisiana A new list of grant cancellations obtained by Heatmap includes Climeworks and Heirloom projects funded by 2021 infrastructure law.

NEW: Trump is moving to kill all funding for proposed Texas and Louisiana mega-hubs to capture CO₂ from the atmosphere

The bipartisan-backed hubs represented a rare clean tech industry where the US was on the cutting edge

by @emilypont.bsky.social for @heatmap.news

heatmap.news/politics/doe...

This Fusion Company Is Already Making Money Shine Technologies is getting close to breakeven — on operations, at least — by selling neutrons and isotopes.

Shine is one of the only companies making money on fusion today, using a particle accelerator-based system to produce and sell neutrons and medical isotopes. while Shine aspires to construct an energy-generating reactor one day, turns out that's not the only road to fusion commercialization

California’s Big Climate and Energy Package, Explained The state quietly refreshed its cap and trade program, revamped how it funds wildfire cleanup, and reorganized its grid governance — plus offered some relief on gas prices.

California passed a huge climate package last month, w/ a big effort to weave in affordability. It's wonky but important stuff, and I broke it all down for you:
- Cap & invest extension / rebrand
- transmission accelerator
- permission to join a Western RTO!
more here heatmap.news/energy/calif...

heatmap got the list of the $7.5 billion in climate-related grants that trump is cancelling, and turns out it will be terrible for red states too, @emilypont.bsky.social reports

Energy Dept. Cancels Hundreds of Clean-Energy Projects, Mostly in Blue States

bad bad, more TK on this from heatmap soon

Heatmap Is Hiring a News Intern Come work with us.

Heatmap News is hiring an intern!

Help us tell the inside story of the race to fix the planet. More details on the role and application procedures at the link below. Interested parties should send a cover letter, resume, and a few published clips to editors [at] heatmap [dot] news!

The Climate Tech Coalition Boom Some of the industry’s biggest names are joining forces to keep the momentum moving forward.

new climate-focused coalitions are all the rage these days. with the fed govt turning its back on climate priorities, private industry players are convening to organize, finance, and shape climate tech priorities

My latest scoop for @heatmap.news

Energy Dept. adds ‘climate change’ and ‘emissions’ to banned words list It is the latest in a series of Trump administration efforts to dispute, silence or downplay climate change.

Energy Dept. adds ‘climate change’ and ‘emissions’ to banned words list - Politico politi.co/4mIbi9F

my takeaway from climate week nyc is that "climate storytelling" is a little too much "we must reimagine our deepest souls in relationship to mother nature and the moral abyss of the polycrisis into which we must now stare" and not enough "ok but get a heat pump"

Overheard at New York Climate Week 2025 From the notebooks of Heatmap’s reporters and editors.

Here's everything the Heatmap News team, including @zeitlin.bsky.social, @kbrigham.bsky.social, @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social, and @goodjillian.bsky.social, heard over the past few days at NYC Climate Week ⬇️

If Natron Couldn’t Make Batteries in the U.S., Can Anyone? The failure of the once-promising sodium-ion manufacturer caused a chill among industry observers. But its problems may have been more its own.

when promising sodium-ion battery startup Natron Energy shuttered earlier this month, there was a rush to pinpoint what went wrong. was the chemistry uncompetitive? is battery manufacturing in the U.S. simply doomed? industry experts told me the lessons from Natron can’t be so easily generalized.

Senator Schumer Kicks Off Heatmap House With a Climate Call to Arms The Senate Minority Leader addressed the crowd at New York Climate Week, talking about energy costs, extreme weather, and Trump’s “Big Ugly Bill.”

NEW from @kbrigham.bsky.social: @schumer.senate.gov dropped by Heatmap House at NYC Climate Week to issue a call to action for climate advocates everywhere ⬇️

Senator Schumer Kicks Off Heatmap House With a Climate Call to Arms The Senate Minority Leader addressed the crowd at New York Climate Week, talking about energy costs, extreme weather, and Trump’s “Big Ugly Bill.”

things are popping over here at Heatmap House at NY Climate Week! we'll be here all day, come say hi.

Sorry, AI won’t “fix” climate change OpenAI’s Sam Altman claims AI will deliver an "Intelligence Age," but tech breakthroughs alone can't solve global warming.

climate change is mostly a people and policy problem. see @jtemple.bsky.social here:

i think this would have been closer and maybe more interesting if the question was "is AI going to be net good or net bad for the climate"

dispatch from a NYC climate week debate on whether "AI is humanity's best hope for solving climate change"

Electricity Markets Aren’t Working Anymore Why regional transmission organizations as we know them might not survive the data center boom.

Only in @heatmap.news can you get @zeitlin.bsky.social explaining why electricity markets as they exist may no longer be fit for purpose, and how we can look to industries that regulate scarce resources, like water, for reforms. heatmap.news/energy/elect...

Pentagon demands journalists pledge to not obtain unauthorized material Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is imposing strict new rules that would severely limit the ability of journalists to report on the Pentagon.

NEW: The Pentagon told journalists it will require them to pledge they won’t gather any information — even unclassified — that hasn’t been expressly authorized for release, and will revoke the press credentials of those who do not obey. @washingtonpost.com

This AI for Geothermal Startup Just Announced Its Biggest Find Yet Zanskar’s second geothermal discovery is its first on untapped ground.

AI for geothermal startup @zanskargeothermal.bsky.social just located a historically large, untapped reservoir that it says will help put greenfield geo exploration and discovery back on the agenda

Exclusive: Climate Tech Leaders Form New Coalition to Map Out the Future of Decarbonization Elemental Impact, Breakthrough Energy, Speed & Scale, Stanford, Energy Innovation, and McKinsey are all partnering to form the “Climate Tech Atlas.”

Exclusive: Some of the biggest names in climate tech are forming a new coalition to map out the future of decarbonization.

It was great to chat with @emilypont.bsky.social @heatmap.news about my book EXTRACTION. We discussed why mining is so conflictual, the power relations of extractive frontiers, how organized communities fare better & why we should use the public sector to proactively plan + govern. Link ⬇️

Climate Tech Atlas Explore breakthrough technologies and innovation opportunities to accelerate climate solutions.

check it out here: climatetechatlas.com

Exclusive: Climate Tech Leaders Form New Coalition to Map Out the Future of Decarbonization Elemental Impact, Breakthrough Energy, Speed & Scale, Stanford, Energy Innovation, and McKinsey are all partnering to form the “Climate Tech Atlas.”

NEW: the Climate Tech Atlas, a comprehensive effort to map out the opportunities and innovation imperatives most critical to the energy transition, launched today! core collaborators include Breakthrough Energy, McKinsey, @stanforddoerr.bsky.social and others heatmap.news/climate-tech...

re: OBBBA — how are we saying this now? i just heard OB-cubed for the first time 👀

The EPA’s Backdoor Move to Hobble the Carbon Capture Industry Why killing a government climate database could essentially gut a tax credit

On Friday, the EPA proposed killing the program that requires large factories, refineries, and power plants to report their carbon emissions.

But its plan would also hobble the carbon capture industry & basically prevent anyone from using the tax credit.

New from me:

heatmap.news/energy/epa-g...

California's first solar-covered canal is now fully online The 1.6-MW pilot system is among a growing number of initiatives to put solar over waterways. The approach could generate gigawatts of power nationwide.

"Putting solar arrays above water can help keep panels cool, in turn improving their efficiency and electricity output. Shade from the panels can also prevent water loss through evaporation in drought-prone regions and can limit algae growth in waterways." Looks good too!

Email heading "Energy Secretary Chris Wrong"

okay @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social won the email subject line game today, this is 🤌 (good excuse to plug the very good @heatmap.news newsletter too!)

the editor's note of my dreams
👏👏👏👏 @goodjillian.bsky.social

"There is, of course, a certain poetic irony to the fact that AI is being used to license and manage operations for the very reactors that are now in such high demand for their ability to consistently and cleanly power AI data centers."