Michelle Ma

Trump’s EPA to Scrap Landmark Emissions Policy in Major Rollback The US Environmental Protection Agency plans this week to repeal a policy that provides the legal foundation for a raft of rules regulating greenhouse gas emissions, marking President Donald Trump’s m...

Today, the US EPA scrapped a key scientific determination — that greenhouse gases are harmful — that supports a swath of federal climate policies curbing emissions.

It marks President Donald Trump’s most consequential retreat yet from the fight against climate change.

More at @bloomberg.com:

Rising Fire Risk Prompts Utilities to Deliberately Cut Power Data, technology and human judgment help US power companies consider when to turn off transmission lines.

When facing fire risk, US power companies use data, technology and human judgment to weigh whether to turn off transmission lines.

What Democrats Can Learn From the Trump Energy Playbook Democrats shouldn’t be afraid to take more aggressive actions on clean energy, former Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said.

"Don't be afraid to break some eggs," former Biden-era Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said to the next Democratic administration at the BloombergNEF Summit in SF:

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

As Trump Destroys Climate Programs, Gates Warns ‘Market Forces’ Not Enough The billionaire also said the world needs to put more of an emphasis on adapting to global warming as impacts worsen.

My latest for @bloomberg.com

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Trump Expands US Climate Retreat With Exits From UN Bodies President Donald Trump extended the US retreat from global cooperation on climate action by signaling a withdrawal from flagship international organizations, including the main United Nations and scie...

In addition to the UNFCCC and IPCC exits, Treasury just announced it's withdrawing from the global Green Climate Fund, calling it a "radical" organization

One Year After LA Fires, Recovery Is a Battleground The price tag for the costliest blazes in US history is still climbing and disputes over who will pay are escalating.

A year after the LA wildfires, the price tag for the costliest blazes in US history is still climbing. Who pays is uncertain.

Our story on how risk and damage have spread beyond burned neighborhoods and the fight to limit losses and shift liability: www.bloomberg.com/features/202...

How to Give a Greener Gift This holiday gift guide can help you pick original and unique presents — and hopefully avoid clutter and waste.

Not sure what presents to give your love ones this holiday season? @oliviarudgard.bsky.social and I have you covered with a green gift guide that includes climate-friendly choices. Enjoy, and happy holidays!

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Cajun Navy groups may raise a few million dollars in a good year, collectively. As President Trump weighs major changes to FEMA - like shutting it down - some leaders say they wouldn't be able to replace it. Or simply aren't interested.

As one put it: "We don't want to end up sucking like them."

When Greg Abel takes over the reins of Berkshire Hathaway next year, he will oversee a $1 trillion conglomerate with a whooping $382 billion war chest.

FEMA Puts Whistleblowers on Leave Shortly After Reinstating Them Days after reinstating a group of Federal Emergency Management Agency employees who raised concerns about the government’s disaster preparedness, federal officials have placed those whistleblowers bac...

In a reversal from this morning, FEMA puts whistleblowers back on leave after reinstating them

Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

NYC’s Lander Recommends Dropping $42 Billion BlackRock Mandate New York City Comptroller Brad Lander is urging three of the city’s pension funds to drop BlackRock Inc. because of “inadequate” climate plans, the latest move to penalize investment firms for failing...

Landmark move: New York City's comptroller @bradlander.bsky.social, with hundreds of billions under his control, recommends dropping investment giant Blackrock because they won't reckon with climate change.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Massive Wildfire Liabilities Push Utilities to Use AI to Stop Blazes Power companies are turning to tech firms that can spot fragile trees and map high-risk areas before fires start.

PG&E, National Grid and other big utilities are using AI models to pick out relatively cheap, targeted fixes that cut the risk of sparking a deadly fire -- think individual poles to replace and trees to trim back. Story w/ @joewertz.bsky.social (gift link) www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Tesla Co-Founder Straubel’s Battery Startup Redwood Fires Dozens Tesla Inc. co-founder JB Straubel’s battery recycling firm Redwood Materials Inc. cut dozens of jobs as the startup scales back some of its ambitious projects to refocus on tapping into demand for gri...

Scoop: Tesla co-founder JB Straubel's battery recycling firm Redwood Materials laid off dozens of staff, as the company shifts its focus to energy storage and critical minerals. This comes a month after Redwood raised $350 million for an over $6 billion valuation. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

What California's Record Shows About Newsom’s Claims to Climate Leadership As the US retreats on climate policy, the governor is pitching himself as a global leader.

New: California Governor Gavin Newsom seized the mantle of US climate leadership at COP30 in Brazil in the face of Trump hostility to climate action. Here's the data on how the world's fourth-largest economy is decarbonizing and slashing emissions. Free link.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Data Centers in Nvidia’s Hometown Stand Empty Awaiting Power The fate of two facilities in Santa Clara, California, highlights a major challenge for the US tech sector and indeed the wider economy.

Two of the world’s biggest data center developers have projects in Nvidia's hometown that may sit empty for years because the local utility isn’t ready to supply electricity.

We called the developers and utility in question to find out why: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Tesla Co-Founder's Critical Minerals Plant Starts Production As the Tesla co-founder’s battery recycler opens a new facility, it’s also selling critical minerals to a wider set of buyers as the EV market is set to decline.

Battery recycling firm Redwood Materials has begun producing critical minerals at its $3.5 bn South Carolina facility, amid a chill in the US EV market. CEO JB Straubel told me most of its customers today are outside of the EV sector.

More on the company's pivot: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Live Q&A: Six Ways the COP30 Climate Summit Can Succeed or Fail Bloomberg journalists answer your questions about what to expect at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil. Stream our Live Q&A on Monday, Nov. 3 at 1 p.m. EST

Most people don't have high expectations from COP30. But with the US govt intent on wrecking climate policies at home and abroad, things could get testy.

For a preview, tune into a conversation later today with Bloomberg's crack team on the ground at COP30. www.bloomberg.com/sessions/202...

Rocket Tech Is Poised to Generate Clean Power for Data Centers Founded by SpaceX alumni, Arbor Energy’s technology runs on natural gas and uses carbon capture.

Arbor Energy was founded as a carbon removal company that uses waste biomass to create electricity and remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Now, the company is pivoting to generating carbon-free electricity with natural gas, supported by a $55M Series A.

Our story: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Deadly Alaska Storm Hit After a Month of Wider Forecast Errors Scientists say outages at federal monitoring sites in the state may have contributed to confusion over the storm’s predicted track.

NEW: Weather models were performing worse ahead of a devastating storm in Alaska compared to a year ago. As one scientist @ecmwf.int put it, "the fact that all the models mis-captured this event tells us something." From me + @joewertz.bsky.social (gift link): www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

The World’s Largest Battery Made of Bricks Turns On in California Rondo Energy’s heat battery is helping power enhanced oil recovery.

Scoop: Rondo Energy has turned on a 100 MWH battery, helping a local oil and gas producer generate steam for thermal enhanced oil recovery.

Paired with solar, the battery heats up clay bricks to produce steam, which is used to force oil out of reservoirs.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Will miss your work! Excited to see what you end up doing next.

Trump’s $7.6 Billion Energy Cuts Hit California Grid Upgrade The Trump administration’s plan to cancel billions of dollars for energy projects following the US government shutdown includes an initiative to upgrade electric transmission lines in California.

The story comes a day after my colleague @arinatter.bsky.social broke the news that the US Energy Department plans to cancel $7.6 billion of projects. That includes an award for CarbonCapture's regional direct air capture hub project.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Carbon Capture Startup Moves Project to Canada From US The startup building it moved the project north due to better incentives and what it views as a more stable regulatory environment.

Scoop: CarbonCapture Inc. has moved its 2,000-ton direct air capture project from the US to Canada, compelled by shifting political winds and a better policy environment in the north, CEO Adrian Corless told me:

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

China Played It Safe With First Pledge to Cut Greenhouse Emissions Other nations have achieved larger declines after reaching peak climate pollution — and the world’s biggest emitter has exceeded its own goals

A double news update after a summer respite from social media: 1) I’ve joined @bloomberg.com
to report on China & climate! 2) Just in time for China’s new climate targets, announced by Xi today. I’m thrilled to cover this special beat—and to be diving right in:

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

The LA Fires Destroyed 11,000 Homes. Less Than 10% Have Permits to Rebuild Of the thousands of residents needing to rebuild after this year’s California wildfires, Andy Weyman would seem especially well positioned. The TV and stage director had remodeled his Malibu home just...

Eight months after the LA wildfires, people who have lost everything are grappling with slow permit approvals, high costs and low insurance payouts. Prices for burnt-out lots are coming down as some residents give up on returning.

My latest (free to read): www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Adding onto this list, I now also write about the western utilities (PG&E, Edison, etc.) and geothermal energy! Reach out if you work in these fields.

California’s Last Nuclear Plant Is Poised to Stave Off Extinction Diablo Canyon is nearing the end of a long relicensing process as the need for round-the-clock power grows.

California's last nuclear power plant was supposed to be shut down. But now it's on the verge of a 20-year extension, thanks to the state's mounting power needs.

Here's an inside look at Diablo Canyon amid its bid for relicensing (free gift link): www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Wildfire Fighters, Unmasked in Toxic Smoke, Are Getting Sick and Dying

"workers are not allowed to wear masks on the front line, even if they want to" www.nytimes.com/2025/08/17/u...

While Los Angeles Burned, Rules to Protect Homes From Wildfires Were On Hold California passed a 2020 law requiring property owners to create ember-resistant zones. Here’s why it’s only now finishing regulations that could’ve saved LA homes.

New: My investigation into why a 2020 California law mandating ember-resistant zones around homes in wildfire areas hasn't been implemented. As climate threats accelerate, what aesthetic price are Californians prepared to pay to protect their communities? Free link.
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

I kind of cannot believe how much is on the agenda for the California legislature related to energy in the next month. An incomplete list to give a sense of the magnitude: