Climate Solutions

The nation's demand for electricity is not slowing down--making Trump's obstinate opposition to renewable energy absurd as well as backward and dangerous www.washingtonpost.c...

The nation's demand for electricity is not slowing down--making Trump's obstinate opposition to renewable energy absurd as well as backward and dangerous www.washingtonpost.c...

Trump’s Big EPA Reversal Could Have a Strange Twist for California Without the endangerment finding on greenhouse gases, the state could have a case for re-imposing its own greenhouse limits on auto emissions.

“If I were the state of California and the endangerment finding gets rescinded, I would argue that there are no federal standards,” @uclalawemmett.bsky.social's Ann Carlson tells @emilypont.bsky.social.

How the EPA's big endangerment reversal could have a climate silver lining for California:

Solar is EU’s biggest power source for the first time ever in June 2025 | Ember

In June, for the first time ever, solar was the largest source of power in the EU.

Tomorrow is the LAST DAY to register to vote in Oregon’s primary!
The earth can’t vote, she needs your help. Be a #Climatevoter


sos.oregon.gov/votin...

Reckless, dangerous, and disgusting | Climate Solutions EPA's new rules, The big "beautiful" bill, The data center boom, and funding impacts on BIPOC farmers and environmental programs

Reckless, dangerous and disgusting! Reactions to Trump's proposed attack on the main pillar of federal climate policy; how large data centers' power needs are harming neighbors as well as warping the economics of electricity; BIPOC farmers hit by Trump policy changes. www.climatesolutions...

This is so dumb it makes my head hurt

NW Natural wants to raise rates by 3% or less — less than it first proposed That’s less than the rate hike it first proposed, and comes after energy affordability advocates worked to cut the company’s profit margins by more than half.

Oregon’s largest gas utility was proposing to raise customer rates by 7%, but have lowered their initial ask after utility watchdog and community advocacy groups determined that “about two-thirds of the company’s $59.4 million increase request was going toward profits."

www.opb.org/article/...

The federal government's expanding attack on clean energy makes it all the more important for states like OR and WA to play an aggressive leadership role www.opb.org/article/2025...

Trump is trying to kill solar power—here's how to fight back Rooftop solar is a clean power miracle. Why are we killing it with red tape?

Incredibly illuminating story from @billmckibben.bsky.social on unnecessary local permitting barriers -- highly specific to the U.S. -- that make rooftop solar far more expensive than it needs to be: www.motherjones.com/environment/...

Fox News’ fawning coverage of the EPA announcement included an unintentional irony: as Zeldin spoke, the lower-screen news ticker listed record-breaking temperatures from Florida to California newrepublic.com/post/198606/...

NC lawmakers vote to allow Duke Energy to charge customers in advance for new plants The North Carolina General Assembly voted to override Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of SB 266, which allows Duke Energy to change the way it finances new construction.

North Carolina's legislature has overridden the Governor's veto of this anti-consumer bill. TLDR: More costs on consumers, less risk for Duke Energy. www.newsobserver.com/news/politic...

The renewable energy revolution is a feat of technology | Rebecca Solnit An energy revolution is underway in this century, though most people have not noticed it

The renewable energy transition is proably unstoppable, writes Rebecca Solnit, never mind Trump's efforts to stop it or slow it down. If we do it right, it can bring energy justice and energy democracy, as well as clean energy. www.theguardian.com/...

bsky.app/profile/scot...

Need Some Good News? Here's how the fight to Save Lives, Save EPA is gaining momentum

As Trump's appointee to run EPA, Lee Zeldin, continues to be more blatant in his efforts to dismantle the agency and the science and regulations that protect public health & the environment, resistance is growing in the public and Congress. Don't despair, fight back! @jeremysymons.bsky.social

Chart: ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ would cause energy bills to go up in… Legislation just passed by the Senate would undo clean-energy tax credits, slowing the addition of new power to the grid and saddling customers with…

"Clean energy is the cheapest and easiest way to get power onto the grid" but the megabill would rapidly phase out clean energy tax credits, at a steep cost to utility customers


www.canarymedia.com/...

‘Alligator Alcatraz’ is harsh. Climate change is making it even harsher. From the wonderful @yessfun.com yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/07/alli...

Megabill’s elimination of tax credits for clean energy projects could cost WA $8.7 billion • Washington State Standard Officials are warning that the megabill passed last week will likely raise Washington households’ electricity costs and eliminate thousands of jobs in Washington’s clean energy and manufacturing sectors.

Three ways Trump's megabill could impact Washington:
- home electricity costs projected to go up $115/year by 2029
- $8.75 Billion of project funding is at risk
- 21,800 jobs lost by 2030

washingtonstatestand...

Trump EPA supervillain Lee Zeldin thinks he has found a silver bullet to end all climate progress forever www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

The U.S. Clean Energy Manufacturing Boom Is Sputtering More than $30 billion of clean energy investments are now on ice since Trump took office, according to new data from Wellesley College’s Big Green Machine.

More than $30B in U.S. clean energy manufacturing investment has paused, canceled, or delayed in the six months since Trump took office, according to a new report

During the same period, only $3B in new investment has been announced

new from me, in @heatmap.news:
heatmap.news/economy/trum...

Landmark microgrid legislation boon for rural Oregon Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has signed into law the first set of statewide policies in the country supporting community-owned microgrids. Microgrids are local, self-contained energy systems that use renewable energy sources, such as wind or solar power. ...

Oregon now has policies supporting microgrid development!

Microgrids can bring reliability during extreme weather events and for delivering emergency services.

This is great news especially for rural areas, Tribes, and small towns.
www.publicnewsservic...

Help us use the power of storytelling to accelerate the clean energy transition! Climate Solutions is hiring a digital storytelling manager to join our nimble, intrepid team, based in Seattle or Portland. Pass it on! www.climatesolutions...

Park gift shops could remove books on slavery and the Civil War Among the books flagged for possible removal were “The 1619 Project” and a book about former Interior secretary Deb Haaland.

Also bad: “Some employees flagged signs that reference climate change, such as a note about sea-level rise at Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina.” www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Electric bills in Washington will go up, local leaders say Senator Patty Murray says electricity bills in Washington state will go up because of the so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill," which cut federal spending on renewable energy projects. So is it true? And if so, why?

Washingtonians "can expect to see significant rate increases for probably the next 10 to 12 years," thanks to Trump's clean energy cuts. That's according to Seattle City Light CEO Dawn Lindell. www.kuow.org/stories...

Clean Energy Leaders Discuss Federal Policy Changes in Seattle - Powerlines Today, Senator Patty Murray brought together leaders from clean energy and climate action to address a critical threat to Washington’s energy future. The roundtable brought urgent attention to cuts to clean energy tax credits and their far-reaching impacts on the region’s environment, economy, and energy security. These cuts threaten clean energy goals and could also […]

Trump's attacks on clean energy progress will cost WA households hundreds of dollars on energy bills a year, and will slow deployment of energy infrastructure we need. The Northwest will continue to lead in building the power systems we need, despite federal failures. powerlines.seattle.g...

Is There Still Time to Be Hopeful About the Climate? Scientists have long insisted that we can and must limit global warming to 1.5 degrees—and some still do, even as that grim milestone nears.

The certainty that we're going to fail to stop global temperatures from rising past 1.5 degrees is no reason to stop fighting climate change--and no reason to give up hope for the future. www.newyorker.com/ne...

Trump administration canceled a $4.9B loan guarantee for a line to deliver green power The Trump administration has canceled a $4.9 billion federal loan guarantee for a new, 800-mile high-voltage transmission line for delivering solar and wind-generated electricity from the Midwest to t...

You know how literally everyone who's taken a look at the US electricity grid agrees that we need lots more high-voltage transmission? Like literally everyone.

Trump just canceled a federal loan enabling one of the few lines moving forward. Pure nihilism.

If you're a Washington voter, you should have received your ballot for the Aug 5 primary. Not registered? Reg. deadline is July 28. Info here: www.sos.wa.gov/elect...

Register, vote, and tell others!

In an age of climate change, how do we cope with floods? www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

Make Electricity Cheap Again - part 1. We succeeded in making "Electrify Everything" an idea. We failed to make electricity cheap. Lets make electricity cheap again.

The best thing the US could do right now -- for its economy or for decarbonization -- is make electricity cheaper. Here's how: