Joshua Basseches
@joshuabasseches.bsky.social
Renewable energy and climate politics and policy. Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University. Author of Owning The Green Grid (MIT Press). More at joshuabasseches.com
This is so freaking upsetting, and a reminder that renewable energy companies at the end of the day are companies, dependent on sound public policy (which we do not currently have): heatmap.news/energy/clear...
Scoop: Clearway Asks Trump to Swap Solar Farm for Data Center and Gas Plant
The large renewables developer changes tack “in response to federal energy objectives.”
heatmap.news
One argument in favor of vertically-integrated utilities (and against regional competitive wholesale markets like PJM) is that states have more control. An upcoming decision by FERC could neutralize that argument if states are granted Sec. 205 filing rights. (1/2)
I've studied investor-owned electric utilities over the past 30 or so years (and read about them since their inception in the early 20th century), and I've never seen this much scrutiny over ROE: www.utilitydive.com/news/utility...
Utility profits in the crosshairs amid affordability concerns
As states target utilities’ return on equity, Pepco’s rate case in Maryland, where the consumer advocate is arguing for an ROE cut, is being closely watched.
utilitydive.com
"Company executives on Friday’s call did not discuss a recent $150 million settlement proposal that would resolve a shareholder lawsuit alleging that Florida Power & Light misled investors about its political activities." www.utilitydive.com/news/nextera...
NextEra on track to close Dominion merger by late 2027, executives say
The Virginia State Corporation Commission has scheduled the first public hearing on the proposal for this November. Separately, NextEra is also working to sign final agreements with the U.S. and Japan...
utilitydive.com
"'Our President is a loose cannon,' said Peskoe. 'There is no justification for firing any FERC Commissioner today, but this President acts irrationally.'" www.eenews.net/articles/sup...
Supreme Court tees up new test of FERC’s political independence
A recent ruling could spell trouble for the agency that oversees gas pipelines and the nation’s grid.
eenews.net
Republican governor pushing EV manufacturing in his state: www.eenews.net/articles/geo...
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp isn’t done with EVs
The term-limited Republican has embraced artificial intelligence data centers, but he said electric vehicles continue to be a major priority for his last
eenews.net
You know he's talking to investors, not ordinary ratepayers, when he says Florida Power and Light is an example to emulate in proposed Dominion-NextEra merger. www.eenews.net/articles/nex...
NextEra boss points to Florida as what to expect from proposed Dominion merger
“We've faced significant growth in Florida for 20 straight years, and have been able to do it by investing in new generation while keeping bills
eenews.net
Legislation is always going to be preferable to an executive order when it comes to protecting the public from powerful corporate interests: www.eenews.net/articles/ny-...
NY Democratic lawmakers, environmental groups continue push for data center rules
Lawmakers still want a role in addressing voter concerns about data centers as Gov. Kathy Hochul touts her executive order that includes a temporary
eenews.net
“'The sad reality now is that the federal government is our biggest concern,' Brown [Washington AG] said, adding, 'It used to be that the Department of Justice was our No. 1 partner, helping states prepare for election-related issues.'" www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/24/n...
Democrats prepare for possible election clashes with federal government - The Boston Globe
Democratic state officials are ramping up their preparations to protect against what they view as a new threat to election security: the federal government.
bostonglobe.com
“'What we are trying to do here is laying the groundwork for new methods of doing science ... ,' Michael Kratsios, director of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy and author of the report, told lawmakers ... " (1/2)
Wild fluctuations in data center pipeline for a single investor-owned utility in California. Should raise broader questions about how much speculation there is in these data center projections in general ... www.utilitydive.com/news/pge-cla...
PG&E says it has 12.7 GW in data center pipeline as it courts smaller loads
The company’s data center pipeline has fluctuated over the past year. Executives attributed the changes to stricter vetting of potential projects and expressed confidence that its efforts to attract t...
utilitydive.com
It's too bad that it took a crisis to reform PJM, but better late than never: www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-pj...
FERC will impose reforms if PJM fails to adopt changes by September, chairman warns
There appears to be broad support for strengthening the independence of the grid operator’s board, possibly by moving to an advisory stakeholder process, and giving states more influence. Some also ca...
utilitydive.com
Public Citizen calls DOE's bluff: www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-ele...
DOE’s new power export rule at odds with ‘energy emergency’ findings: Public Citizen
“Any export of power ... necessarily makes that power unavailable to domestic customers,” potentially contributing to inadequate supplies for a region, Public Citizen said.
utilitydive.com
This is a distraction and a political stunt ahead of the midterms. If the ratepayer protection is to happen at all, it won't be from the White House but rather from FERC and state PUCs: www.eenews.net/articles/tru...
Trump expands data center power price pledge
Most Republican governors are signing — even as Democratic counterparts say there's been no outreach from the White House.
eenews.net
"President Donald Trump on Thursday expanded his ***nonbinding*** (!!!) plan to curb consumer impacts of power-guzzling data centers as electricity and fuel prices jump ahead of the midterm elections." www.eenews.net/articles/ami...
Amid rising energy costs, Trump pushes data centers to pay more
Almost 200 more companies and utilities have signed on to the president's pledge. Critics argue it's a toothless effort to distract from rising electricity
eenews.net
"Heinrich specifically called for an investigation into the Interior Department's decision-making on wind power, following a memorandum issued by President Donald Trump on his first day of his second term." www.eenews.net/articles/hei...
Heinrich calls for probe of wind project reviews
Democrats and some Republicans have pushed the administration to allow wind energy projects to advance.
eenews.net
Throughout my research, I've spoken w/ current & fmr Republican state legislators who represent rural parts of their states, and who tell stories like this one: about how wind energy has been a boon to farmers in their districts, and to their communities: www.texasenergyandpower.com/p/wind-is-ke...
A landowner's case for Texas wind
John E. Davis on why he put seven wind turbines on his ranch, how the income steadied a working sheep and goat operation, and what he thinks his own party gets wrong about renewables.
texasenergyandpower.com
"Revisions to legislation meant to ensure data centers doesn't raise U.S. electricity bills rankled a key industry group, which said it supported the original version." ... The Data Center Coalition "supporting" the Ratepayer Protection Act is probably a red flag ... www.eenews.net/articles/dat...
Data center lobby grumbles about reworked Ratepayer Protection Act
The legislation received unanimous approval from lawmakers in committee, but late changes are drawing opposition from the data center industry.
eenews.net
"Dourson's critics have spent two decades cataloging industry-funded work in which he proposed exposure levels far weaker than federal regulators'." www.eenews.net/articles/epa...
EPA stacks chemical advisory panel with industry, for-hire scientists
Toxicologists from Tesla, Lyondell Chemical and a notorious figure from Trump's first term are among EPA's newest expert chemical advisers.
eenews.net
Talk about an energy technology that can't survive without subsidies ... www.eenews.net/articles/zel...
Zeldin vows to fulfill coal industry’s ‘wish list’
The EPA administrator and other Trump officials on Tuesday celebrated coal's comeback under President Donald Trump and called for more industry support.
eenews.net
This was my old job and I loved it!
Tulane Political Science@tulanepolisci.bsky.social · 6d agoNow Hiring: David and Jane Flowerree Professorship in Environmental Studies and Public Policy. We seek to hire an Advanced Assistant/Associate Professor (tenure-track) for a joint position in Political Science and Environmental Studies. tulane-ibqejb.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...
Fascinating interview with former MA utility commission chair. "Rate freezes" can be deceptive. Time is on the utility's side, and they don't mind the flexibility to avoid scrutiny (my research finds this as well): heatmap.news/energy/natio...
When a Rate Freeze Is a Rate Hike in Disguise
Utility watchdog Jamie Van Nostrand argues that National Grid’s recent “rate stabilization proposal” is a way to charge customers more money while bypassing the regulatory process.
heatmap.news
At a time when regional electricity markets are being tested, the feds are asserting a more "hands on" role in the new one being formed out west: www.eenews.net/articles/fed...
Feds call on Western power markets to coordinate transmission
The California grid operator and the Southwest Power Pool are expanding regional markets in the West. FERC wants to make sure it’s done right.
eenews.net
Imagine sacrificing a more lucrative private sector career to serve the public -- specifically to work to protect our environment and ensure human health -- only to be fired because you spoke out against political leadership doing the opposite. www.eenews.net/articles/dem...
Democrats accuse Zeldin of misleading them over fired dissenters
The lawmakers say EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin illegally terminated employees who signed a letter opposing the administration's science policies.
eenews.net
California -- the state with the most registered vehicles on the road -- responds to Trump's anti-EV posture: www.eenews.net/articles/cal...
California announces 13 car brands eligible for $3,500 EV rebate
The incentive program is a direct response to the Trump administration's cancellation of federal incentives.
eenews.net
