We have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Give thanks and celebrate.
The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, originally predicted to be above average, turned out to be average, but with no landfalling hurricanes. Storm surge and heavy surf caused significant damage along the Carolina coast. However, that damage was far less severe than would have resulted had those two CAT-5 hurricanes made landfall.
The war on fossil fuels declared by the previous Administration has ended at the national level, though it continues in several states. The pursuit of Net Zero by 2050 has halted at the national level, though it too continues in several states. However, it is becoming obvious that many state goals to achieve all renewable generation by earlier dates are technically unachievable and economically impractical. The greatest obstacle remains appropriate and economical short, intermediate and long-duration electricity storage.
The premature closure of several coal and natural gas generating stations has been postponed under a declared energy emergency. Several nuclear generators which had been closed or were scheduled to be closed are being kept in service or are being refueled and returned to service. These actions were deemed essential to maintain grid reliability and begin meeting the growing demand from data centers and AI. The current Administration is supportive of new nuclear generation including Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and is seeking ways to streamline generator approvals and construction.
The mandates for electric vehicle (EV) market share by dates certain at the national level have been rescinded, though they remain in several states. The federal subsidies for EV purchase have also been terminated, though some state subsidies still exist. The federal program to expand public EV recharging facilities has also been rescinded. Much of the inflationary federal spending authorized by the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act has been reduced or eliminated.
The Administration has initiated a return to “Gold Standard” science, both to address the reproducibility crisis in science and to restrict or eliminate funding for model-based studies intended to produce “scary scenarios” to frighten the public. The DOE Climate Working Group report identified numerous unresolved issues with climate science worthy of “Gold Standard’ research.
The Environmental Protection Agency has initiated a review of its 2009 Endangerment Finding (EF), which has formed the basis for government efforts to reduce CO2 emissions from electric generation. The EF is both scientifically and legally flawed. The Clean Air Act did not identify CO2 as a “pollutant” and did not contemplate its regulation under the Act. The alleged endangerment was based on the projections of climate models which are not fit for purpose and extreme Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs).
EPA is also proceeding to “claw back” the “gold bars thrown from the deck of the Titanic”, the billions of dollars allocated to Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) for ill-defined climate related projects between Election Day 2024 and Inauguration Day 2025.
The national efforts to ban or restrict the installation of natural gas and Propane appliances and equipment have been halted, though they persist in some states and cities.
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