The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) has been back in the news as of late, as Pennsylvania withdraws (again) from the program, citing higher electricity costs. Electricity costs have been a growing issue of concern for voters as we’ve seen in the last two cycles (both Presidential and Midterms), as changing economic realities put consumer goods and services under the spotlight.
Topics: Utility Rates, electricity rates, Clean Energy, power plants, rggi
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Technological advances are transforming the U.S. power grid, enabling more electricity to travel longer distances with greater efficiency. High-voltage transmission lines, operating at either AC or DC, are key to delivering power from generation sites to consumers while minimizing energy losses. High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) systems, in particular, are increasingly used for long-distance, subsea, and inter-regional transmission due to lower losses and the ability to connect asynchronous grids.
Topics: Oil & Energy Magazine, HDVC, Electrical Grid
Recent advancements in oil tank monitoring systems have significantly enhanced their accuracy, efficiency, and integration capabilities.
Topics: DEF, remote tank monitoring, fuel management
This week, EPA Director Zeldin announced that the EPA would be rescinding the Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding. The Endangerment Finding states that certain gasses in the atmosphere pose an eminent risk to public health (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, PFCs, HFCs, etc).
Topics: EPA, methane, Carbon Emissions, HFCs, PFC, Trump Administration, Biden Administration, Inflation Reduction Act, ACT
The “One Big Beautiful Bill” signed into law July 4, 2025 is a 1000+ page massive bill that has extensive changes to both US Tax and Energy Policies within it. While as always, certain items will shake out and be clarified over time, the main industry relevant takeaways that jump out at first glance are listed below.
Topics: Climate Change, renewable energy, Trump Administration, Inflation Reduction Act, OBB
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects significant growth in U.S. utility-scale generation in 2025, with 63 GW of new capacity expected—an almost 30% increase over 2024. Solar and battery storage will dominate, accounting for 81% of the additions, with Texas and California leading in solar expansion. Battery storage capacity is also set to nearly double, while wind additions will increase modestly, and natural gas will contribute a smaller share.
Topics: Solar, renewable energy, battery, offshore wind
Major world powers are racing to secure supplies of critical minerals and rare earth elements essential for electric vehicles, batteries, weapons, and advanced technologies. With decades-long investment strategy and industrial policy, Beijing has developed a powerful industry with a dominant position.
China dominates the sector with decades of investment, controlling roughly 60% of global rare earth production, nearly 90% of refining, and the large majority of graphite, cobalt, nickel, and lithium processing. This heavy reliance on a single supplier poses strategic risks for other nations.
The European Union is investing heavily to diversify its mineral supply, developing dozens of extraction, processing, and recycling projects while partnering with countries around the world. It remains highly dependent on China for heavy rare earths and on Chile for lithium. The EU and U.S. previously collaborated through the Minerals Security Partnership, but the Trump administration has shifted toward a more unilateral approach.
For the United States, securing critical minerals is both a national security priority and an economic opportunity. The U.S. has struck agreements such as one with Ukraine for access to its mineral resources and invoked the Defense Production Act to expand domestic mining. However, the U.S. still lacks sufficient refining capacity and remains heavily reliant on China for dozens of key elements.
A tariff war between the U.S. and China escalated in April, but critical minerals were exempted from U.S. tariffs due to dependency concerns. China responded by imposing export controls on seven important rare earth elements used in technologies from EVs to military systems. Both countries later agreed to a 90-day tariff de-escalation to negotiate.
Battery production remains a major leverage point: China manufactures the majority of global battery components, cells, and electric vehicles. With demand for lithium-ion batteries expected to quadruple by 2040, and global needs for minerals like lithium, nickel, copper, graphite, and rare earths surging, securing supply chains has become a defining geopolitical priority.
We wrote an article for the June issue of Oil & Energy Magazine on the competition of nations to secure critical minerals. You can read that article in its entirety here: US Competing to Secure Critical Minerals
The Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) regulations represent a significant shift in environmental policy aimed at reducing emissions from medium and heavy-duty vehicles. Initially adopted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), these regulations have now been embraced by several states, including Massachusetts. The core objective of the ACT rules is to increase the number of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) on the road, thereby curbing harmful emissions that contribute to air pollution and climate change.
Topics: Massachusetts, environmental justice, CARB, ACT
The US House of Representatives passed legislation this week voting to overturn California’s Advanced Clean Truck Rule and Advanced Clean Cars II Rule. However, (much like a lot of the breaking news we’ve seen the past few months), the decision may not be allowed to be upheld legally.
Topics: Massachusetts, Emissions, ACT
