Judge tosses trump’s effort to stop renewable credits
A U.S. judge vacated a Trump administration policy implemented last year that made it harder for wind and solar energy projects to claim federal tax subsidies, according to court documents.
The decision is the latest legal blow to U.S. President Donald Trump’s wide-ranging efforts to slow development of clean energy technologies, which he has said are unreliable and unfairly subsidized.
In a ruling on Saturday, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said the Treasury Department’s Internal Revenue Service had failed to give an adequate reason for eliminating a longstanding definition for what it means for a project to be considered under construction.
Under federal law, clean energy projects must begin construction by July 4 of this year or enter service by the end of 2027 to qualify for a 30% tax credit and bonuses that can push the subsidy even higher.
Good.
Now let’s get rid of Fossil Foolishness subsidies after we retake the White House in 2028.
The economic argument and the health argument for rapidly phasing out fossil fuels are compelling. To make nations healthier & more prosperous, end fossil fuel subsidies.@gchalliance.bsky.social @fossiltreaty.bsky.social @who.int @docsforclimate.bsky.social
— Ed Maibach (@maibached.bsky.social) 2026-06-09T10:15:11.987Z
Meetings
Our ongoing list of this year’s global environmental conferences, summits and more
The Good News
This is the seventh largest power plant in the US, according to a Heatmap e-mail.
The project, which built an enormous 3.6-gigawatt wind farm in New Mexico and a 550-mile high-voltage power line that crosses into Arizona, is capable of generating and delivering more electricity than the Hoover Dam. Its lengthy development and approval process made it an emblem of the country’s struggle to build new, large-scale power lines and virtually every other type of zero-carbon energy infrastructure.
SunZia is now the seventh largest power plant in the United States. At peak capacity, it will power more than a million homes, according to Pattern’s estimates. The facility will fund more than $1.3 billion in direct payments to local governments, schools, and landowners over the next few decades, the developer said in a statement. More than half of the project’s electricity will be delivered to and used by southern California. (Analysts realized SunZia was nearing completion when gigawatts of wind power started appearing in the state’s energy data in May.)
SunZia, the largest renewable energy project ever built in the US, has begun sending wind power from New Mexico to California via an 885 km transmission line. In the month after SunZia came online, California wind generation rose 37% and gas generation fell 35%. buff.ly/i6osGGL#ShareGoodNewsToo
— Ada Palmer (@adapalmer.bsky.social) 2026-05-30T13:50:00.631Z
The impact is already visible. In the month after SunZia came online, California wind generation rose 37% and gas generation fell 35%. That is what new transmission is supposed to do; move cheap #CleanPower from where it is abundant to where it can displace #FossilFuels.
— Whoa 🤯 in Slow-Mo (@0lsi.bsky.social) 2026-05-23T22:10:32.398Z
U.S. Renewables Advancing Department: Balcony solar (or plug-in solar) is being legalized quickly in the U.S., with Underwriters Laboratories (now UL) pledging to produce a uniform safety code in short order.
As often happens with “trends,” there’s now a website keeping track of this.
The most technologically compelling electric truck to emerge from China has now been officially approved for Australian roads.The Windrose E700 has been designed from the ground up for long-haul freight, using LFP battery chemistry that prioritises safety, durability and longevity. #EVs #LFP
— Chris Meder (@evcurvefuturist.com) 2026-06-18T05:05:30.191Z
The future of urban transportation is smarter, cleaner, and more connected.Discover how EVs, AI traffic systems, and sustainable mobility solutions can optimize city transport.🔗 www.electrek-cars.com/mobility/opt…#SmartMobility #UrbanTransport #ElectricVehicles #SmartCities #Sustainability
— madhuri.bsky.social (@madhurirathr.bsky.social) 2026-06-18T13:33:00.048Z
In 2019, EVs made up just 1% of new car sales globallyIn 2025, that figure rose to 25%. By May 2026, 63% of new cars sold were electric. Of the world’s 1.4 billion cars, 85 million are now electric www.thedailystar.net/business/new… #ElectricVehicles #ElectricCars #ActOnClimate
The Philippines
In new webinar recording, Winifred Frick from @batcon.org shares evidence, guidance and resources on how wind energy projects can reduce risks to bats 🦇As wind energy expands, migratory species must be part of the equation when building climate solutions. Watch now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr4h…
— Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) (@cms.int) 2026-06-18T16:04:30.855Z
Iran
Global Warming Catastrophes
‘After weeks of above-average temperatures, scientists noticed that an area of sea ice that typically forms in the region—one roughly the size of France—was missing.’ #Antarctica #ClimateChangewww.commondreams.org/news/antarct…
— John Clarke (@johncke.bsky.social) 2026-06-16T14:40:44.963Z
#News Nearly half of world’s children face multiple climate hazards: Nearly half of the world’s children – around 1.1 billion – are exposed to at least three overlapping climate hazards, while almost every child faces at least one, according to a new UNICEF report.#Climate #ClimateChange…
— Graphic News (@graphicnews.bsky.social) 2026-06-16T14:21:11Z
Data Centers
OpenAI/Nvidia data centers will use more power than New York City & San Diego combined. “‘Ten gigawatts is more than the peak power demand in Switzerland or Portugal,’ [Prof. Fengqi You] told Fortune. ‘Seventeen gigawatts is like powering both countries together.’” fortune.com/2025/09/24/s…
— Progressive News Service (@prognews.bsky.social) 2025-09-26T01:18:14.922Z
No New Nukes
By far the stupidest option for powering data centers.
Meta-backed, new-generation nuclear plant moves closer to powering Ohio data centers
Southern Ohio is increasingly a test case for America’s effort to revive its nuclear industry, and two major companies announced a partnership Thursday that would link the fuel and reactors needed to make it happen. The work would take place on the site of the large uranium plant in Piketon, Ohio. Under terms of a deal announced Thursday, Centrus, which is working to restart uranium enrichment at the site, would team with Oklo, which plans to build a fleet of small reactors nearby. AP
ELEMENTL POWER DEVELOPING UTILITY-SCALE ADVANCED NUCLEAR POWER PROJECT IN SOUTHEAST OHIO
LETART TOWNSHIP, Ohio, June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Elementl Power, an independent developer of utility-scale nuclear power projects, announced today that it is pursuing development of a nuclear power plant with a planned capacity of up to 1.5 gigawatts (GW) in Southeast Ohio.
Elementl has signed an Early Works Agreement with GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy to utilize the company’s BWRX-300 small modular reactors (SMR) for the project, making it among the first new SMR projects in the United States.
#BO-O-O-O-OGUS!!! There are no SMRs other than engineering prototypes.
THE BWRX-300 SMR A POWER PLANT, NOT A POWERPOINT
Except that there aren’t any, in spite of all of this bragging. And remember that nukes always come in far behind schedule and far over budget.
GE Vernova Hitachi’s (GVH) BWRX-300 is not a concept, a plan, or a PowerPoint. It’s now under construction. Its configuration, based on proven technologies, has been selected for the leading project in the Western world with construction underway in Canada on the first BWRX-300. Construction of the first unit is estimated to be completed by the end of 2029 and in commercial operation by the end of 2030.
Equally bogus.
Denial and Obstruction vs. Resistance and $$Real Money$$™
Source: The New York Times share.google/Z7QJWgoYHd0V…This is crazy, we are talking 2.5 billion in tax money, our money, we the people, to shut down wind farms off the coasts! What is this Administration doing to us?
geo.center/activity/p/2… #Immigration #ClimateChange #ClimateJustice #ClimateRefugees #Trump #HumanRights #ClimateAction #ClimateCrisis #ImmigrationReform #ClimateScience #SciComm #environment #Politics #ClimateEmergency #Deportation
…an effort to unravel the Biden-era methane rules.
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-epa-methane-jeffery-hildebrand-hilcorp-oil-regulations
A Different Level of Idiocy
Trump wants to put a $75m coal terminal in this liberal California city. Residents aren’t having it.Residents of West Oakland, which suffers from toxic waste and high pollution rates, rally against a coal export facility. #ClimateChange #GlobalWarmingwww.theguardian.com/us-news/2026…
— Climate News Now (@climatenewsnow.bsky.social) 2026-06-16T14:05:11.243Z
Resources
🎩 GoodNewsRoundup
Want to focus on the ENVIRONMENT:
- Southern Environmental Law Center
- Earth Justice
- Natural Resources Defense Council
- League of Conservation Voters
- Sierra Club
- Center for Biological Diversity
- Greenpeace
We’ll get straight to the point: The financial hardships that Daily Kos is facing this year are tough.
We continue to be paywall-free. We continue to be supported by our readers, not billionaires or corporations. But we need to bring in more revenue. We are leaning on our community more than ever to help make ends meet.
Power matters.