Environment

The Department for the Economy (DfE) of Northern Ireland has opened a public consultation period on a proposed statutory framework for regulation of deep geothermal energy. Public comments are being accepted only until 7 August 2026. Relevant documents and the link to send comments are available via this link. This consultation sets out proposals to introduce new legislation that would create clear, proportionate rules for larger geothermal developments, while keeping small scale domestic instal

The Tanzania Geothermal Development Company (TGDC) has published a tender for drilling rig and auxiliary services for the drilling of three slim hole wells for the Ngozi geothermal project in the Mbeya region in Tanzania. Further details on the tender and the associated tender documents are available via the National e-Procurement System of Tanzania (NEsT) website (requires registration). The tender will officially open on 26 May 2026. Three lots are being offered under this tender: Lot 1: Dril

Proposed hazardous waste oversight changes are years behind schedule and fail to account for a community’s health risks from pollution, environmental groups warn.

Minnesota has sued 3M again, alleging PFAS from its Cottage Grove plant continues to pollute groundwater and the Mississippi River.

China is dominating the energy transition with astonishing result, while fossil fuel fascists in the US try to turn back the clock“Farewell,” the flag-waving Chinese children chanted to Donald Trump as he strolled along the red carpet back to Air Force One at the end of his summit with Xi Jinping in Beijing.The US leader claimed he was leaving with a cluster of “fantastic” trade deals to sell US oil, jets and soya beans to China. That has not been confirmed by his smiling host, but one thing was

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsThis week’s question: You’re supposed to be quiet in the cinema. So why are the snacks so loud?I was recently beset by a plague of clothes moths. After hours of research, I discovered the miracle that is the parasitic wasp, or Trichogramma evanescens – near-microscopic beasts that you can order online (in sachets of 2,000 wasp

A major oil company is seeking a state tax break in Texas worth hundreds of millions of dollars to build a massive power plant. The energy won’t be going to residential customers, though. Instead, the gas plant will be used to power a data center whose eventual tenant could be Microsoft. Chevron subsidiary Energy Forge One has filed an application with the State Comptroller’s board to obtain a tax abatement for a power plant it’s building in West Texas. In late January, the comptroller’s

Senate candidate Graham Platner’s key energy goal is to reduce costs for Mainers. He’d also like to tax the “ever-living hell out of the companies that made a lot of money on fossil fuels while they destroyed the planet.”By Nathaniel EisenGraham Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate from Maine, is known for a few things: his “more Bernie than Bernie” message of wresting back control from the rich and powerful; his biography as a Marine Corps veteran and oyster farmer with l

The Democratic Senate candidate from Maine voted to pursue a moratorium on all but rooftop solar projects while the town developed permitting rules. He says that’s compatible with his calls for energy-permitting reform.By Nathaniel EisenGraham Platner’s recently released energy plan navigates several tensions, including how to build clean energy projects and transmission lines quickly while also incorporating community input. Such projects are not only needed to fight climate change but to help

Go behind the scenes with senior editor Corey Mitchell and reporter Bob Berwyn as they break down what to expect from the looming El Niño.By Bob BerwynScientists said this week that a developing El Niño is likely to amplify heatwaves, droughts and floods this year. But it’s not the biggest culprit of climate extremes. 

Ascension, a UK-based critical minerals company, has signed a Collaborative Research Agreement with state-owned Geothermal Development Company (GDC) explore opportunities in Kenya for geothermal and critical minerals development. Under the terms of the agreement, the two parties will l conduct joint research in geophysical surveys, subsurface characterisation, data analysis, and critical minerals exploration within GDC concession areas in Kenya. The signing ceremony was held in Nairobi, with Hon

Project InnerSpace, in partnership with the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), has launched a new report that highlights the huge potential for geothermal development in India in the sectors of heating, cooling, and electricity generation, as well as the pathways for the country to build on this potential. The report, titled The Future of Geothermal in India, positions geothermal energy as a scalable and reliable clean energy solution that could help India address rapidly rising en

Last summer, the wild blueberry fields at Crystal Spring Farm turned red too soon.  Severe drought had gripped most of the state of Maine. At his farm near the town of Brunswick, Seth Kroeck knew the leaves were changing color prematurely because the blueberry plants were stressed. Berries shriveled before they could ripen. The farm’s 2025 harvest was almost a total loss. “We got about 7 percent of our expected harvest,” Kroeck, 55, said. Standing in his blueberry fields in April,

To Monica Montefalcone, the sea was a place to study: its plants, reefs, hidden habitats and seasonal changes. A meadow of Posidonia oceanica was not just a patch of green beneath the water. It provided a nursery, offered shelter, stored carbon, and afforded coastal protection. To most swimmers it might have looked like seagrass. To Montefalcone it was a living system, and one that recovered slowly once damaged. That slowness mattered. Posidonia grows at a pace that does not fit human timetables

An analysis of oil export data offers clues about which nations have benefited from higher prices, and which have lost a lot of revenue.

After Trump stopped funding the WHO, the agency retreated even more from occupational safety and health programs, putting millions of workers at risk as the planet warms, advocates contend. They hope its leaders change that when they meet next week.By Liza GrossEvery year, hundreds of millions of people around the world suffer from workplace injuries or illnesses, and nearly 3 million die from job-related accidents or exposures. Climate change is making many jobs even more dangerous, exposing mi

With a wildfire season that runs from March to May, fewer acres have burned than usual. But with fewer prescribed burns to thin combustible underbrush, severe fire remains a possibility.By Anna MattsonThe New Jersey Forest Fire Service this month announced an elevated risk for fire spread across Delaware and parts of New Jersey. Conditions aligned—humidity dropped, temperatures rose into the 80s and southwest winds were gusting up to 30 miles per hour, elevating fire risk across the region.

“I think there's a great loss for the wrong reasons. There's no good reason for dismantling this or tearing it down,” a former NASA chief scientist says.Interview by Steve Curwood, Living on EarthFrom our collaborating partner “Living on Earth,” public radio’s environmental news magazine, an interview by host Steve Curwood with former NASA chief scientist Waleed Abdalati.

Legislation includes profit recovery provisions for the energy company, increased State Corporation Commission authority.By Charles PaullinRICHMOND, Va.—Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Thursday signed legislation that directs regulators to assign electricity costs to data centers and allows Dominion Energy to spend $900,000 a mile burying local distribution lines.

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is hearing the first challenge to a series of orders that have blocked retirement of aging coal and oil plants. Advocates say keeping the plants running has been costly to consumers and the environment.By Marianne LavelleThe Trump administration on Friday defended its legal authority to order coal plants to stay open, arguing before a panel of federal judges that it alone has the power to decide whether an energy emergency exists.