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EnergyPlatform.News(letter)
February 17, 2025
In this week’s edition of energy and environmental policy news across the states: Colorado targets GHGs, tightens air quality standards; The mineral demands for a solar power expansion; Hydraulic fracturing: The facts on fracking natural gas; Report: Pension funds prioritize ESG policies, weaken returns; LNG, AI drive natural gas infrastructure build-out; Texas A&M set to host small modular nuclear reactors; Renewable jobs grow, oil and gas jobs slide in Oklahoma.
Plus: Commentary on the water supply risks to generative AI.
Political activism, rather than economic interest, has played a significant role in the investment decisions of Pennsylvania’s teacher pensions, according to a new report, “Putting Politics over Pensions,” from a nonpartisan economic advocacy group.
A veteran member of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has taken the helm as chairman and will lead the regulator as nuclear technologies are set to grow their role in the nation’s energy future.
David Wright, a commissioner since 2018, was appointed by President Donald Trump on Jan. 20 and moved quickly to reinforce the NRC as the world’s gold standard for nuclear regulation.
Four nuclear companies will test their versions of new small modular reactors on land at Texas A&M University, the university announced.
Planners hope to have reactors up and running within 5 years, and they could ultimately feed more than a gigawatt of energy into Texas’ electric grid. The significance goes well beyond powering homes and businesses.
Oklahoma remains one of the country’s largest oil and gas producers and plans to boost natural gas production in the next few years. However, that expansion may not produce as many jobs as drilling once might have.
Technological advances, such as automation and outsourcing, have supplanted some industry jobs in recent years during the post-pandemic recovery.
Gov. Spencer Cox and the Utah legislature are pursuing parallel strategies to leverage the state’s energy resources to meet growing demand.
The governor has launched Operation Gigawatt, and the state legislature is advancing HB249, which would create a Nuclear Energy Consortium, Utah Energy Council, energy development zones, and an Energy Development Investment Fund.
The bill passed the House and is pending in the Senate.
Generative artificial intelligence represents one of the most transformative technological advancements of the modern era. New capabilities introduced by generative AI will reshape socioeconomic, geopolitical, and innovative dynamics over the next century.
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