Deal to Reopen Hormuz Kicks Off Long Effort to Ease Energy Crisis

15 June 2026 at 16:52

The pace of the recovery will depend on how confident companies are that the deal between the United States and Iran will hold and be extended.

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz this month.

Tensions Are Rising Among States That Rely on the Colorado River

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Scott Dance

16 June 2026 at 13:34

A prolonged drought means the nation’s largest reservoirs are dwindling, and litigation over access to water could lie ahead.

The Upper Colorado River on the Grand Canyon last month. About 40 million people and 5.5 million acres of cropland depend on the Colorado for drinking water and irrigation.

Renewable Groups Ask Courts to End Pentagon’s ‘Total Halt’ of Wind Power

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Brad Plumer

12 June 2026 at 14:42

More than 100 planned wind farms in 21 states are now stalled indefinitely as the Pentagon delays military reviews once seen as routine.

The freeze affects 41 wind projects in Texas, which produces more wind power than any other state in the U.S., as well as projects in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington.

The World Is Draining Oil Reserves, Raising Pressure for a Peace Deal

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Rebecca F. Elliott and Lazaro Gamio

12 June 2026 at 19:28

The amount of oil and fuel stored by businesses and governments has fallen sharply since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

Democrats Once Vowed to Stop Oil and Gas. Now They’re Not So Sure.

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Lisa Friedman and Brad Plumer

11 June 2026 at 18:49

As the midterm elections approach, many leading Democrats are rethinking their approach to climate change.

A talk on rising energy costs on Capitol Hill hosted by Democrats, from left, Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, in March.

Indonesia Landslides Devastated Endangered Orangutans, Study Finds

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Catrin Einhorn

10 June 2026 at 18:48

More than 5 percent of the species is estimated to have been lost when a climate-fueled storm unleashed torrents of water, mud and debris.

G.M. Plans to Develop Energy Storage Batteries as E.V. Sales Flag

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Jack Ewing

9 June 2026 at 22:57

The carmaker will follow Tesla in making components for large batteries used by electric utilities, data centers and other businesses to handle fluctuations in power supply and demand.

The main active ingredient in the storage batteries that General Motors plans to produce is sodium, which is cheaper and easier to process than lithium.

The Iran War is Forcing Energy-Importing Countries to Turn Inward

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Rebecca F. Elliott

9 June 2026 at 16:06

The Iran war is pushing countries to prioritize domestic energy in order to protect themselves from volatile oil and natural gas markets.

The president of Solaric, a rooftop-solar installer based near Manila, said people were now seeing the technology as “a way to survive this new age.”

ANWR Oil Draws Few Bids, Despite Trump’s Push for ‘Liquid Gold’

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Lisa Friedman

5 June 2026 at 23:52

An auction to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ended with just 10 percent of the available land claimed for oil development.

Caribou on the tundra of the 1002 area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Trump Announces $700 Million in Funds Meant to Boost Coal Industry

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Maxine Joselow and Brad Plumer

4 June 2026 at 21:56

The president announced a total of $700 million in federal money to reinvigorate the domestic coal industry, which has been in decline for decades.

Of the roughly $700 million in total funding, $425 million would be used to upgrade and extend the life of 13 coal plants that otherwise might have closed in the coming years.

How One Company Plans to Mine the Bottom of the Sea

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Harry Stevens

4 June 2026 at 21:30

A look at the quest to mine the bottom of the ocean for valuable minerals, the connection between light pollution and allergies and more climate news.

Urban Light Pollution Might Be Worsening Allergies

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Marta Zaraska

4 June 2026 at 21:12

Light pollution prompts plants to shed pollen longer and stronger, according to new research.

A study found that trees in cities with brighter lights start producing pollen earlier in the spring and finish later in the fall, adding up to 130 days per year to the allergy season.

Arizona, Nevada Agree to Trade for Desalinated Pacific Ocean Water

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Scott Dance

3 June 2026 at 23:52

A decade-old treatment plant in San Diego County, Calif., could leave more water in the Colorado River for states facing severe shortages.

From left, Dan Denham of the San Diego County Water Authority; Scott Cameron of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; Tom Buschatzke of the Arizona Department of Water Resources; and Colby Pellegrino of the Southern Nevada Water Authority toasted the agreement at the Carlsbad Desalination Plant in California on Wednesday.

E.U. Steps Up Ocean Monitoring as Trump Administration Backs Away

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Chico Harlan

3 June 2026 at 23:01

Days after the U.S. said it would kill a network of ocean monitors, European officials pledged to invest more in their version, calling it a “necessity.”

The European plan to invest roughly $107 million comes as the U.S. has said it would dismantle a sprawling network of sensors.

Unusual Greenpeace Lawsuit May Proceed, Dutch Court Says

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Karen Zraick

3 June 2026 at 20:34

Greenpeace International is arguing under Dutch law that an American pipeline company, Energy Transfer, sought to silence it with a costly lawsuit in North Dakota.

Demonstrators against the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota in 2016. The lawsuits are centered on Greenpeace’s involvement in the protests.

Democrats Pledge to Fight Trump’s Termination of Ocean Monitoring Observatories

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Lisa Friedman

2 June 2026 at 21:53

The Trump administration is dismantling a $368 million deep-ocean observation system that monitors marine ecosystems and the effects of climate change.

Recovering a surface buoy — part of a network of moorings, buoys and gliders making observations of the ocean — from the Irminger Sea off Greenland’s coast, in 2021.

Trump Administration to Dismantle the Ocean Observatories Initiative

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Eric Niiler

2 June 2026 at 15:32

The $368 million network of instruments collecting data in both the Atlantic and Pacific has been critical to climate and ocean research.

A mooring that was used in the Ocean Observatories Initiative was recovered after operating for a year in the Gulf of Alaska.

I.R.A. Rebates for Appliance Swaps Could Be Phased Out

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Maxine Joselow and Brad Plumer

1 June 2026 at 22:33

New guidance from the Energy Department would prevent people from receiving rebates after making such swaps.

The new guidance would also end rebates for the replacement of gas-powered dryers, heat pumps and water heaters.

Oil Prices Jump as Middle East Tensions Build

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Rebecca F. Elliott and Joe Rennison

1 June 2026 at 20:37

Some analysts said the main international oil price, which was up 6 percent on Monday, could climb much higher in the coming weeks if the Strait of Hormuz doesn’t reopen.

An oil refinery in Carson, Calif. The possibility of continued fighting has raised concerns about how long the world’s stockpiles of oil and fuels will last if the Strait of Hormuz does not reopen.

2025 Wildfires Were the Costliest Ever, Researchers Say

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Rebecca Dzombak

1 June 2026 at 19:28

Severe, hard-to-control blazes in densely populated areas like Los Angeles drove the year’s record losses.

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