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.

Pacific Palisades, Calif., on Jan. 7, 2025. Fires in the Los Angeles area last year burned at least 90 square miles, killing at least 31 people and displacing more than 150,000.

S.E.C. Proposes to Kill Climate Change Disclosure Rule

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Maxine Joselow

31 May 2026 at 17:10

The regulation would have required all publicly traded companies to disclose whether they faced significant risks from climate change and its effects.

An oil drilling site in Wyoming. The S.E.C. rule would have required companies to disclose their contributions to climate change and the risks they faced from a warming planet.

How NextEra Energy Wielded Political Power in Florida

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Ivan Penn

29 May 2026 at 21:29

NextEra, which is seeking to buy Dominion Energy, has often butted heads with consumer groups, residents and journalists in its home state.

A Dominion Energy power plant near Davis, W.Va. NextEra Energy’s political activities are expected to be scrutinized as it seeks approval of its purchase of Dominion.

A Clean Energy PAC Helped Beat Chip Roy, and Now It Has New Targets

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Lisa Friedman

29 May 2026 at 20:47

A PAC representing wind and solar energy interests spent $1.1 million to boost the Republican primary opponent of Chip Roy, an opponent of renewables. Now they are trying to save a Republican ally in Iowa.

A group of renewable energy investors paid for this projection on the side of the Energy Department building in Washington gloating over Representative Chip Roy’s defeat in a Republican primary for Texas attorney general.

Greenpeace’s Long War With a Pipeline Titan Enters a Strange New Phase

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Karen Zraick

29 May 2026 at 02:09

This month, a North Dakota court barred Greenpeace from saying what it wanted in a European court, an unusual move. The environmental group says it is forging ahead.

A court building in Amsterdam. The North Dakota Supreme Court this month barred Greenpeace International from making claims against Energy Transfer in a Dutch countersuit.

Can New Technology Help Save North Atlantic Right Whales?

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Catrin Einhorn

28 May 2026 at 10:02

Innovative systems to keep ships from hitting North Atlantic right whales are coming into use. The Trump administration is weighing whether they can replace a bedrock protection.

E.P.A. to Repeal Some Limits on ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Lisa Friedman

26 May 2026 at 21:32

The rules were established by the Biden administration after research linked the compounds to a range of serious health problems.

Lee Zeldin, the E.P.A. administrator, has argued that the agency made a procedural error when it established the drinking water standards in 2024.

U.S. Aims to Give Cold War Plutonium to Start-Ups for Nuclear Fuel

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Brad Plumer

26 May 2026 at 20:10

Companies say it’s a better way to dispose of the Cold War-era material — and fix a shortage of nuclear fuel. But the plan has also faced criticism from nonproliferation experts.

Work with radioactive materials at a plutonium facility at the at Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1978.

Scientists Ditched a Scary Climate Scenario. What Now?

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Brad Plumer and Eric Niiler

26 May 2026 at 15:32

While global warming is still a threat, the decision to back away from a worst-case outlook raises questions about whether some risks have been overstated.

A wildfire burning in the Simi Valley of California this month.

Which Countries Are Profiting From the Iran War Oil Shock

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Amy Fan and Rebecca F. Elliott

22 May 2026 at 18:28

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

A Very Lonely Caterpillar, Possibly the Last of Its Kind, Has Died

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Catrin Einhorn

22 May 2026 at 14:28

The Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly hasn’t been seen in the wild since 2022. The caterpillar was the last individual in human care.

Exxon Is Nearing a Deal to Pump Oil in Venezuela, Marking a Victory for Trump

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Anatoly Kurmanaev

21 May 2026 at 20:58

The U.S. oil giant is negotiating a deal to pump oil in Venezuela, ending a standoff with its socialist rulers and marking a victory for President Trump.

An oil tanker docked at the Cardón refinery in Punto Fijo, Venezuela, in January.

A Powerful El Niño Is Forming. If History Is a Guide, It Could Hit Hard.

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Chico Harlan

21 May 2026 at 18:36

The biggest episodes of the past have altered the course of human events, according to researchers. An emerging one is drawing historic comparisons.

An illustration published in 1877 depicted a scene in southern India. Millions died from a famine that coincided with an El Niño that year.

Trump Eases Restrictions on Climate ‘Super Pollutants’

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Lisa Friedman and Maxine Joselow

21 May 2026 at 18:33

The administration is delaying a phaseout of hydrofluorocarbons, potent planet-warming chemicals used in air-conditioning and refrigeration.

Replacing an air conditioning unit outside a home in western Pennsylvania during a heat wave last June.

Fish and Wildlife Service Clears a Weedkiller, Saying It Won’t Cause Extinction

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Hiroko Tabuchi

20 May 2026 at 17:04

The finding effectively paves the way for continued use of atrazine, a widely used herbicide that has been linked to birth defects and cancer in humans.

Test plots at a Syngenta research site in Junction City, Kan. Atrazine is made primarily by Syngenta.

The Quest for Clean Hydrogen Moves Underground

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Brad Plumer and Ian Willms

20 May 2026 at 08:28

The dream of clean hydrogen has tantalized energy experts for years, but producing it has been tough. Many start-ups think the answer could lie beneath our feet.

Tesla’s Semi Truck could Jolt the Trucking Industry

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Jack Ewing and Gabriela Bhaskar

19 May 2026 at 21:31

California truckers have expressed strong interest in the Tesla Semi because it costs much less and can travel further on a charge than electric trucks sold by established manufacturers.

Screens on either side of a Tesla Semi’s steering wheel provide a view of the traffic around the vehicle.

The New ‘Gold Rush’ of Geothermal Energy

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: David Gelles

19 May 2026 at 20:16

A new wave of start-ups are trying to harvest emissions-free energy from inside the Earth, but the industry still faces significant challenges.

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