Some commercial fish like haddock and flatfish are gathering around offshore wind turbines, showing how these clean energy structures might reshape marine ecosystems.
Researchers in the U.K. found haddock, a valuable commercial species, using wind turbine foundations in the North Sea — a surprise since they rarely gather near manmade structures.
Offshore wind foundations act like artificial reefs, attracting invertebrates and fish, potentially supporting local fisheries and food chains as they age.
U.S. scientists are studying early turbine installations off Virginia’s coast, noting both potential benefits and short-term construction impacts, even as political headwinds slow national progress on wind energy.
Key quote:
“We know that, for many species of fish, this wind foundation is a really big deal.”
— Brendan Runde, marine ecologist with The Nature Conservancy
Why this matters:
New research suggests that the hulking steel structures anchoring turbines to the seafloor may double as marine sanctuaries, creating habitat where there was previously little to none. Yet despite this potential ecological upside, the United States remains behind both Europe and China in developing offshore wind capacity and conducting long-term research. The Trump administration’s rollback of funding for ocean science programs has further obscured understanding of environmental benefits and impacts, leaving communities and regulators with more political noise than data.
Georgetown, the fastest-growing U.S. city, signed a deal to import up to 89 million gallons of water daily from the Simsboro Aquifer, 80 miles away, triggering lawsuits from Bryan, College Station, and Texas A&M.
The Upwell Water project is one of several large-scale efforts to export rural groundwater to expanding cities along the I-35 corridor, amid limited statewide regulation and escalating demand.
Groundwater rights in Texas favor landowners under the “right of capture,” and oversight falls to small local districts, leaving long-term regional water planning fragmented and reactive.
Key quote:
“Water is the new oil. They have a commodity that can be sold and they have every right to sell it.”
— Alan Day, manager of the Brazos Valley Groundwater Conservation District
Why this matters:
Rapid population growth in Central Texas is colliding with a patchwork legal system ill-equipped to manage dwindling groundwater reserves. Private companies — often backed by Wall Street — are securing rights to pump and sell groundwater, exacerbating tensions with rural landowners who fear the depletion of wells and the loss of local control. At the same time, Texas is becoming hotter and drier, with more erratic rainfall and less reliable aquifer recharge. As water-hungry sectors like semiconductor fabrication and AI-driven data centers move in, the fight over groundwater is becoming a proxy battle over growth, climate resilience, and who gets to shape the future of the region.
President Trump’s 25% tariff on imported cars threatens to slow U.S. electric vehicle adoption by raising prices and complicating supply chains dependent on China.
The tariffs target imports crucial to the EV supply chain, especially batteries, which are largely sourced from China; this puts pressure on automakers who already lose money on most EV sales.
Tesla, which manufactures most of its vehicles and parts in North America, is well-positioned to weather the tariffs and could regain market share despite rising material costs.
Automakers like Honda and Hyundai may benefit in the long run thanks to Biden-era investments in U.S. EV manufacturing that are just now coming online.
Key quote:
"Anything that’s going to potentially increase the price of a vehicle comes out of consumers’ pocket. It’s just going to hurt overall."
— Stephanie Valdez Streaty, analyst at Cox Automotive
Why this matters:
Electric vehicles industry, which remains heavily reliant on global supply chains, are now caught in the crossfire of renewed trade tensions with China. As President Trump reimposes or expands tariffs on key imports, including critical EV components like batteries and raw materials such as graphite and lithium, automakers face rising costs that could slow the transition away from fossil fuels. Tariff-driven inflation may place these vehicles out of reach for many Americans — particularly those outside the luxury market. Environmental advocates worry that the added costs and uncertainties may weaken momentum at a time when the U.S. is just beginning to scale EV adoption, with serious implications for climate goals and air quality improvements.
House Republicans voted to overturn energy efficiency standards for commercial refrigerators, a move that could increase greenhouse gas emissions and delay progress on climate goals tied to cooling systems.
The House of Representatives used the Congressional Review process to roll back energy standards finalized at the end of the Biden administration; the Senate would need to vote next for repeal to take effect.
Republicans say the rules would raise equipment costs for small businesses, while Democrats argue most products already meet the standards and energy savings would offset higher prices.
The Department of Energy rule targeted emissions tied to refrigeration, a major source of both energy use and hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) emissions.
Key quote:
“Republicans continue to do the bidding of Big Oil and Gas. This resolution proves that Republicans are completely out of touch.”
A quiet but well-funded federal program to locate underground stores of key minerals needed for energy and national security gained support from both Presidents Trump and Biden, even as their broader climate policies diverged.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Earth MRI program is mapping mineral-rich regions across the country, using airborne surveys and satellite imaging to find metals like lithium, cobalt, and rare earths.
Originally launched under Trump in 2019 and expanded by the 2021 infrastructure law, Earth MRI continues under renewed Trump leadership with bipartisan support, reflecting both climate and military priorities.
The program has surveyed nearly 25% of the U.S. and begun assessing old mine waste for valuable minerals, but future funding past 2026 remains uncertain without new congressional support.
Key quote:
“If we want to have more mineral exploration, more secure domestic supply chains of metals and minerals, then we need to have these data.”
— Simon Jowitt, director of the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Why this matters:
As the U.S. accelerates its transition to clean energy, the demand for critical minerals like lithium, nickel, and rare earth elements is surging — driven by the rise of electric vehicles, solar farms, and wind power infrastructure. But expanding mining operations on U.S. soil brings its own set of tradeoffs. Communities near potential mining sites are concerned about water contamination, destruction of habitats, and the long-term health risks associated with heavy metal exposure. Environmental groups argue that without stricter oversight and community input, a push for domestic sourcing could undermine the very sustainability goals the clean energy transition is meant to achieve. Whether Earth MRI’s maps lead to more responsible mining or renewed grassroots resistance remains an open question.
In an extraordinary move, nearly 2,000 top U.S. scientists are sounding the alarm about what they say is a deliberate campaign to dismantle science under the Trump administration.
Hundreds of members of the National Academies of Sciences are warning that funding cuts, censorship, and political interference are gutting the nation’s ability to conduct research, especially in areas like disease treatment and climate change.
Health and environmental agencies are facing massive layoffs — 20,000 jobs could be slashed at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, while the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are also seeing deep cuts that could compromise public health and disaster preparedness.
The administration is accused of suppressing scientific findings it doesn’t like, threatening vaccine safety efforts, and silencing independent experts through canceled contracts and executive power.
Key quote:
“The nation’s scientific enterprise is being annihilated and the silence of too many of our scientific leaders is only making the ongoing catastrophe worse.”
— Dr. Robert Steinbrook, director of the health research group at Public Citizen
Why this matters:
Research on climate, disease, pollution? Buried or canceled if it clashes with the political playbook. This kind of censorship doesn’t just tie the hands of researchers. It leaves families in the dark about food safety, doctors without clear guidance on outbreaks, and communities without warning systems as floods, fires, and heatwaves accelerate. The scientists’ message is plain: ignoring science doesn’t make the risks disappear. It just makes us blind to what’s coming.
Lawmakers from both parties are pressing the U.S. Department of Energy to preserve billions in clean energy investments after draft lists of possible project cuts began circulating on Capitol Hill.
The Energy Department is reviewing whether to cut funding for several clean energy projects, including hydrogen hubs and carbon capture initiatives launched under the Biden administration.
Draft internal lists suggest prioritizing red-state projects while slashing those in blue states, raising accusations of political favoritism and legal concerns over canceling congressionally approved spending.
Lawmakers from both parties, as well as energy companies and local officials, are lobbying the department to preserve projects tied to jobs, emissions reduction, and energy security.
Key quote:
“Scaling back now and politicizing the rollout of this program will stifle progress, cost thousands of jobs, limit economic growth, and weaken our energy security.”
— Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, Democrat of Pennsylvania
Why this matters:
Billions of dollars earmarked by the Biden administration for emerging technologies like carbon capture, hydrogen infrastructure, and a more resilient power grid are now under scrutiny, with signs that funding may be cut or redirected. What makes this moment especially fraught is the uneven political geography of the energy transition: Many of the now-vulnerable projects are in Democratic-leaning states, raising concerns about the politicization of climate policy. Beyond the politics, there are real-world consequences for communities that had begun to rely on clean tech investments for jobs and economic diversification.
Prisons, jails and detention centers are placed in locations where environmental hazards such as toxic landfills, floods and extreme heat are the norm.
