President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees signal a sharp turn toward fossil fuel expansion and climate deregulation. Key figures, including fracking executive Chris Wright f
Multimillion-dollar tax breaks approved for Plaquemines LNG, Louisiana Green Fuels
The Louisiana Board of Commerce and Industry unanimously granted tax credits totaling millions of dollars for two huge industrial projects in Plaquemines and Caldwell parishes. Venture Global LNG obtained a payroll credit of $29.8 million over ten years for its $14.4 billion Plaquemines LNG plant in Plaquemines Parish. The Virginia-based liquefied natural gas exporter obtained the tax credit under the state's Quality Jobs program, which encourages businesses to create new, high-paying jobs. According to papers filed with Louisiana Economic Development, the state agency in charge of the state's corporate incentive programs, the board authorized an Industrial Tax Exemption Program contract for the LNG facility in 2016. According to LED estimates, the break was worth $83.5 million in the first year of the arrangement. Over a 10-year period, the new LNG terminal is estimated to generate 413 new direct jobs with a total payroll of $497 million, as well as 6,000 construction jobs. To the dismay of environmental justice activists, the project recently received preliminary clearance from government officials to increase its yearly LNG production from 24 million metric tons to 27.2 million. It is scheduled to go live in 2024.
A $200 billion surge in liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects could release greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the annual emissions of all global coal plants, raising significa
During his final overseas trip as president, Joe Biden highlighted the Lobito Corridor, an 800-mile U.S.-funded railway project in Angola connecting critical mineral-rich regions
Startups like Still Bright, Ceibo, and Jetti Resources are developing cleaner copper extraction technologies to meet surging demand driven by the energy transition. Innovations in
Long-duration energy storage (LDES) technologies, such as pumped hydropower and underground compressed air storage, are emerging as solutions to store renewable energy for extende
The Midwest Hydrogen Hub, spanning Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and Michigan, has received $22.2 million as part of a $1 billion federal investment to expand clean hydrogen production
A new study reveals that air pollution from wildfires causes 1.5 million deaths annually, with over 90% of fatalities occurring in low- and middle-income countries, particularly i
A report from the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) reveals systemic racial bias in home appraisals has cost Black Americans $150 billion in home equity. Homes i
Community Church Atlanta transformed its Vicars Community Center into the city's first community-owned resilience hub, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Equipped with
Michigan's Public Service Commission faces a lawsuit from about 80 townships and counties challenging its implementation of a new law, Public Act 233, which expedites permitting f
The fifth and potentially final round of U.N. plastic treaty negotiations (INC-5) in Busan, South Korea, centers on whether to impose global caps on plastic production. Advocates,
Highways in the Twin Cities have perpetuated environmental and social inequities, disproportionately affecting urban communities. Black residents were displaced during their const
Ahead of President-elect Trump’s inauguration, the Biden administration is fast-tracking clean energy investments. The Department of Energy announced nearly $12 billion in loans,
COP29 approved controversial rules for international carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, enabling countries to trade emissions reductions. Critics argue the gui
COP29 concluded in Baku with a contentious climate finance agreement that left many nations dissatisfied. The deal commits wealthy countries to lead efforts to triple climate aid