The U.S. House Judiciary Committee is set to markup H.R. 8330, a bill that would grant fossil‑fuel companies blanket legal immunity from lawsuits related to climate change and associated disasters. The Sierra Club, citing the industry’s awareness of climate impacts since the 1950s and a study projecting U.S. climate costs to exceed $1 trillion this year, issued a coordinated statement condemning the proposal. Representatives from the Club’s national office and state chapters in Vermont, Colorado, California, and Texas warned [...]

A Straight Arrow News investigation examined the murky responsibility for funding new power infrastructure when data centers locate in a community. The report, published by the Center on Global Energy Policy, found that local utilities, developers and municipalities often negotiate ad‑hoc agreements, leaving taxpayers to shoulder a disproportionate share of the costs. The study highlighted several Texas projects where utilities upgraded transmission lines and substations without securing full reimbursement from the operators, prompting public‑hearing disputes and legal [...]

Al Gore, a longtime climate advocate, told TechCrunch that emissions from AI data centers are less alarming than other environmental issues. He noted that the combined emissions of AI facilities are only a fraction of those from uncovered landfills and far lower than global air‑conditioning demand, which the International Energy Agency says already uses more electricity than the European Union and could triple by 2050. Gore warned that some hyperscalers are adopting methane‑fueled turbines, risking decades of [...]

At the Energy Storage Summit Germany 2026, panelists confirmed lithium‑iron‑phosphate (LFP) batteries remain the preferred chemistry for German battery energy storage systems (BESS). Sodium‑ion technology is still considered fringe and not bankable, with investors and developers citing risk aversion. Discussions highlighted challenges in power‑conversion systems, state‑of‑charge accuracy, and balancing, while noting emerging revenue opportunities from inertia and grid‑forming services. Certification gaps and EU policy shifts on Chinese equipment add further uncertainty to procurement decisions. [...]

The Sierra Club and Synapse Energy Economics released a report titled Passing the Buck: How APS’s Gas Rush Risks Ratepayer Dollars, critiquing Arizona Public Service’s planned expansion of gas generation and its proposed 14% rate hike. The analysis shows APS’s gas projects, including Desert Sun Power and the Redhawk Expansion, would raise average residential bills by about $240 annually and undermine the utility’s clean‑energy commitments. The report urges a fuel‑cost‑sharing mechanism to protect consumers and accelerate a [...]

Across the United States, communities are pushing back against proposals to locate AI data centers in neighborhoods already scarred by heavy industry. In Philadelphia, activist Shawmar Pitts, whose Grays Ferry district once bordered the East Coast’s largest oil refinery, now leads a moratorium effort after personal exposure to refinery‑related illnesses. City officials have earmarked two potential sites—one in Northeast Philadelphia and another in Grays Ferry—though no formal projects have been submitted. Residents cite fears of pollution, noise, and [...]

Actis subsidiary Nozomi Energy secured non‑recourse financing from Aozora Bank to complete a 50 MW/196 MWh battery storage system in Usuki City, Kyushu. The project, part of Japan’s inaugural Long‑Term Decarbonisation Power Source Auction, won a 20‑year fixed‑revenue capacity contract under the LTDA framework. Nozomi’s bid was favored for its lower capacity payments, and the contract obliges operators to return 90 % of merchant profits to OCCTO. The deal marks a significant step in Japan’s battery market development. [...]