Energy

Getting a tax credit for buying a new electric vehicle will soon be simpler

5:53pm December 22, 2023

by Camila Domonoske

Getting the $7,500 tax credit for a new electric vehicle is about to get a lot simpler – you get it as a discount off the car. But fewer cars might be eligible as requirements grow stricter.

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Hydrogen storage tanks are visible at the Iberdrola green hydrogen plant in Puertollano, central Spain, on March 28. The Biden administration on Friday released its highly anticipated proposal for how the U.S. plans to dole out tax credits to hydrogen producers.

Biden administration unveils hydrogen tax credit plan to jump-start industry

12:27pm December 22, 2023

by The Associated Press

The plan outlines a tiered system, with cleaner energy projects receiving more, and smaller credits going to those that use fossil fuel to produce hydrogen.

Oval Heating and A/C workers install a more efficient condensing gas boiler in a Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania home. New Department of Energy efficiency standards can only be met with these boilers or furnaces, which save customers about 15% on their gas utility bill.

Land of the free, home of the inefficient: appliance standards as culture war target

2:09pm December 21, 2023

by Jeff Brady

To meet climate goals, energy efficiency for dozens of appliances is getting renewed attention from the Biden administration.

Ian Billick, a field biologist and the mayor of Crested Butte, Colo., led a push to ban natural gas hookups in new construction as part of an effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Environment

How a utility company fought to keep two Colorado towns hooked on fossil fuels

1:34pm December 21, 2023

by Sam Brasch

Environmental advocates worry natural gas providers are using customer dollars to block local action on climate change. Colorado is one of a handful of states trying to limit the practice.

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National

Many utilities want natural gas to help in their transition from coal to green energy

5:13pm December 20, 2023

by Rae Solomon

As utilities transition from coal to green energy, many utilities say they need to open new natural gas fired power plants to bridge the gap. Not everyone is buying it.

National

A gas utility fought to keep two Colorado towns hooked on fossil fuels

4:12pm December 20, 2023

by Sam Brasch

When two Colorado mountain towns considered steps to transition local homes and businesses away from fossil fuels, they ran into a powerful opponent: their local gas utility.

How was 2023 for EVs?

5:29pm December 16, 2023

NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with White House Senior Adviser Mitch Landrieu and Consumer Reports autos reporter Keith Barry about the challenge of achieving the Biden administration's EV sales goals.

The tough economics of getting hard-to-find minerals for electric vehicle batteries

11:25am December 15, 2023

by Stacey Vanek Smith

America's only cobalt mine opened last year to great fanfare, as the mineral is crucial for green energy. But it surprisingly closed just months later.

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FILE - This Oct. 24, 2006 file photo shows file photo shows the Ice Harbor dam on the Snake River in Pasco, Wash. (AP Photo/Jackie Johnston, File)

Tribes celebrate historic deal with White House that could save Pacific Northwest salmon

6:22pm December 14, 2023

by Kirk Siegler

The White House has reached what it says is an historic agreement over the restoration of salmon in the Pacific Northwest, a deal that could end for now a decades long legal battle with tribes.

Sultan al-Jaber of the United Arab Emirates, right, celebrates the end of the COP28 climate meeting with United Nations Climate Chief Simon Stiell, left, and COP28 CEO Adnan Amin on Dec. 13, 2023, in Dubai. The final deal included a modest reference to transitioning away from fossil fuels, which scientists say is crucial to avoid catastrophic warming.

Climate talks end on a first-ever call for the world to move away from fossil fuels

6:08pm December 13, 2023

Leaders from nearly 200 countries agreed on the need to transition away from fossil fuels. But representatives of nations most vulnerable to climate impacts were not happy with the final deal.