Oh man. Writing the Marley piece I listened to a LOT of Sly Dunbar, the man who moved reggae past the one-drop and (with Robbie Shakespeare) formed one of the most incredible rhythm sections/production duos ever. RIP

Jokes about an insurance company called "Halfway There" are strange coming from a P&C insurance giant that Weiss Ratings estimates was among the insurers that closed < half their claims payments in 2024 weissratings.com/en/weiss-new...

There are thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells in Illinois, littering fields and farmland, sitting unplugged and unnoticed. Here's a look at these so-called "orphan" wells and how state mismanagement could cost taxpayers millions:

Natural-gas prices have jumped this week in response to forecasts calling for some of the coldest, snowiest weather in years to freeze the country from the West Texas desert to the Great Lakes.

MALACHI MORENO FOR THE WIN 😼😼😼😼😼😼😼

How BGE is unnecessarily driving up your gas bill, by Maryland PIRG Associate Sofia Gilroy www.baltimoresun.com/2026/01/14/b...

Kentucky River

Familiar story ...The latest report on MA pipeline safety programs shows utilities are spending more but the miles of pipe being replaced remains flat commonwealthbeacon.org/energy/new-r...

I think this Bears team might be the ultimate Chicago team: always down, never out.

“Yes,” said Frog, reaching for a cookie, “we need will power.” “What is will power?” asked Toad.

Nicor files for $221M gas rate hike less than 2 months after last increase approved capitolnewsillinois.com/news/nicor-f...

Nicor Gas seeks $221 million rate increase for suburban Chicago customers www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/09/n...

Nicor seeks another massive rate hike that could add $6 to suburban gas bills chicago.suntimes.com/consumer-aff...

"I’m shocked that Nicor is proposing to raise rates again, just one month after imposing its last rate hike. Nicor is busting its customers’ household budgets because it apparently refuses to live within its own." pirg.org/illinois/med...

Just in - "According to @climatecentral.org, 2025 ranks as the third-highest year (after 2023 and 2024) for billion-dollar weather and climate disasters..." + Interactive graphics/data: www.climatecentral.org/climate-serv... + Climate Matters article: www.climatecentral.org/climate-matt...

Peoples Gas $202M rate hike request sparks public outcry, protests in Chicago area https://abc7chicago.com/post/peoples-gas-202m-rate-hike-request-illinois-commerce-commission-sparks-public-outcry-protests-chicago-area/18363112/

Chicago heating bills could get even higher next year under a proposed rate hike from Peoples Gas that would increase the average household natural gas tab by up to $11 per month.

Peoples Gas seeks another big rate hike on Chicago heating bills chicago.suntimes.com/business/202...

Ho ho ho! Bill to streamline residential solar permitting signed into law in NJ. environmentamerica.org/newjersey/me...

Some Allstate customers next year will see their homeowners insurance rate increase by an average of 8.8%, continuing a trend of insurers increasing rates. The planned increase, contained in a recent filing with the Illinois Department of Insurance, is set to begin Feb. 24, 2026.

Enacting basic homeowners insurance consumer protections that residents of every other state enjoy should be at the top of the Illinois General Assembly’s list of new year’s resolutions. pirg.org/illinois/med...

“For too long, utility companies have been extracting unreasonable profits from Californians just trying to heat or cool their homes or keep the lights on,” said @jennengstrom.bsky.social at CALPIRG.

The GA PSC jsut approved a risky gas powered energy plan pirg.org/georgia/medi...

first US LNG project halted b/c of the glut and poor financials

A decade ago, the U.S. lifted long-time restrictions on crude oil exports. Experts said it would be no big deal. They were wrong. @frontiertony.bsky.social frontiergroup.org/resources/ho...

All eyes (should be) on the Georgia Public Service Commission. Voters there recently elected two Dems to the this powerful body, but the decision on Georgia Power's $15B proposal likely won't wait until they are sworn in: apnews.com/article/geor...

We should be shocked at this security flaw at TransUnion, and how hard it was to get them to fix it. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

New! We worked with the Public Interest Research Group to test a bunch of LLM-driven toys ahead of the Christmas. That sexual talking teddy bear wasn't a one-off; it turns out disturbing behavior is deeply built into these toys across the board.

👏 NEWS: Teva removes over 200 improper Orange Book patent listings under pressure from the FTC. 🔗 www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/ftc-c...

Analysis by CUB, @IllinoisPIRG: At a time when consumers are paying inflated costs for necessities like groceries & healthcare, escalating heating gas prices plus serial utility rate hikes are likely to exacerbate hardships for IL households this winter. buff.ly/ALBMvqh

@ketanjoshi.co has an excellent new piece in Net Zero Investor on the risky economics of the US LNG export business model. "He [Mikulka] paints a grim picture of an industry leaning heavily on investors, speculating on a future that’s unlikely to play out anywhere close to what’s expected..."

We asked CDOT what’s on tap in terms of properly maintaining Chicago’s protected bike lanes after snowstorms. Promptly plowing is needed, or else they'll face arguments that riders were better off with old-style, paint-only bikeways. @atalliance.bsky.social @chicritmass.bsky.social @bikegridnow.org

Same as it ever was. The U.S. auto industry is in worse position to meet the mid-21st century than when I wrote this in a fit of frustration 7 years ago and the rollback of fuel economy standards mean it’ll be in even worse shape 7 years from now. frontiergroup.org/articles/can...

But wait — there's more! I took a deep dive into "The Chicago Stomping Grounds of Tom Waits" with this new blog post: www.robertloerzel.com/2025/12/03/t...

Stop me if this sounds familiar: a gas utitliy spending billions (driving up delivery rates and profits) in the name of safety, but actually appearing to prioritize "system modernization." Read our new whitepaper on BGE's OperaionPipeline pirg.org/maryland/res...

Maryland PIRG’s new analysis finds BGE’s multi-billion dollar gas pipeline replacement program may be slowing the work to repair or replace the riskiest pipes. A 2025 law could result in major changes moving forward to stop wasteful spending & require BGE to prioritize safety. bit.ly/pirgreport

From the Editorial Board: Under Gov. JB Pritzker, we thankfully have utility regulators who look out for consumers rather than utility profits.

An update to my work on the adventures of investing in US LNG exports. “Not once did I get asked a question by a banker: ‘Hey, if I lend you the money, will you get paid back?’” he said. “The only question I ever got asked was, ‘Do you have a permit? Or can you get a permit?’”

❄️ Winter weather is on the way! Salt enhances safety and helps with icy conditions, but excessive salt use can also harm our local water environment, fish, wildlife, insects, bodies of water, soil, and the paws of our four-legged friends. 🐕 🐈 🐢🐟 🦅🦝🐾 Learn to #SaltSmart this winter! mwrd.org/salt

An examination of Martin Scorsese’s mob movie 30 years after its release. https://bit.ly/48Ce8c8

The child advocacy nonprofit Fairplay issued an advisory on Thursday warning people against buying AI toys this holiday season. It's not the only group. n.pr/43HKAat

The Illinois Commerce Commission slashed a proposed $314.3 million Nicor Gas rate increase by nearly 47% Wednesday, keeping a lid on rising energy bills for many suburban Chicago customers next year.

I'm dense when it comes to finance, so the fact that I got to a point of understanding how utilities earn profit and why they should or shouldn't earn less means you can too. I stayed up till 3am trying to explain in an accessible way. Hopefully it was worth it! heatmap.news/energy/calif...

Two more good decisions from the IIlinois Commerce Commission... STATEMENT: Regulators slash Nicor, Ameren rate hikes pirg.org/illinois/med...

If you're into question of mental health chatbots being a little unhinged, my colleague Ellen Hengesbach did some fascinating testing. V enjoyable read: pirg.org/edfund/artic...

The consensus is that the electrification of transportation will destroy 5 million barrels per day of oil demand by 2030. In this new piece I argue that this number is too low for a bunch of reasons.

Maryland utiility regulators are using their new authority to ensure Washington Gas' pipe safety spending priritizes safety and is cost effective pirg.org/maryland/upd...

signs of future turmoil for LNG Demand in China and India still down from last year, no sign of a turnaround www.reuters.com/markets/comm... Pakistan cancels 21 LNG cargoes, as solar takes over www.reuters.com/sustainabili...