Both chambers of the Virginia legislature have approved a bill allowing plug-in "balcony solar" devices, with a maximum power output of 1,200 watts, to be used without requiring utility approval. They sent it to Gov. Abigail Spanberger who is expected to sign it. www.utilitydive.com/news/virgini...

SCOOP: Alabama might be the first state to ever ban new solar farms. Why? People are upset about a gigantic solar project that would power a Meta data center. Turns out when you tie solar to data centers, it can quickly become less popular!

Pretty interesting new EIA analysis from the US, v odd it hasn't got more attention Data centre growth will - Boost coal and gas generation - Make electricity prices higher (HUUUGGGE increase in Texas) Not new but V new for the EIA to say this out loud and explicitly www.eia.gov/todayinenerg...

Declaring that no quarter will be given is straightforwardly prohibited under international humanitarian law. When done to threaten an adversary, the declaration itself amounts to a war crime. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/u...

The Iranian girls’ school was hit by a US tomahawk cruise missile. NPR has confirmed the footage.

Imagine all the cool, fast trains we could have with the billions we spend on bombs.

One of the best people i know, @gruberte.bsky.social came on this podcast to talk about the work she is doing with two of the other best people i know, @jmijin.bsky.social and @jlappen1.bsky.social. One big takeaway for me is this...

Energy pundits who've been focusing on affordability should be thinking seriously about the spikes in natural gas and electricity bills that retail customers are about to see as the illegal US/Israel war on Iran drives up global oil and gas prices - and the role & history of US O&G export policy.

Via the NYT: Israel's state comptroller reported last year that, as of early 2025, "only 37 of the 11,775 public shelters are in Arab municipalities, and eight of those are not fit for use." www.nytimes.com/2026/02/28/w...

Scotland's Community Wealth Building Bill is a potentially world-changing strategic economic law with the power to end billionaire domination. Little wonder that *zero* English media outlets have covered it.

👀The federal judges in West Virginia, where ICE has been pulling over and detaining people on the freeway, are literally screaming about ICE's tactics. "It is an assault on the constitutional order," Judge Goodwin says. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

pretty stunning chart

Someone has sure already made this observation but the fact they can convert all those empty warehouses into prison camps means they could have converted them into housing, community centers, job training centers or, hell, libraries or schools all along. It’s always a matter of will not resources.

Who is leading the fight against the Trump admin attack on universities & our communities throughout this country? Unions are! @senbillferg.bsky.social @mddems.bsky.social & @mdhousedems.bsky.social, help us help defend democracy & MD universities by passing our collective bargaining bill!

Trump cut Medicaid & SNAP so he could use that money to warehouse millions of people who, according to DHS’s own numbers, pose no threat to public safety. It's inhumane & a waste of your taxpayer money. We need to claw back these funds & put an end to their prison camps.

DHS is shutting down because it refuses to obey the law. They are tear-gassing schools, killing American citizens, and disappearing legal immigrants. Democrats shouldn’t fund an out of control ICE.

Please enjoy our research paper on how Bluesky is the preferred home of academics of all stripes, including professors of rare moths. (Yes, we actually have lots of entomologists here). academic.oup.com/icb/article-... 🧪

NEW: The FDA just shot down Moderna's new flu shot. From me: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

This is every city, every town, every urban centre, every single time car traffic is restricted. It is always a net social and economic benefit. There are no credibly documented exceptions.

France has ended up in a strange position after using some €250bn of tax-payer money to build a fleet of nuclear power stations. Wind and solar power is merrily entering the French power market at prices nuclear production can't match, resulting in huge surpluses of power. 1/

What progress has China made towards meeting its new energy vehicle (NEV) targets? CGS's recent report finds China’s NEV market penetration rate rose by 20.4% from 2022 to 2024, and most provinces and cities are on track to meet or exceed 2025 NEV targets: go.umd.edu/ChinasEVH...

Many said we were exaggerating a year ago when we argued that Trump is a clear and present danger to our democracy. A year later they are eating their words. It’s up to every single one of us to save our democracy. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/u...

JUST IN | Israeli forces detonated & destroyed the Morag Water Station in Rafah today, a facility that supplied water to roughly one-third of the city’s residents before the war, Palestinian investigative journalist Younis Tirawi Reuters w/ footage purportedly circulated by Israeli soldiers. The...

At the conclusion of her introduction Judge Reyes emphasizes what's really at stake here: "Secretary Noem complains of strains unlawful immigrants place on our immigration-enforcement system. Her answer? Turn 352,959 lawful immigrants into unlawful immigrants overnight."

What could possibly go wrong? www.npr.org/2026/02/02/n...

Lots of teargas at ICE tonight in Portland. People were just standing and chanting.

Next time someone asks you about energy and land use, maybe remind them that the ~35 million acres that currently grow corn for ethanol in the US could produce ~15 PWh per year of electricity from solar photovoltaics. That's ~3.5 times more than *total annual generation from all US power plants*.

New from @gruberte.bsky.social and I in @science.org: The energy transition is at risk, and energy models are missing the threat. Fossil energy networks from oil to coal to gas have minimum viable scales of operation, and those thresholds are closer than we think: www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.... 💡🔌

A sprawling new immigration detention facility is planned for Western Maryland, and Washington County officials say there is nothing they can do to block it. buff.ly/OBV85Qp

1) Fuck ICE, and 2) in our ongoing pursuit of a more just, more dignified, more joyful, and better future, @jlappen1.bsky.social and I are really proud of our new piece in Science on managing fossil fuel phase-out www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

ICE currently has a code of professional conduct. Among other things, it requires agents to be "professional, police, respectful, considerate, helpful and patient in all official activities ... even in the face of considerable provocation."

AGU has an easy-to-use toolkit set for public feedback to proposed government actions. Now is a great time to respond to NSF’s proposed shuttering of NCAR. agu.quorum.us/campaign/154...

76 % of Democrats and nearly half of independents support aobolishing ICE. Who are the Democrats governing for, @schumer.senate.gov ?

I am a 'no' on the DHS funding bill. Not another penny for ICE. We cannot give more money to a group of cowards who are making our country less safe.

Trump's ICE just purchased a warehouse in MD for $100M to hold 1,000+ detainees. Last week, I joined Marylanders demanding that ICE stay out. This Admin is spitting in the face of communities from Minneapolis to Maryland & wasting our tax dollars. We won't back down. (1/2)

Yeah not only are these terrible, they bear little resemblance to other asks that party caucuses are making. I just got a Hispanic Caucus list of "non-negotiables" that has like 20 other things on it. The Senate Dems are squandering the moment in real time.

Call your senators, tell them just how inadequate this is. 5calls.org

Chuck Schumer just announced demands on DHS to avoid shutdown: 1. End roving patrols, tighten rules on warrants 2. Enforce accountability & unified code of conduct for agents 3. No more masks & require bodycams There are *already* standards on much of this. The issue is DHS isn't following them!

Voting NO on the DHS funding bill is the bare minimum. Backing Kristi Noem’s impeachment is the bare minimum. Holding law-breaking ICE agents legally accountable is the bare minimum. ICE is beyond reform. Abolish it.

For me, a "reasonably-sized electric vehicle" is an ebike. I will keep my internal combustion car going until it reaches end of life and hope that I can skip electric car ownership altogether.

Alarmed by ICE's violent tactics, Maryland lawmakers say they'll put limits on federal immigration enforcement. Read their plans: www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...

I've gotten to know my neighbors by organizing weekly block parties in the spring/summer. Thursday evenings after work till it gets dark. Seattle has a free permit process if you want to close your street. I'm putting in my 2026 application now.

NY Times: "while Mr. Pretti is on his knees and restrained, the agent standing directly above him appears to fire one shot at Mr. Pretti at close range. He immediately fires three additional shots." 1/2 www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

I actually think abolishing ICE *is* worth shutting down the government over. Grind all business to a halt in Congress. Nothing should get done so long as ICE is part of any funding bill. THAT'S what you can do now, @democrats.org.

Van Hollen: "They really think the American people are stupid. I mean, we can all see the video. We saw the video with Renee Good. We saw the video with Alex Pretti. The real domestic terrorists are in the White House right now."

Senate Democrats will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included.

Memory is a fragile thing in this moment, so it is important to keep in mind that Hakeem Jeffries refused to whip his caucus against ICE funding earlier this week.

Not one more cent for DHS and ICE. We have the power to end this.