Rep. Westerman released changes to the SPEED Act. The new version would still establish a framework designed to expedite projects regardless of environmental consequences. There are better ways to reform the permitting process. #energypermitting #energypolicy open.substack.com/pub/paulinaj...

We need more effective planning processes to ensure grid reliability. @fernandez.house.gov introduced the Integrated Resource Planning Modernization Act, which I helped draft during my AAAS Fellowship. #electricity #reliability #IRP #gridplanning open.substack.com/pub/paulinaj...

The 1.5°C target is dead. That makes carbon removal MORE urgent, not less. Climate advocates have rallied for clean energy but stayed silent as Trump canceled CDR projects. Democrats must embrace all climate solutions the climate crisis demands. #Climate #COP30 open.substack.com/pub/paulinaj...

I thought we’d moved past corn ethanol. Science has evolved more than I realized. New post on the messy climate debate around biofuels, and why our focus still needs to be EVs. #ClimatePolicy #Biofuels #Agriculture #ClimateChange #Sustainability #EnergyPolicy open.substack.com/pub/paulinaj...

University “overhead” isn't the problem with research funding. Read my latest Amped Up post to learn why. #EnergyResearch #ResearchFunding #HigherEducation #EnergyPolicy #SciencePolicy open.substack.com/pub/paulinaj...

Your electricity bill is up, and data centers are a big reason why. However, the question of who should pay for the AI boom’s massive power appetite exposes deep cracks in America’s fragmented electricity governance. #EnergySky #ElectricityPolicy #DataCenters open.substack.com/pub/paulinaj...

Your electricity bill is up, and data centers are a big reason why. However, the question of who should pay for the AI boom’s massive power appetite exposes deep cracks in America’s fragmented electricity governance. #EnergySky #ElectricityPolicy #DataCenters open.substack.com/pub/paulinaj...

Data centers could consume 12% of U.S. electricity by 2028. Paradox: they could also stabilize the grid they’re straining. Will they? Probably not in time. #EnergySky open.substack.com/pub/paulinaj...

The federal retreat on hydrogen is frustrating, but it must not be the end of the story. States acting decisively now could position themselves as leaders in the hydrogen economy climate science tells us we desperately need. #hydrogen #climate #energypolicy open.substack.com/pub/paulinaj...

We just submitted comments to EPA on their proposed rescission of the greenhouse gas endangerment finding. The science is clear: GHGs are air pollutants that harm public health through multiple pathways. Policy should follow evidence, not ideology. #Climate #CleanAirAct #EPA

I have concluded that Democrats should not shut down the government. Why get in the way of letting the system collapse under the GOP's hands? Voting has consequences. Let the country feel them. I am sad that so many will suffer, but I don’t see another way to escape this chaos.

Use of the word "evil" in official congressional e-newsletters, over time, by party

Some good news from Colombia: using “coral IVF” economist.com/the-americas... from The Economist

Data centers could increase US electricity costs by 8% and emissions by 30% by 2030. These trends create fundamental challenges for grid planning. Solutions exist, but policymakers must act now. Read more at Amped Up! #Energy #DataCenters #Climate open.substack.com/pub/paulinaj...

The Environmental Protection Agency is attacking science and threatening to reverse a foundational climate protection. Join scientists and experts in speaking out in defense of science, public health, and climate science. act.ucsusa.org/4okjCyf

New Post. Republicans can’t have their cake and eat it too. open.substack.com/pub/paulinaj...

Americans could learn some things from the French.

Republicans are against considering race in college admission reviews, but get excited about considering race in immigration enforcement.

House witnesses this week will claim energy efficiency standards hurt consumers. But research shows the opposite: these policies help families achieve lower bills, healthier homes, and energy security while boosting US clean energy leadership. Read more in Amped Up! open.substack.com/pub/paulinaj...

Two actually good permitting bills heading to House committee: ePermit Act (digital tools + coordination) and NEPA Data Act (empirical analysis of review timelines). Bipartisan, evidence-based, working within existing frameworks. New post: open.substack.com/pub/paulinaj...

Republicans are trying to innovate America back to the 19th century. Republicans would gut environmental reviews and expand coal mining while black lung disease resurges. It’s a stunning failure of imagination from the party that claims to champion innovation. open.substack.com/pub/paulinaj...

The DOE published a climate report that abandons science for ideology. My CMU colleagues and I called it out in our public comments: it’s not serious research, it’s a document designed to serve those who profit from climate inaction. Read our comments on Amped Up. open.substack.com/pub/paulinaj...

“Thoughts and prayers” don’t seem to be working.

America’s property insurance crisis could make 2008 look small. Insurers fleeing entire states, premiums tripling, millions of homes becoming uninsurable. $1.47T in property losses projected by 2055. The hardest truth: managed retreat is inevitable. New post: open.substack.com/pub/paulinaj...

If you haven’t done so yet, check out my new Substack Newsletter: Amped Up - Energy Policy Talk. I have already published a few essays about permitting reform and grid planning. I will soon write about capacity markets, data centers, and hydrogen. Subscribe now! paulinajllo.substack.com

🔌💡 The lights come on when you flip the switch, but we may not be ready for what’s coming. NERC warns of electricity shortages ahead while we’re juggling exploding demand, renewables, and climate change with broken governance. Why our planning is failing: open.substack.com/pub/paulinaj...

Final post in my permitting series! A Path Forward: One Way to Fix America’s Overburdened Permitting System. From consolidating agency authority to cutting paperwork bloat, here’s what sensible reform could look like. Too bad we have a dysfunctional Congress. open.substack.com/pub/paulinaj...

New post: Congress rejected bipartisan permitting reform in 2024 that would have helped clean energy. Now we are facing the SPEED Act, legislation that would gut environmental review entirely. Sometimes imperfect compromise beats purity. 🔌💡 open.substack.com/pub/paulinaj...

Here is my first essay on Permitting Reform. I am still struggling with this subject and will expand my thoughts in future posts. open.substack.com/pub/paulinaj...

🧵I have been operating under the assumption that I will not be able to get federal funding for the next 3.5 years. This EO just confirms my assumption. The order effectively removes scientific review from the grantmaking process.

🔌💡Launching “Amped Up: Energy Policy Talk” newsletter. After a year as a Congressional Fellow on energy policy, I’ll share insights on the energy transition. First post up. Sign up! open.substack.com/pub/paulinaj...

This video is more relevant and accurate today than it was when it aired 10+ years ago. youtu.be/wTjMqda19wk?...

🧵 Yesterday marked the end of an incredible year serving as an AAAS Congressional Fellow in Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez's office (NM-03). Working alongside her dedicated team was truly a privilege. These public servants do the essential work of protecting our democracy every day. 1/6

💡🔌I am excited to announce that Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández has introduced the Weather-Safe Energy Act of 2025. I had the privilege of leading the drafting of this legislation as part of my AAAS Congressional Fellowship! fernandez.house.gov/news/documen... 🧵

Excellent political cartoon from jaythurber.com/2025/07/17/h...

Tomorrow’s “Energy and Innovation Summit” at CMU, organized by Senator McCormick with Trump attending, is a moral failure. The university is leveraging this event for institutional gain while it promotes fossil fuels as “innovation.” This is slap in the face to real clean energy researchers. 🧵

It’s appalling that we’re going backwards on miner safety, but also the end of coal can’t come soon enough. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/19/w...

If you wonder what important work I have been doing during my fellowship in Congress, the video shows an example 🤣🤣🤣 (To be fair, I have also been working on two bills and other legislative support activities)

Let me tell you: working in Congress is extremely frustrating. I have learned that the challenge of incorporating science into legislation extends beyond getting the information to legislators. In fact, getting the information to them may be the easiest task (and still very difficult).

Has anyone seen any academic work about the idea of re-regulating the US electricity market and returning to the natural monopoly/vertically integrated utility model? #energysky 💡🔌 (or is it 🔌💡?)

These are the posts I need to get through the day these days.

The day American students decide they want to pursue graduate degrees in Biology, Hydrology, Atmospheric Sciences, Math, Physics, Chemistry, electrical engineering, and most other STEM PhD programs is the day universities won’t have to rely so much on international students for research. 🧵

Yes, Republicans are fossil fools, but blue states and Democrats in the red ones are stepping up in terms of climate action in the USA! 🔌💡

The Congresswoman had one success during the Rules hearing on the reconciliation bill. After the exchange below, the Republicans removed the tax break on tanning services from the final bill.

Let me tell you. It has been a rough week. The congresswoman I am working for this year is one of four Democrats on the rules committee. Preparations for the reconciliation bill hearing started in full on Monday and continued all day Tuesday. 🧵

Republicans are taking us back at least 20 years on energy and climate policy. They effectively killed all of the IRA tax credits last night. Now the Senate is ignoring the Parliamentarian to rescind the California Clean Air Act waiver that allows California to establish strict emissions standards.

New Paper: What if only climate-leading states pursued net-zero? Our study finds 23 states could cut U.S. emissions 46% by 2050. Significant, but not enough. State-led decarbonization costs slightly more, shifts tech choices, and leans on electrification and DAC in CA & the Northeast. rdcu.be/em0sg

Dear fellow academics, I highly recommend this article. It reflects my experience in Congress: issues.org/information-...

I have started a separate account for political rantings: @paulijllorpo.bsky.social

Aún que no comparto sus posiciones políticas, me entristece la muerte de Mario Vargas Llosa. Realmente uno de los grandes escritores Latino Americanos del siglo 20.