Renewable energy and climate politics and policy. Assistant Professor at Tulane University. Joining Case Western Reserve University in July 2026. Author of Owning The Green Grid (MIT Press). More at joshuabasseches.comhttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3ml5pe7wpmk2nA case study in the adverse downstream effects of weakening state-level economy-wide greenhouse gas targets: https://www.eenews.net/articles/north-carolinas-pause-on-solar-spurred-by-climate-rollback-2/06 May 2026 02:57 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml5pe7wpmk2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3ml5j7qrykk2aTom Steyer talking “electric monopolies” on CNN debate stage.06 May 2026 01:07 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml5j7qrykk2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3ml4ylemrck2lThe corruption continues ... https://www.eenews.net/articles/interior-announces-end-of-two-more-offshore-wind-leases/05 May 2026 20:10 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml4ylemrck2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3ml4yb4xhz22lBoston's mayor out with a new climate action plan: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/27/science/boston-2030-climate-action-plan/?et_rid=758929281&s_campaign=todaysheadlines:newsletter05 May 2026 20:04 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml4yb4xhz22lhttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3ml4ucik4a22lWhat do the governor of the fifth most populous state (Josh Shapiro) and a leading candidate for governor of the first most (Tom Steyer) have in common? They are both publicly challenging cost-of-service (cost + ROE) business model of monopoly investor-owned utilities. (1/2)05 May 2026 18:53 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml4ucik4a22lhttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3ml2u4xdvok2cBrian Fitzpatrick was also one of two Republicans who voted against the OBBBA in the House: https://www.eenews.net/articles/pro-renewables-republicans-file-bill-to-revive-credits-2/04 May 2026 23:45 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml2u4xdvok2chttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3mkxnj4zxkc23During the vast majority of the time I was researching and writing my book Owning The Green Grid, over the past 8 years, hardly anyone was talking about data centers and out-of-control electric bills. Now those conversations dominate headlines ... (1/)03 May 2026 17:08 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkxnj4zxkc23https://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3mkvvmq6f2k2mAnother example of how renewable energy politics has shifted from which resources/technologies to who owns them, who profits, how, and who pays? (1/2) https://www.eenews.net/articles/energy-players-clash-over-ny-prohibition-on-utilities-owning-renewables/03 May 2026 00:28 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkvvmq6f2k2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3mkv3opkpps2mWeakened in middle of night and yet still defeated. This is the sort of legislation that should be advancing in a state like California. It's a test of whether Democrats at the state level can really stand up to big industry, and in this case, the answer appears to be no: https://www.eenews.net/articles/california-senate-committee-rejects-climate-liability-wildfire-insurance-proposals/02 May 2026 16:44 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkv3opkpps2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3mkv24y7jq22m. @senatormikebarrett.bsky.social is right to defend Mass Save. Nobody is doubting the energy affordability problem, but it takes a special kind of leader to look past today to tomorrow. (1/2) https://commonwealthbeacon.org/energy/senate-energy-chair-signals-departure-from-house-on-1b-cut-to-mass-save/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DL%2004-24-2026&utm_source=2&utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Senate%20energy%20chair%20signals%20departure%20from%20House%20on%20%241B%20cut%20to%20Mass%20Save&utm_campaign=DL%2004-24-202602 May 2026 16:16 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkv24y7jq22mhttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3mktkgmq7322eThis administration and its enablers in Congress are going after the most vulnerable, and it's not limited to the human species: https://heatmap.news/politics/endangered-species-act-threats?utm_campaign=heatmap_daily_paid&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_uWM1sJG2xaKIelqkmUH3TEGQb-86JLoV6AvKaw7tRknBB6WPV7VQuW6tpDwnC-Rbp1HBGB4C2eyDZnUW9q4K581jRFQ&_hsmi=415246510&utm_content=415246510&utm_source=hs_email02 May 2026 02:03 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3mktkgmq7322ehttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3mktjdqps722eAn example of what a determined PUC can do, even in a restructured state with wholesale competition: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/new-jerseys-approach-to-rising-electricity-prices-bpu-president-guhl-sadovy/817889/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202026-04-23%20Utility%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:84182%5D&utm_term=Utility%20Dive02 May 2026 01:43 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3mktjdqps722ehttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3mktiuy5g6k2eSteyer is openly campaigning on "breaking up PG&E." Pretty bold & unprecedented (but timely, w/ so much attention on out-of-control electric bills). PG&E is fighting back, & in typical monopoly investor-owned utility fashion, doing so through a PAC with a misleading name: https://sfstandard.com/2026/04/23/pg-e-10-million-pac-against-gubernatorial-candidate-tom-steyer/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202026-04-23%20Utility%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:84182%5D&utm_term=Utility%20Dive02 May 2026 01:35 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3mktiuy5g6k2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3mkthuafbs22eAn interesting read on Alaska's energy challenges (something which, I will admit, I hadn't given much thought about until now): https://www.utilitydive.com/news/alaska-energy-challenges-microgrid-storage-nppa/816358/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202026-04-22%20Utility%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:84147%5D&utm_term=Utility%20Dive02 May 2026 01:17 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkthuafbs22ehttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3mkthcw44wc2eThe watering down often happens in the middle of the night: https://www.eenews.net/articles/wiener-weakens-climate-liability-bill-to-clear-key-calif-senate-hurdle/02 May 2026 01:07 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkthcw44wc2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3mktgwr24js2eVirginia, a long-time bellwether of state-level climate politics, is now a bellwether of state-level data center politics: https://www.eenews.net/articles/data-center-politics-dog-virginia-democrats/02 May 2026 01:00 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3mktgwr24js2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3mkskopoogc2jIn a democracy, elections are not "suspended": https://apnews.com/article/congress-louisiana-primaries-supreme-court-03cdb6951d7fefb448bfd2f37f98c0ea?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us01 May 2026 16:34 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkskopoogc2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3mkokbt2vfk2e"'The posting of these agreements affirms what many of us have been concerned about, namely that DOI intended to violate the law by canceling Total’s offshore wind leases and is now instead paying them off with an enormous, unprecedented amount of taxpayer money,' Klein said." https://www.eenews.net/articles/trumps-1b-deal-sinking-offshore-wind-draws-legal-scrutiny/30 Apr 2026 02:17 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkokbt2vfk2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3mkohcj6gic2eThis is "low-hanging fruit" to ease electric bills. Customers were overcharged, that part is not in dispute. FERC must do the right thing here or risk being accurately accused of being in the pocket of the corporations it's supposed to regulate: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/new-england-nescoe-ferc-roe-transmission-avangrid-eversource/818040/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202026-04-21%20Utility%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:84088%5D&utm_term=Utility%20Dive30 Apr 2026 01:23 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkohcj6gic2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3mkogrgyaq22e"We should expect this behavior from utilities. When they finally see value in something, they want to monopolize it and earn a return on it.... But here’s where the forest gets lost for the trees. This decision arrives in a moment of extraordinary urgency when business-as-usual is not good enough." https://www.utilitydive.com/news/minnesota-distributed-storage-xcel-vpp-puc/817888/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202026-04-21%20Utility%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:84088%5D&utm_term=Utility%20Dive30 Apr 2026 01:14 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkogrgyaq22ehttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3mknqozv3n22nGeothermal is coming, and we'll need it to green the grid: https://heatmap.news/energy/fervo-ipo-s-1?utm_campaign=42504806-Real-time%20articles&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9Z5Z0sg5IA_bdBXa4Qj48ukrjDHrKAuU-PB1hxbHH-b2h7SY8_fW0xHREGn7l2cz9wcNshqLlNY08b1hmtufGuOJ5waw&_hsmi=414779877&utm_content=414779877&utm_source=hs_email29 Apr 2026 18:39 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3mknqozv3n22nhttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3mklrlohz7s25The world is transitioning to clean energy, with or without the United States. Why would we want to get left behind? https://www.eenews.net/articles/solar-evs-soared-globally-as-oil-fell-in-2025/28 Apr 2026 23:49 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3mklrlohz7s25https://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3mklqsrtt7s25Very dangerous legislation to monitor in Congress. States and cities are the last line of defense against climate change, which is already extremely expensive and that expense will only grow if left unabated: https://www.eenews.net/articles/senate-republicans-introduce-bill-to-shield-oil-and-gas-industry/28 Apr 2026 23:35 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3mklqsrtt7s25https://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3mkl2xbmpuc2jExcellent reporting from @emilypont.bsky.social shows how the administration sold out the American taxpayer to collude with a foreign company ... all to reduce competition (from offshore wind) for their oil & gas friends at time when electric supply struggles to meet demand: https://heatmap.news/energy/totalenergies-offshore-wind-trump-deal-terms?utm_campaign=42504806-Real-time%20articles&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_9FJAiUXDwTPMMrzp_MK6NuVnhpwH1Foi7sLNGOwnJA3N5Mno4NuU3e26Wp76Lf364vdNC7a6mA57OT1SLFIZETn2u_g&_hsmi=414556533&utm_content=414556533&utm_source=hs_email28 Apr 2026 17:04 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkl2xbmpuc2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/joshuabasseches.bsky.social/post/3mkjngp4ct22lInsightful piece from a top scholar of the U.S. Congress: https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/EE8DE397FB678D93F0DBAAF9B81EB463/S1049096526101978a.pdf/political_leverage_and_legislative_strategy_how_trump_overperformed_with_congress_in_2025.pdf28 Apr 2026 03:30 +0000at://did:plc:u6wntq655ubtrajcy627j775/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkjngp4ct22l