Alexander Kaufman on LinkedIn: Portugal Is At War With Itself Over ‘White Gold’ (2024)

I’m thrilled to share that I’m part of this year’s Columbia Energy Journalism Fellowship, spending a week next month with 19 of the world’s best reporters in my field attending workshops led by the university’s premier lecturers on energy policy. I’m really excited for the program, and honored to be chosen alongside so many people whose bylines I constantly read.

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In September, the Biden administration issued the first major update to federal standards on gas furnaces in nearly 40 years. To comply with the new regulation, manufacturers will need to start selling furnaces that -- at minimum -- convert 95% of their fuel into usable heat, up from 80% under the previous rules. The big companies that make furnaces broadly supported the rule. In theory, gas utilities -- whose business model is threatened by climate policies that promote electrifying with heat pumps -- should support a rule that bets on a future for (slightly less wasteful) gas-fired heating. But the two biggest trade groups representing the industry are pushing Congress to repeal the regulation under the Congressional Review Act. The Senate could vote to do so as early as this evening.

I was back on BBC News' "Business Matters" last night with rahul tandon and Bloomberg's Jeanette Rodrigues. It was a great show, where we talked about our favorite fruits (shout out to Puerto Rican quenepas!), Biden's coal leasing ban in the Power River Basin, the latest Dow Jones record, how the new U.S. solar tariffs could boost India's manufacturing boom, and much more. Listen here if you're interested:

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Thank you to Farah Benahmed, Ryan Norman, Nicholas McMurray and Benjamin (Benji) Backer for such a fascinating conversation at the Nuclear Energy Institute today. With a lineup like that, moderating was easy. I think the audience came away with a strong sense of the fast-shifting politics of nuclear energy, the bottlenecks on the American system, and the challenges ahead for competing in the global export market.And thanks to Ryan Pickering for the photo and for reminding me and everyone else who listened to his spirited talk that there’s no shame in being earnest on LinkedIn!

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Biden has a three-part problem: He wants more nuclear power, reactors are expensive to build, the only way the prices come down is by building them. But what utility wants to go first, knowing that going third or forth will potentially save billions of dollars? In here, I present an option: the federally-owned utility whose board Biden appoints. But Congress set a hard debt limit for the Tennessee Valley Authority back in 1979 and never updated or adjusted the policy to inflation.

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If you're in New York City on May 9, come nerd out about plants with Zoë Schlanger and me as we discuss her remarkable new book at the Greenlight Bookstore located at 686 Fulton Street in Brooklyn.

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I'm a little late to posting this here, but some exciting news. I'm honored to be the inaugural recipient of the East-West Center's Melvin M.S. Goo writing fellowship. It's humbling to receive something named after the veteran Macau-born, Hawaii-raised journalist who went on to lead key English-language publications in Japan and Taiwan, and I take seriously the responsibility to deliver on a serious look at China's nuclear energy boom. I'm in the process of planning a trip to China now for sometime in the next few months. If you're based there, have any knowledge of Chinese nuclear energy, or have anyone you would recommend I speak with -- please get in touch.

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Biden finalized plans for barring new homes that don't meet the latest and greenest building codes from getting some key federal loans.Efficiency experts called it a "long overdue" step to save energy and shave more than $2 billion off utility bills.

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