Infrastructure
Americans are exhausted by the cost of living—and energy sits at the heart of it. Recently published research by Kevin Dayaratna and Kat Miller at Advancing American Freedom (AAF) analyzing worldwide data finds that robust energy production is directly tied to higher incomes, greater productivity, longer life expectancy, and lower child mortality. The reality is stark: no country has ever achieved high living standards without substantial energy use.
By Kevin Dayaratna and Paul Teller4 min readJuly 2, 2026
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Energy
The surge in data centers with energy needs equivalent to small cities has put a spotlight on the new transmission infrastructure required to serve these customers. But recent action from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), America’s top energy market regulator, takes aim at a more basic question in this rapid buildout: who pays for that new steel in the ground, and when? Right now, the rules that determine cost allocation are opaque enough that customers who never asked for those upgrades can end up footing the bill. That is the cost-shifting problem the Commission just put a target on for transmission utilities across the country.
By Dylan Maxik4 min readJune 30, 2026
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Energy
Trade tensions between the U.S. and China continue to escalate, and rare earths remain a central pawn, despite an apparent agreement reached last month, in which China would address U.S. concerns over shortages of rare earths and other critical minerals. Earlier this week, China added 10 companies to its export control list, banning exports of dual-use rare earths to firms it says are tied to the U.S. military. The move was a response to Washington’s decision earlier this month to add new companies, including large Chinese firms such as Alibaba and Baidu, to a list of entities it says assist the Chinese military, a designation that restricts their access to U.S. technology and trade.
By David Kemp5 min readJune 29, 2026
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Conservation
In the 154 years since, the world has followed America’s lead, establishing national parks in over 100 countries. The United States now has 63 federally protected national parks, and hundreds of other National Park Service sites including battlefields, trails, seashores, and rivers. Often called “America’s best idea”, all play an incredible role in the preservation of some of the country’s most treasured landscapes.
By Cecilia Fassett4 min readJune 17, 2026
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Energy
The surge in AI and data centers risks driving up electricity demand faster than we can deploy the power lines needed to carry it. The high-voltage transmission that this expansion, and economic growth more broadly, relies on is slow and expensive to develop, and stuck in an outdated regulatory system that often hands the work to local utilities without competition. New analysis from the R Street Institute shows what this costs us, finding that, when transmission projects are open to competitive bidding, they get built cheaper and faster.
By Dylan Maxik4 min readJune 15, 2026
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Energy
Two bills recently passed by the U.S. House—H.R.5631, the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act, and H.R.1687, the CLEAN Act—take direct aim at this regulatory dysfunction. Together, they represent a consequential step toward realizing the full extent of the geothermal opportunity as the legislation now moves to the Senate for consideration.
By Dylan Maxik3 min readJune 4, 2026
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Energy
Since 1998, the federal government has paid nuclear reactor owners more than$10.6 billion in court-ordered damages over a broken contract of its own making. The tab grows by roughly $2 million a day, and total federal exposure may eventually reach $39.2 billion. The cause isn’t a safety failure or a market collapse but rather political failures.
By Prasanna Pydipalli4 min readJune 4, 2026
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Energy
America’s electric grid is facing a structural breaking point. Trillions of dollars of artificial intelligence infrastructure, data centers, and industrial reshoring demand power today, but traditional high-voltage transmission upgrades take five to seven years to deliver firm capacity. Under the status quo, large energy consumers are forced to wait in line, threatening stymied global leadership and lost economic growth.
By Arushi Sharma Frank7 min readJune 2, 2026
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Energy
Last week, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, known as the Quad and consisting of the United States, India, Japan, and Australia, met in New Delhi and hammered out, among other things, a Quad Critical Minerals Initiative Framework.
By David Kemp4 min readJune 1, 2026
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Energy
After two decades of flat demand, power consumption is surging. Grid Strategies forecasts 5.7 percent annual growth over the next five years, and the peak demand could be equivalent to 15 times New York City’s peak energy consumption.
Meanwhile, electricity prices are rising faster than inflation, and families and businesses across the country are feeling the effects.
It’s clear we need more supply, and nuclear power can be part of the solution. It’s safe, clean, dependable, and scalable. The key question for policymakers and ratepayers alike is: Is it cost-competitive?
By Nick Loris4 min readMay 21, 2026
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