> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://cleantechwriting.mymagic.page/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Cleantech Stories I'm Following This Month - URL: https://cleantechwriting.mymagic.page/cleantech-newsletter-2026-10-01/ - Published: 2026-10-01T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-01T16:00:00.000Z - Description: NYC Climate Week, a bipartisan permitting reform bill, states suing to save offshore wind, weaker mileage standards, rising gas prices, and the growing backlash against data centers. - Author: Lakis Polycarpou - Tags: #hide-feature-image, #Import 2026-10-13 00:00 ## New York City Climate Week It’s no secret that over the last two years, federal policy in the United States has been very hostile to climate action. But if the turnout for New York City’s Climate Week was any indication, there are still millions of people who care about preserving a livable planet for future generations. ![Three panelists seated on a stage in front of a presentation screen during a Columbia Climate School panel at NYC Climate Week](https://cleantechwriting.mymagic.page/content/images/cleantech-newsletter-2026-10-01__columbia-climate-week.jpeg) Panel discussion hosted by the **[Columbia Climate School](https://www.linkedin.com/school/columbia-climate-school/?ref=cleantechwriting.mymagic.page)** on the different ways cities can tackle energy affordability and the transition to a cleaner energy system. As always, there were too many events to attend in too little time. Thanks to everyone who hosted and participated! I learned a lot, met good people, and got re-inspired. I will be very interested to see how far we come next year. Now, onto the news. ## Is Permitting Reform Finally Here? A bipartisan group of senators has just released a legislative package aimed at streamlining the nation’s permitting process for infrastructure. [As Heatmap reports](https://heatmap.news/politics/bipartisan-permitting-reform?ref=cleantechwriting.mymagic.page), the bill rewrites > a slew of largely procedural laws that have come to frustrate leaders in both parties … The bill would also encourage a build-out of new long-distance power lines, which could help calm surging power prices and unlock more renewable electricity, and weaken the monopoly power of electricity utilities. The proposal also rewrites federal electricity law to ensure that artificial intelligence data centers cannot drive up power rates for American households. At a first glance, there’s a lot to like and many things to hate about the bill. According to Heatmap, its passage reflects the confidence of senators on either side of the aisle that with looser rules, their preferred energy sources will naturally dominate. We’ll see how that goes. It also remains to be seen whether the bill has any shot at becoming law. Senate Democrats are unlikely to move forward without “key assurances that the Trump administration would [end its blockade](https://heatmap.news/plus/the-fight/spotlight/wind-freeze-defense?ref=cleantechwriting.mymagic.page) against permits for wind farms and some other forms of clean energy.” Given the president’s visceral hatred for wind power and his willingness to deploy extra-legal means to achieve his agenda, I’m not sure what assurances would be enough. Which brings us to the next story. ## States Fight Back on Wind It’s hard to overstate the damage of the Trump administration’s full-court press against offshore wind energy. ![Map of the Empire Wind lease area and proposed project area in the Atlantic Ocean south of Long Island, with proposed port facilities and an onshore substation in Brooklyn](https://cleantechwriting.mymagic.page/content/images/cleantech-newsletter-2026-10-01__empire-wind-map.jpg) Visualization of the Empire Wind Project from NYSERDA. Via Wikimedia Commons. Many of the administration’s initial actions—including a Day 1 executive order making the entire outer continental shelf off-limits for development and shutting down existing projects mid-stream—were most likely illegal. In December 2025, a federal court vacated the entirety of the “Wind Order,” calling it an “[arbitrary and capricious violation of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA)](https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/LSB11402?ref=cleantechwriting.mymagic.page).” In the interim, however, a number of offshore wind projects were slowed or temporarily shut down. After the ruling, the administration paid developers to abandon their leases. In New York State, the Department of the Interior [paid wind companies](https://www.thirdway.org/blog/blocked-clean-energy-projects-in-new-york-raise-costs-for-new-yorkers?ref=cleantechwriting.mymagic.page) more than $1.5 billion to stop development, according to Third Way. The impacts in New York have been particularly painful, especially in New York City and surrounding areas, which are “[transmission constrained](https://www.nyiso.com/-/future-new-york-city-electric-grid-reliability-deficiency-explained?ref=cleantechwriting.mymagic.page)” and currently depend heavily on expensive natural gas generation. Since 2021, electricity prices in New York [are up almost 50%](https://www.thirdway.org/blog/blocked-clean-energy-projects-in-new-york-raise-costs-for-new-yorkers?ref=cleantechwriting.mymagic.page). The cancellation of these projects also makes meeting New York’s legally mandated climate targets much more difficult, and was a key factor in Governor Kathy Hochul’s recent push to revise the 2019 climate law. [As reported by Maria Gallucci of Canary Media](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/offshore-wind/new-york-california-fight-trump-offshore-wind-deals?ref=cleantechwriting.mymagic.page), New York and seven other eastern states are now suing to block the administration’s deals. California has filed a similar suit. Unfortunately, a lot of damage has already been done. It remains to be seen what can be reversed. ## The Federal Government Eviscerates Mileage Standards Even as the World Moves Toward EVs On Monday, the Trump administration released new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rules that greatly weaken the push toward more efficient cars. Under the Biden administration, CAFE standards required annual improvements that would have led to a fleet average efficiency of over 50 miles per gallon by 2031\. To meet this target, car manufacturers would need to increase sales of electric vehicles (EVs). Under the new rules, auto manufacturers will only need to reach around 35 miles per gallon—greatly reducing the already-weak incentive for automakers to build and sell EVs in the United States. Currently, only about 10% of cars sold in the US are EVs. Meanwhile, the share of EVs sold globally continues to rise. According to the IEA, EVs now account for nearly 1 in 4 new cars sold globally, 28% of new car sales in Europe, and nearly 55% of auto sales in China. China is increasingly dominating the global EV market with a number of inexpensive models. ![A green BYD DENZA Z9GT electric car parked in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris](https://cleantechwriting.mymagic.page/content/images/cleantech-newsletter-2026-10-01__denza-z9gt-europe.jpg) BYD’s electric DENZA Z9GT arrives in Europe. Not available in the United States. Photo courtesy of media.byd.com. ## The Structural Case for Higher Natural Gas Prices In July, a [Wood Mackenzie Horizons report](https://www.woodmac.com/horizons/why-us-henry-hub-natural-gas-prices-are-set-to-rise/?ref=cleantechwriting.mymagic.page) laid out all the structural reasons that Henry Hub natural gas prices are set to rise. It’s not rocket science. Common sense says that if demand for something goes up, prices will rise, unless producers can supply more. If producer costs go up, they’ll either have to reduce their margins or pass those costs onto their customers. As the report puts it: “We believe Henry Hub is now entering a new era. Over the next decade, we forecast a sustained increase in Henry Hub prices – approaching a real US$5/mmbtu by 2035 - as gas demand surges across the power, industrial and LNG export markets.” “At the same time, the highest-quality acreage for gas production will continue to deplete as US Lower 48 production matures, technology, supply-chain and operational gains have been tapped, and companies holding the best acreage remain committed to pursuing capital discipline. In many areas, technology gains are plateauing and a deceleration in oil-directed drilling is reducing sources of associated gas from the supply stack.” Given the tight correlation between natural gas prices and the cost of electricity, what do all these hyperscalers think is going to happen when they suck up 15-20% of domestic supply? Do we really think that overseas LNG markets can keep paying for gas at these prices — especially if they can just build solar + storage? ## The Backlash Continues Against Data Centers and Utilities Meanwhile, the war of attrition between utilities, developers, data centers, and citizens continues. ### Battery Battles in New York As [Jeff St. John of Canary Media reports](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/batteries/con-edison-battery-developer-fight-nyc?ref=cleantechwriting.mymagic.page), battery storage developers are in a pitched battle with Con Edison over new rules on community-scale battery projects in New York City. According to the story, the private developers have been shut out of the market for almost a year, since Con Ed released a new interconnection policy. Con Ed claims the influx of batteries could overwhelm the grid. Battery developers say this ignores the flexibility advantages of batteries and the potential for active management to significantly increase capacity. ### Data Center and AI Uncertainty Continues Earlier this year, [a report from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)](https://powering-intelligence.epri.com/load-growth.html?ref=cleantechwriting.mymagic.page) suggested that AI data centers could account for as much as 17% of US electricity demand by 2030\. Increasingly, developers have looked to build massive, off-grid gas power plants to meet this demand. All along, though, there have been growing questions about just how much of this capacity would actually get built. According [to a white paper](https://research.relae.co/hubfs/gated-assets/Community%20Opposition%20to%20AI%20Data%20Centers%20Lessons%20Learned%20%7C%20Carbon%20Direct%2C%20July%202026.pdf?ref=cleantechwriting.mymagic.page) from the energy advisory group Relae, community opposition has blocked or stalled at least 46 AI data center projects across 20 states since 2024—and the pace is accelerating: > The data center cancellation surge is structural, not episodic. US AI data center project cancellations quadrupled in 2025 and accelerated into May 2026; more than US$170 billion in announced capacity has been blocked, withdrawn, or stalled by community opposition since January 2024. > > Communities winning these fights represent average America, not wealthy suburbs or typical EJ communities. ### Is the Narrative on AI Shifting? Until recently, opposition to large data centers has been mainly focused on local impacts on land use, energy, and water. Lately, though, it’s becoming more and more difficult to separate data center opposition from growing skepticism about AI in general. Recent stories about out-of-control AI agents hacking foreign governments and whistleblowers talking about rogue AI and human extinction aren’t likely to make data center development easier. AI companies seem increasingly likely to face legal liability for their actions. In a recent interview, AI expert and LLM skeptic Gary Marcus [talked to professor and antitrust lawyer](https://garymarcus.substack.com/p/can-companies-like-openai-keep-getting) Zephyr Teachout about all the ways AI companies and executives could be held accountable for the actions of their agents. Finally, many observers still believe that the current AI boom is a bubble and as Scott Wilson, Chief Investment Officer of Washington University in St. Louis’s endowment, [recently put it](https://www.businessinsider.com/wash-u-cio-says-openai-and-anthropic-are-in-trouble-2026-9?ref=cleantechwriting.mymagic.page), the frontier labs are “not worth the liabilities that they signed up for.” ## The Good News: Renewable Investment Remains Strong If you’re looking for bright spots, there is evidence that in spite of setbacks, investment in clean energy remains strong, both in the US and globally. - In the US, clean energy and transportation investment was up 22% from Q1 ([Rhodium Group](https://rhg.com/research/clean-investment-monitor-us-q2-2026-update/?ref=cleantechwriting.mymagic.page)) - The US energy storage market grew 17% year over year to a record 18.9 GWh in 2026\. Average storage duration increased from 2.8 to 3.5 hours. ([Wood Mackenzie](https://www.woodmac.com/industry/power-and-renewables/us-energy-storage-monitor/?ref=cleantechwriting.mymagic.page)) - Year-on-year clean energy investment was up 54% in the US as project developers rushed to meet tax credit deadlines. These projects “are set to support near-term build in the US” until 2030 ([BNEF](https://about.bnef.com/insights/clean-energy/renewable-energy-investments-show-one-booming-sector/?ref=cleantechwriting.mymagic.page)) - Globally, utility scale co-located solar and storage hit a record of $25 billion in the first half of 2026 — nearly triple the investment in the first half of 2025\. ([BNEF](https://about.bnef.com/insights/clean-energy/renewable-energy-investments-show-one-booming-sector/?ref=cleantechwriting.mymagic.page)) --- That’s it for this month. Please forward this newsletter to anyone who might find it useful. As always, I’d love to hear your perspective on any of these stories. Until next time … *I work with innovators, climate activists, and policy professionals to tell stories that help drive the energy transition. Need help articulating complex energy and tech topics?* [*Drop me a line.*](https://cleantechwriting.com/?ref=cleantechwriting.mymagic.page#contact)