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Emily Pontecorvo

@emilypont.bsky.social
13K followers 1.2K following 534 posts

Staff writer @heatmap.news | signal: emilypont.89

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Reposted by Emily Pontecorvo
Alex Pawlowski @apawlows.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Heatmap House time, a session on The Future of Mobility with a variety of panels
Loungers in front of a bottom lit stage setup with Heatmap branding
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Reposted by Emily Pontecorvo
Zahra Hirji @zhirji.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Rebecca Ochoa had a heat stroke during a high school volleyball tryout. That was 11 years ago. “I am still not the same as before this happened, physically or mentally,” she told @bloomberg.com. New story on the long recovery of heat stroke survivors (gift link): www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
One Hot Day Can Change Your Body for Years
Heat stroke can damage the brain, heart, kidneys and liver. As extreme heat becomes more common, doctors are learning just how difficult recovery can be.
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Reposted by Emily Pontecorvo
katie brigham @kbrigham.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Pacific Fusion just broke ground in Albuquerque on a $1 billion fusion reactor designed to do what no company or lab ever has before: produce more energy than the entire machine consumes, by 2030
heatmap.news
Pacific Fusion Just Broke Ground on a $1 Billion Test Reactor
The New Mexico facility aims to achieve net energy gain by 2030.
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Reposted by Emily Pontecorvo
katie brigham @kbrigham.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
the US is in the midst of a historic nat gas buildout — with much of it tied to data centers, many of the biggest projects going off-grid, and a meaningful chunk of it dirtier than the last big gas boom in the 2000s
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
There's been a lot of news about natural gas megaprojects tied to data centers recently, and it's getting hard to keep track. I put together a list of the 10 biggest projects, (according to their developers' aspirations, at least,) and the status of each. heatmap.news/energy/10-bi...
heatmap.news
The U.S. Is Building Natural Gas Power Twice as Fast as China
A new report from Global Energy Monitor shows how the scale of planned projects is driving the fossil fuel boom.
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Reposted by Emily Pontecorvo
jae holzman @jael.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
This is the timeline on the Fast-41 dashboard. The biggest gas power project in the U.S. is only receiving an environmental assessment under NEPA, and I’m unsure how the air pollution side will be handled in all this. I’m waiting for comment from Ohio EPA.
Milestone
Original Target Date

Current Target Date Milestone Complete
Determination to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) (Agency Action)
07/13/2026
07/13/2026

Issuance of a Final EA (Agency Action)
12/23/2026
12/23/2026

EA Process Concluded (Agency Action)
12/23/2026
12/23/2026
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
The biggest fossil fueled power plant EVER BUILT IN THE US.... will get an environmental assessment, the less rigorous review under the national environmental policy act... and complete permitting in just 7 months, per the Trump admin. yep
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Does anyone know if any of the DOE's emergency orders allowing grid operators to dispatch backup gensets as demand response have actually been utilized?
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
There are a LOT of ongoing lawsuits over Trump's funding freeze and subsequent grant cancelations. In light of the recent Climate United decision, I waded through the cases and broke it all down — the types of suits, the big legal questions, impt rulings to date, etc. heatmap.news/politics/tru...
heatmap.news
The 5 Big Legal Questions Holding Up Billions in Climate Funding
Here’s where things stand after some major recent decisions.
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
The Trump administration has now spent nearly $4 billion from the Judgement Fund to cancel offshore wind leases
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
BREAKING: RWE is the latest offshore wind domino to drop, a move I predicted back in April. RWE settled with the Trump admin to cancel its leases in the NY Bight and California for $1.2 billion. americas.rwe.com/press/2026-0...
americas.rwe.com
RWE U.S. Offshore reaches settlement agreement with U.S. Department of Interior on offshore wind leases
RWE U.S. Offshore has reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of the Interior to resolve claims against the U.S. Government and relinquish its offshore wind leases off the coasts of New York, Ca...
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
This morning's dispatch from @alexckaufman.bsky.social is a meaty one, with news on the pending Section 232 polysilicon investigation decision and Oklo splitting some atoms for the first time ☢️ heatmap.news/am/trump-win...
heatmap.news
Trump May Be Forced to Resume Wind Project Permits
On Trump’s polysilicon tariffs, Oklo’s milestone, and black lung
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Reposted by Emily Pontecorvo
Jeva Lange 🫎 @jeva.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Unlike the Ontario wildfires, which were mostly burning in the woods, these fires have now burned through urban areas, making the smoke extra, extra toxic. Take the AQI warnings seriously this week, PNW neighbors.
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Reposted by Emily Pontecorvo
Michael Wara @michaelwara.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
We also need a radical rethink of how schools handle this issue. We have research coming out in the coming weeks that covers two years of indoor AQ at schools in CA impacted by smoke. The system we have doesn’t protect kids. And kids are extremely vulnerable, esp where baseline AQ is bad to start.
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Reposted by Emily Pontecorvo
Michael Wara @michaelwara.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
My proposal is that HEPA filters should be covered by health insurance for everybody with a preexisting condition (COPD and lots else but also including pregnancy and early childhood) and that AQ notices to vulnerable people should happen through their electronic health record systems.
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
I don't really understand this -- even if the new rebate rules prevent fuel SWITCHING, can't you still use the rebate to get a heat pump and just keep your existing propane heater in place, but not really use it? (or... get rid of it later..?)
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Reposted by Emily Pontecorvo
Heatmap News @heatmap.news · 02/07/2026
The eligibility window for solar and wind tax credits closes on July 4. Democrats have vowed to bring them back — whether or not the industry wants them. Here’s @emilypont.bsky.social on why the case for reinstatement is more complicated than it might appear: heatmap.news/energy/solar...
heatmap.news
The Wind and Solar Tax Credits Are About to Expire. Will They Come Back?
Democrats in Congress are determined to restore them. That isn’t necessarily what the industry wants.
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
TIL there is a natural gas turbine company called "Solar Turbines"
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
New Jersey leg just passed a big suite of energy bills: plugin solar, advanced grid technologies, and a bunch of data center regulations. Full list here from Sierra club: www.sierraclub.org/new-jersey/b... Story on nixing the data center tax credit from Heatmap: heatmap.news/politics/new...
heatmap.news
New Jersey Lawmakers Just Nixed a 2-Year-Old Data Center Tax Credit
The bill is part of a package now sitting on Governor Mikie Sherrill’s desk.
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
cool job alert: NYC Urban Green Council is hiring a director of policy www.urbangreencouncil.org/wp-content/u...
urbangreencouncil.org
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Who can tell me more about why the 1978 Energy Tax Act had to specify that swimming pools could not be claimed as an energy storage medium !
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
BREAKING: Duke Energy has signed the 4th settlement agreement with the Trump administration to relinquish its offshore wind leases. In this case, Interior says Duke will re-invest the $129 million into "generating capacity" but did not specify what kind. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/29/c...
nytimes.com
Trump Administration Pays Duke Energy $129 Million to Halt Offshore Wind Farm
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Reposted by Emily Pontecorvo
Matt Zeitlin @zeitlin.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Where data centers are leading to higher costs, it's because of constrained grids and capacity markets that aren't working. A ratepayer protection pledge might get hyperscalers to pay for some substations, but won't fix these market issues heatmap.news/politics/rat...
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Reposted by Emily Pontecorvo
Matt Zeitlin @zeitlin.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Big tech comapnies are at least open — if not outright supportive — of bills and pledges that could put them on the hook for billions of dollars of costs. Why? heatmap.news/politics/rat...
heatmap.news
Will the Ratepayer Protection Act Protect Ratepayers or Big Tech?
Hyperscalers might be paying billions to avoid blame for rising electricity prices.
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Fascinating issue of @hannahritchie.bsky.social's newsletter today on deforestation and trade. I had no idea that most deforestation in Brazil related to beef production is driven by demand in Brazil itself... hannahritchie.substack.com/p/deforestat...
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
This is so cool. Such an incredible resource!
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Really sad news. Such a big loss for Inside Climate News and environmental journalism broadly. www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l...
courier-journal.com
James Bruggers, longtime environmental 'watchdog' for Kentucky, dies
James Bruggers, whose decades of environmental reporting in Kentucky and beyond helped win cleaner air and cleaner water, is dead at 68.
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Did you know that @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social is now writing a nightly briefing for our subscribers? A short missive analyzing the news of the day. Yesterday’s was a banger. heatmap.news/daily/trump-...
heatmap.news
Trump’s War on Gigawatts
A natural gas well in Kansas is not the same as an offshore wind farm in Maine.
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Reposted by Emily Pontecorvo
Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Part 2 of 3 of my decarbonization series: what we're doing wrong and some real world data on hybrid HVAC. What do you agree or disagree with? What stands out to you? #heatpumps www.latitudemedia.com/news/why-hom...
latitudemedia.com
Why home electrification is moving so slowly
Heat pumps do their job. The defaults we've wrapped around them don't.
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Breaking: Trump made another deal to pay an offshore wind developer to walk away from all 4 of its leases, this time with Invenergy. More details in Heatmap. heatmap.news/energy/trump...
heatmap.news
Trump Pays $765 Million to Kill 4 More Offshore Wind Leases
The deal with developer Invenergy includes a commitment to build geothermal generation in addition to natural gas.
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Reposted by Emily Pontecorvo
Matt Zeitlin @zeitlin.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
great story by @emilypont.bsky.social about anthropic finally getting involved in the climate discussion while also likely having a very carbon intensive energy footprint heatmap.news/climate/anth...
heatmap.news
Anthropic Is Buying Carbon Removal — But Not Clean Power
That may be not be the case for long, though, as the AI company poaches energy talent from Google, Meta, the DOE, and others.
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Big news today that Anthropic is joining the carbon removal initiative Frontier... despite doing no clean energy work. Some might call it a textbook example of betting on carbon removal to clean up its mess later. Except Anthropic is now poaching clean energy talent... heatmap.news/climate/anth...
heatmap.news
Anthropic Is Buying Carbon Removal — But Not Clean Power
That may be not be the case for long, though, as the AI company poaches energy talent from Google, Meta, the DOE, and others.
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Is the market for electrification big enough for two battery-powered induction stove companies? Impulse Labs and Copper are suing each other. @kbrigham.bsky.social has the deets. heatmap.news/climate-tech...
heatmap.news
America’s Most Hyped Induction Stove Startups Are Suing Each Other
Copper and Impulse Labs have taken their patent fight to court.
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Some of the most important things companies could do to address climate change are not recognized or rewarded by net-zero or carbon accounting frameworks. Some of the most meaningless things they can do are. Several recent critiques argue for a new paradigm. heatmap.news/sustainabili...
heatmap.news
Are We Too Obsessed With Carbon Accounting?
A new Searchlight Institute report joins a growing chorus arguing that corporate climate targets do more harm than good.
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Trump’s Department of Justice is giving up on defending the president’s offshore wind permitting moratorium. New from me: heatmap.news/sparks/trump...
heatmap.news
Trump Concedes a Battle in His War Against Offshore Wind
The administration filed to dismiss an appeal of a December ruling that overturned its offshore wind permitting freeze.
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Surprised I'm not seeing more about this... CDP, formerly the carbon disclosure project, which for a long time has been a nonprofit, is going private greenhouse gas reporting is a big business
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
"Today, people throw around the 'climate change denier' label often enough that it has lost some of its charge. But Raymond was the genuine article, a true villain." Rob on the legacy of Lee Raymond. heatmap.news/daily/lee-ra...
heatmap.news
Lee Raymond, 311 ppm – 421 ppm
The former ExxonMobil CEO left his legacy both on the Earth and in the sky.
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
I think a major litmus test in this moment will be how climate activists and enviro groups approach the Becerra campaign
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
I even learned how to make a Sankey! Hopefully I did it right
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Fun project out today from me and @zeitlin.bsky.social: Some 40 climate tech founders and CEOs are alumni of SpaceX and Tesla. We mapped out what sectors they went into, how much $ they raised, and talked to them about what they learned working for Musk. heatmap.news/climate-tech...
heatmap.news
Elon Musk’s Climate Tech Mafia
SpaceX and Tesla have produced executives and founders across the clean energy world. Here’s what they had to say about working for their former boss.
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Across 400 NYC apartments, Entech's sensors and AI software drove boiler efficiency gains that slashed emissions by nearly 25% and generated more than $5 million in savings for property owners during the winter heating season. Pretty cool. from @kbrigham.bsky.social heatmap.news/climate-tech...
heatmap.news
This AI Software Saved New Yorkers $5 Million in Heating Costs
Entech’s S2 platform debuted last year to help make century-old boilers more efficient.
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
In April I reported on some concerning conduct within the GHG Protocol. Now, Danny Cullenward, a member of its oversight board, has resigned in protest, accusing GHGP of handing standards development over to “a secret, industry-dominated drafting process.” heatmap.news/carbon-remov...
heatmap.news
Tensions Mount at Greenhouse Gas Protocol as Scientist Resigns in Protest
The move by University of Pennsylvania researcher Danny Cullenward intensifies a debate over integrity at the carbon accounting organization.
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Reposted by Emily Pontecorvo
Heatmap News @heatmap.news · 02/06/2026
BREAKING: A group of states led by @newyorkstateag.bsky.social sued the Trump administration over its deal with TotalEnergies to buy back two offshore wind leases worth nearly $1B. Here’s @emilypont.bsky.social with the details: heatmap.news/energy/total...
heatmap.news
New York Just Filed the First Major Challenge to Trump’s TotalEnergies Deal
Attorney General Letitia James leads a group of states suing the administration’s move to buy back two offshore wind leases.
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
It cost $48 million to operate. chump change. Probably cost a lot more to dismantle. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/c...
nytimes.com
Trump Administration to Dismantle Ocean Monitoring System
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Yes, this was one explicit purpose of the program as written into the law. (the High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Program rebates, not HOMES rebates)
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
The DOE's new home energy rebate guidance will "block the vast majority of upgrades the program was designed to fund" according to Evergreen
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
The DOE just issued new guidance for the IRA home rebate programs, which will get the money flowing to states that have been held up. 🔌⚡ At least one major (and potentially illegal?) change, though: The rebates can no longer be used to fund gas -> electric appliance switching.
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Reposted by Emily Pontecorvo
Todd Woody @toddwoody.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Breaking: California becomes the latest blue state to retreat on climate goals amid affordability concerns as regulators Friday evening voted to revamp its landmark carbon market to ease costs to the oil industry with $4 billion in incentives. Free link. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
California Overhauls Carbon Market Over Affordability Concerns
State makes $4 billion concession to oil industry amid soaring gasoline prices.
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
horrible
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
I went long on Span, the electrical panel company scaling the concept of utilizing the existing capacity on the grid from homeowners saving $ installing EV chargers to utilities saving $ avoiding transformer upgrades to AI users hunting for compute heatmap.news/energy/span-...
heatmap.news
Span Is Building a New Kind of Electric Utility
The maker of smart panels is tapping into unused grid capacity to help power the AI boom.
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