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Sarah T. Fischell

@sfischell.bsky.social
1.7K followers 1.6K following 1.4K posts

Climate action advocate. Born at ~310 ppm. @estee_nj on Twitter etc. Climate solutions & #energytwitter fan. Unitarian Universalist, @cclusa.org, Cornell. She/her/hers. Band person.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Sarah T. Fischell
Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
For those curious about what's in the Senate permitting bill (BAAJA 🌴), this breakdown of what's in the bill for non-policy-experts is a nice place to start. www.policyinnovation.org/insights/wha...
policyinnovation.org
What's in the Senate permitting bill — Environmental Policy Innovation Center
A section-by-section guide to the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026, the permitting deal released September 30, 2026. Filter by energy type, reform category, bill title, or commit...
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Dana Nuccitelli @dananuccitelli.bsky.social · 21h
For @climateconnections.bsky.social today I wrote about America's potential impending power grid crisis. Power demand is rising fast from AI data centers, etc. and we're in danger of failing to meet it if we can't figure out how to build transmission faster. #BAAJA is well-timed.
yaleclimateconnections.org
America is hurtling toward a power grid crisis » Yale Climate Connections
Electricity demand is skyrocketing, utility bills are spiking – but it could take years to build the new transmission lines that would address the problem.
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 10h
Good discussion.
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Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · 13h
Good discussion of permitting reform leg that just dropped this week. open.substack.com/pub/centrala...
open.substack.com
Are We About To Get Permitting Reform That’s Actually...Good? [Replay]
Josh, Ben, Megan and Jane Flegal discuss what’s in a very exciting bipartisan permitting reform bill and the likelihood Congress will pass it after the election.
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Dana Nuccitelli @dananuccitelli.bsky.social · 20h
We @cclusa.org are proud to endorse the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act #BAAJA "For too long, an outdated and inefficient permitting system has slowed the clean energy projects and transmission infrastructure we need to cut emissions and build a cleaner, more reliable energy system."
citizensclimatelobby.org
CCL endorses Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act
Citizens' Climate Lobby is excited to mobilize our grassroots volunteers in full support of this bipartisan permitting reform package.
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Brendan Pierpont @brendan.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Grid utilization is a buzzy buzzword, but this paper does an awesome job defining it, showing how you measure grid utilization, and explaining why it matters: www.utilizecoalition.org/defining-gri...
utilizecoalition.org
Defining Grid Utilization | Utilize Coalition
A practical framework for defining, measuring, and applying grid utilization to support better grid decisions and improve affordability.
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Sounds lovely.
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Reposted by Sarah T. Fischell
Coach Jerry (referee 🔵) @gopher33j.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I have my great great great grandfathers diary in my possession - he drew this in 1845. There were no photos so he drew what he saw. I am sharing Henry T Whinfield’s art for the first time ever to the world. This is a world debut.
Drawing of a windmill
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I find it heartbreaking to think about the inundation problems in Miami’s future (and present).* But maybe CMU architects & engineers will help the city figure out how to stand and fight. *Ditto my home county on the NJ shore.
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
will work & be fair. I am sure admin capacity is essential…and that’s hard. IMO: We need xmission for “clean is cheap, & cheap is clean”. And ☀️, 🔋, 🌬️, & transmission can shrink O&G to a pittance. We won’t get another shot till 2030+. Thx so much for the essay, etc. I will think some more. 2/2
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Indeed this compromise is a bet that clean resources will win on a level playing field and that a more streamlined CWA, CAA, etc process will still provide excellent environmental outcomes. I know it’s different from how we’ve won in the past, and I need to understand better how the new process 1/
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I did see one comment today that the addl admin capacity that’s needed to make faster timelines work is under funded. If that’s true, that’s a big problem. But we can’t reduce asthma rates or keep electricity affordable w/o the xmission & clean gen this bill promises. We’ll know more in a few days.
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Thanks.
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Sorry I’ve misread you. And v sorry I mischaracterized your position. I apologize.
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I’ll note (from the cheap seats): These four Senators have been working on this problem for quite a while. Some are moving to new jobs in the next Congress. E.g., Whitehouse and Lee are expected to go lead Judiciary. There will be staff changes too. So, this is these senators’ final push AFAICT.
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I asked two lawyers: why bother to do a permit reform law if our rogue POTUS will just stop projects anyway? Each approx said: Done right the new law can greatly strengthen who gets to sue & how strong a suit is if POTUS tries to stop permitted projects. They considered this a v important step. 🤷🏻‍♀️
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Perhaps. If that’s true, then the bill is a “no go”. Even Whitehouse seemed to say he wanted more assurances. I await more expert analysis. I’ve had lawyers say they expected the bill to enable successful lawsuits if projects are illegally stopped by a rogue executive. And they were OK w that. 🤔
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katie brigham @kbrigham.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
hi energy freaks, as you surely know, the senate has a permitting deal! heatmap explains!
heatmap.news
The Senate’s Big Bipartisan Permitting Deal, Explained
The Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act would remove longstanding roadblocks to expanding the power grid and developing new energy infrastructure. Here’s our guide.
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
why are changes in Section 401 = gut?
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Michael Liebreich @mliebreich.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
My favourite chart from the @IEA special report on electrification. Electricity is only 23% of Final Energy (No big deal), but it's 37% of Useful Energy (What?) and delivers 46% of GDP (Wow!) And it's going clean, fast. Still think there's no transition? iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/1c696...
.
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Why do you think the provisions of this bill gut our environmental protections?
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The alternative plan is to wait till at least 2030 to be able to build renewables, as far as I can tell. Seems bad. (Of course this bill may not work either.)
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Zeke Hausfather @zekehausfather.com · 30/09/2026
The biggest barrier to emissions reductions is increasingly our inability to quickly build clean energy: solar, geothermal, wind, nuclear, transmission, battery storage, etc. Projects are held back by a thicket of regulations and reviews.
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I’m gonna wait for more analysis. Schlenker-Goodrich has over-reacted in the past, basically saying that NEPA must remain untouched. Other experts do not agree. I.e., others believe we can figure out a process that kills bad projects quickly and permits good projects quickly. Maybe this bill is it.
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Senator Sheldon Whitehouse @whitehouse.senate.gov · 29/09/2026
Another fossil fuel con job. Any savings on the front end get eaten up and spat out by excess costs of fuel, which go to — oh, right — Trump’s big corrupt fossil fuel donors. Fuel economy standards have saved drivers hundreds of billions of dollars. www.washingtonpost.com/transportati...
washingtonpost.com
Trump says new fuel economy rules will cut car prices. Analysts are doubtful.
In rolling back fuel efficiency standards, the administration said the average new vehicle price in 2031 should be reduced by $1,300.
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This little video from Senator Sheldon Whitehouse is still darn good. It demonstrates so many things including how big is a zetta joule and how grossly inefficient burning stuff is. youtu.be/2mxdaLe0zDs?...
youtu.be
Sen. Whitehouse Office Supply Explainer - What's a Zettajoule?
YouTube video by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
“Concerned”. 🙄
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This new tool, the Carbon Impacts Tracer, which translates carbon emissions into real-world climate impacts like heat exposure and coral bleaching, looks super useful. ➡️ carbonimpactstracer.com
theguardian.com
New tool directly links carbon emissions to amount of environmental and economic damage caused
Carbon Impacts Tracer can be used to estimate climate impact from emissions across eight different factors, including lost food production
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Getting up at 4:00am gets even harder as you get older. 😩
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John Smillie @johnsmillie42.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Frankly, just what happened to Solar For All and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund should be enough for impeachment. If you repeatedly trounce on Article 1, Congress should fire you.
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
My former colleagues, Mark Cane and Stephen Zebiak, were the first to successfully predict El Niño more than a year in advance in the late 1980s. Now we’re really good at it, and know the consequences. It’d be irresponsible for governments not to take action. Read this from my buddy Jeff Shaman.
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Super El Niño Comes Bearing One Gift: Time to Prepare (Gift Article)
There’s still time to prepare.
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Kevin J. Kircher @kevinjkircher.com · 26/09/2026
We could reduce US fossil-fuel pollution (climate & local air/water) ~25% by cleaning up the grid, ~25% by electrifying ground transport, and ~25% by electrifying heat (for space/water/food/many industrial processes). The last ~25% - everything else - is important but no reason not to do the 75%.
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Commercial Solar Guy @commercialsolarguy.com · 26/09/2026
‘BESS commercial operation startup last month globally: 6,516MW/20,855MWh of capacity…total YTD commissioned BESS capacity 177GWh, an increase of 35%…61% China, 19% Saudi Arabia, 11% Europe, 5% in South and Central America, 2% North America…Europe up 300% capacity in same eight-month period in 2025’
energy-storage.news
21GWh BESS deployed globally in August: One-fifth in Saudi Arabia, European activity soars
Nearly 21GWh of grid-scale BESS came online globally last month, of which around a fifth was in Saudi Arabia while the majority was in China.
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Commercial Solar Guy @commercialsolarguy.com · 27/09/2026
Substation batteries could **DOUBLE** Germany’s solar: ‘technical potential identified across 1,313 rural substations…could enable ~150GW additional photovoltaic capacity…130 GW current capacity…batteries absorb peaks when transformers reach capacity…~1% curtailment of additional solar generation’
renews.biz
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
🤣🤣🤣
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
That’s good news. It went a little more west than originally f’cast, which is keeping the rain further west.
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Ha! #NewWord “BUG” = Back Up Generator.
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Dr. Jonathan Foley @globalecoguy.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Want to see what climate “non-solutions” look like? Here’s a list of weak ideas and greenwashing tricks, with the science behind why they’re not such a good idea. “Not Recommended” by Project Drawdown…. drawdown.org/explorer?cla...
drawdown.org
Drawdown Explorer™
We know what we need to do: stop climate change as quickly as possible. Now, with the Drawdown Explorer, we know how to do it.
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Interesting. Thanks. (I wanted some of these to work, so I’ll need to dig in and read the piece.)
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Here’s one of my favorite Red Bank NJ landmarks this morning. This storm brought “major coastal flooding”. Historic storms w more water = Irene (2011), Dec ‘92 (1992), Donna (1960), & Sandy (2012). Plus maybe 4 other pre-1965 storms that were before my time. Photo via Monmouth Boat Club on FB.
Photo of the Monmouth Boat Club main building, flooded in 9/26/26 nor’easter.
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 25/09/2026
Governors need to get serious about disciplining utilities. Or claiming some of their planning powers for the state. Or making them publicly owned. Enough of this shit.
canarymedia.com
US utilities get failing grade on clean energy transition
Too many utilities are keeping coal plants open, planning new gas plants, and building less renewable energy, the Sierra Club’s latest "Dirty Truth…
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
NJ light tonight has been amazing. I couldn’t quite capture it.
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Chris Bataille @chrisbataille.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Just wait until the Persian Gulf war has had full cycle investment effects on crude oil & LNG use. We ain’t seen nothing yet; the diesel/middle distillate shock is going revise everybody’s priors on electric trucking, etc.
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 23/09/2026
Today on Volts: Home batteries are useful, but not everyone can afford a Powerwall, or wants to deal with an electrician. A company called Pila is selling small (1.6kWh) batteries that can plug into a normal wall outlet and back up appliances or pair with rooftop solar. I talk with the CEO.
volts.wtf
Do small residential batteries make sense?
A conversation with Cole Ashman of Pila Energy.
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
It’s worth remembering that a lot of people in the northeast (esp. Maine, NH, VT) use oil to heat their homes. Heating oil is approx diesel fuel, is at a historic high price, and is more than double the price of a year ago. 😞 (This data is from 2020 census.)
Map of US showing census data on primary source of home heat. Most of New England uses fuel oil.
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Jay Rosen @jayrosen.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
"No one on Bluesky thinks they're interacting with a cross section of the population. But a lot of people on X do think that." —Josh Harshall talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/we-di...
talkingpointsmemo.com
We Didn’t Know Until This Day … Twitter Was the Echo Chamber All Along
Daniel Drezner says we are now in the Wile E. Coyote phase...
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Seems bad. Very bad.
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Glen Peters @glenpeters.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Many countries now report GHG emissions to the UNFCCC. There is a wealth of data, and many stories to tell. Check out the processed data here, via @wflamb.bsky.social lambwf.github.io/Tidy-GHG-Inv...
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Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I'm in love.
youtube.com
2026: Time for the Midterms
YouTube video by Hamilton
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Sarah T. Fischell @sfischell.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Thank you! Very helpful.(So many choices. I’ve been stuck in analysis paralysis.)
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