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Zack Colman

@zcolman.bsky.social
5.5K followers 877 following 187 posts

POLITICO climate & energy reporter SIGNAL: zcolman.75

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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
As the Supreme Court weighs a major climate case in Suncor v Boulder, re-upping a @politico.com story I did 7 (!) years ago on the role of attribution science in determining climate damages. www.politico.com/agenda/story...
politico.com
The new science fossil fuel companies fear
Researchers can now link weather events to emissions – and to the companies responsible. A string of lawsuits is about to give “attribution science” a real-life test.
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Reposted by Zack Colman
Robert Rohde @rarohde.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
July 2026 set a new record for the warmest national-average monthly temperature in the Contiguous USA in both the Berkeley Earth and NOAA time series. Ongoing global warming is now starting to carry the USA beyond some of the extraordinary records set during the 1930s Dust Bowl.
Time series chart of July monthly-average temperature across the contiguous USA, showing both Berkeley Earth and NOAA results.  July 2026 set a new record.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
“Cake is just not meant for extreme weather.” Just a great quote in a great @lydiadepillis.bsky.social story on the effect climate change is having on businesses. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/11/b...
nytimes.com
In a Summer of Climate Misery, Businesses Confront the Need to Adapt
Repeated heat waves, wildfires, droughts and storms are solidifying the understanding that new investments are unavoidable.
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Reposted by Zack Colman
Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 10/08/2026
We have very unfortunate news to share today... 😢 I've been an author for this report since 2020, and we just celebrated our 20th anniversary edition last year.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
SCOOP: Trump is ending federal support for NOAA's Arctic Report Card, a major annual update shedding light on the effect climate change has on the Arctic. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026...
subscriber.politicopro.com
POLITICO Pro: NOAA to end support for Arctic climate change report
The authors were informed Monday of the action, which jeopardizes public dissemination of the report on the fast-changing region.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
On CAN wildfire, "forest-mismanagement explanation is borrowed from the wrong forest," @zekehausfather.com writes, noting Canadian boreal is "mostly unmanaged and unsuppressed... the surge in Canadian burning tracks temperature with striking consistency." www.theclimatebrink.com/p/canadas-bo...
theclimatebrink.com
Canada's boreal wildfires aren't just bad forest management
Higher fire season temperatures are strongly correlated with increased area burned
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
GOP govs, utilities joining Trump pledge to ensure data centers don’t increase consumers’ costs — a sign of the topic’s political salience. Aides w/ Dem govs said they weren’t contacted. w/ @jasonplautz.bsky.social , Kelsey Tamborrino & Christa Marshall www.politico.com/news/2026/07...
politico.com
GOP governors, utilities join Trump data center pledge
The governors of Montana, Wyoming and Missouri are endorsing the White House's effort to control data centers' effect on energy prices.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Write-up is here: www.politico.com/news/2026/07...
politico.com
Hochul: ‘Do not question my credentials’ on climate, clean energy
While New York pushed back a near-term climate goal, the Democratic governor touted the state’s solar deployment, a major new transmission line and plans to boost nuclear power to achieve its 2050 net...
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
@governor.ny.gov was direct when I asked about her climate commitment after she walked back NY's climate law “Do not question my credentials in this space.” Hochul made the case for all NY is doing with clean energy on her watch & where it's trying to go: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JwX...
youtube.com
How Governor Kathy Hochul Is Shaping New York's Energy Future
YouTube video by POLITICO
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Reposted by Zack Colman
Kevin Bogardus @kevinbogardus.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Aaron Szabo, the head of Trump EPA's air office, is leaving Szabo was a critical political appointee, tossing the endangerment finding on greenhouse gases — the foundation of EPA's climate rules from @alexguillen.bsky.social @zcolman.bsky.social and me More here: www.eenews.net/articles/tru...
eenews.net
Trump EPA air chief heads for the exit
If his deregulatory actions survive judicial scrutiny, Aaron Szabo will have played a key role in reshaping EPA’s regulatory power.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
“It’s only when we couldn’t make any progress there that we turned more towards the administration to say, ‘Can you help us?’” Why the US oil & gas sector enlisted Trump to topple a major EU climate rule. w/ @benmunster.bsky.social & @saraschonhardt.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2026/07...
politico.com
‘Can you help us?’: US oil execs turn to Trump to topple Europe's climate rules
An inside look at how a climate regulation became a battleground between the U.S. and Europe.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Have weather forecasts appeared... off? Meteorologists say workforce cuts have begun to erode a key data point for severe storm predictions. A spring tornado that took a small Kansas town by surprise sheds light on the problem. More here: www.politico.com/news/2026/07...
politico.com
A ballooning problem: Weather warnings face rising risks from budget cuts
Meteorologists say National Weather Service staff shortages from President Donald Trump's workforce cuts have compromised severe weather forecasts.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
A MAGA activist who made a name in election denier circles snagged an $18.5m federal grant to build the first US coal-fired power plant since 2013. Me, Ian Stevenson & @hmnorthey.bsky.social dig into the mystery company Trump tapped to lead a coal renaissance. www.politico.com/news/2026/06...
politico.com
‘This is not normal’: Trump leans on MAGA organizer to revive coal
The Energy Department is giving millions to a company partially led by a far-right activist and telecom executive to build the nation’s first coal-fired power plant since 2013.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Truly a fun @politico.com Energy Podcast with ND Gov. Kelly Armstrong. Some might say it got ~spicy~. I live for the fun detours and the give-take in these interviews. He was ready to roll with whatever. He maybe even enjoyed it -- hopefully you do, too. youtube.com/watch?v=busl...
youtube.com
North Dakota’s energy production is off the charts. Can it last?
YouTube video by POLITICO
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Electric utilities are trying to use AI to help manage AI -- but they're running into roadblocks from regulators. I spoke with tech companies & power experts about hurdles facing new tools that can squeeze more juice out of the existing grid. www.eenews.net/articles/ai-...
eenews.net
AI could make power grid more efficient — if utilities can persuade regulators
Advocates say a yearslong pattern of rejection from regulators has chilled the pursuit of those new tools — even as power companies are struggling to keep
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
2 Europe-based automakers are caught up in bipartisan legislation to ban Chinese vehicles from the U.S. Scoop here on why Mercedes and Volvo are caught in the crossfire: subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026...
subscriber.politicopro.com
POLITICO Pro: Senate bill blocking Chinese cars would snare two big Europe-based automakers
Mercedes-Benz and Volvo Cars exceed the limits for Chinese control under a bipartisan bill that would ban access to the U.S. market until 2032.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
"The only thing that terrifies me is BYD." Walls that kept Chinese EVs out of western economies are showing cracks. Many wary of Trump cutting a deal with Xi. Global look here w/ @jordyndahl.bsky.social, @saraschonhardt.bsky.social & @charliecooper8.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2026/05...
politico.com
Trump-Xi summit raises a terrifying prospect for America and Europe: Chinese cars
The question is when, not if, U.S. and European auto markets will open up to Chinese EV investment.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
-tax oil and gas companies' "windfall profits" -freeze electricity rates nationally -indefinitely suspend gasoline tax -create clean energy fund @timothycama.bsky.social & I got the first look at @grahamformaine.bsky.social's energy platform. Read it here: www.politico.com/news/2026/05...
politico.com
Graham Platner targets fuel tax, Big Oil in energy plan
The Maine populist Democrat wants to stop electricity price increases, but his plan is silent on a data center moratorium.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
The data center boom boosted revenues for three of the nation's largest publicly listed generator manufacturers. Big year-over-year Q1 gains for $CAT, $CMI and $GNRC from selling generators for power backup to run data centers 24/7. Details here in Morning Energy.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
"History shows us that a crisis of this magnitude is also a catalyst." The energy map is being redrawn in real time, officials said during a week of finance meetings in D.C. @saraschonhardt.bsky.social & I explore what they said and what it means for the future. www.politico.com/news/2026/04...
politico.com
‘We are not going back’: Iran war forces global energy shift
Nations split over doubling down on fossil fuels or accelerating renewables.
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Reposted by Zack Colman
Frank Luntz @frankluntz.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
The price of gas (it’s $1/gallon more expensive now than a year ago) will be a major factor in midterms later this year.
politico.com
White House message to oil CEOs: Pump more oil
Gasoline prices remain high as the conflict with Iran continues.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
This is now free to read: politico.com/news/2026/04/15/trump-officials-oil-ceos-gas-prices-00874147
politico.com
White House message to oil CEOs: Pump more oil
Gasoline prices remain high as the conflict with Iran continues.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
SCOOP: Trump admin will urge top oil & gas CEOs in a Thursday call to boost drilling it bid to lower oil prices. Secs. WRIGHT and BURGUM will lead call. CEOs for leading companies (XOM, CVX, OXY, CLR) invited, among others. w/ @benlefebvre.bsky.social subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026...
subscriber.politicopro.com
POLITICO Pro: White House message to oil CEOs: Pump more oil
Gasoline prices remain high as the conflict with Iran continues.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
The war in Iran is sparking calls by int'l financial institutions for lower-income countries reeling from the conflict to curb fossil fuel dependence. One of the biggest obstacles is Trump. @saraschonhardt.bsky.social & I dig into IMF & World Bank spring meetings. www.politico.com/news/2026/04...
politico.com
‘Can’t make a squeak’: Trump’s fossil fuel push puts IMF, World Bank on defensive
International financial institutions want to help countries achieve goals to move off imported oil and gas. The Trump administration would rather they don't.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Addressing a climate science deniers conference, EPA chief Lee Zeldin acknowledged his presence meant the "walls have collapsed" between federal government and a fringe group of contrarians that other administrations kept at arm's length. w/ @chemnick.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2026/04...
politico.com
Zeldin stars at climate denial conference
The EPA administrator became the first agency chief to speak at the Heartland Institute's annual gathering of people who say climate change benefits humanity.
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Reposted by Zack Colman
Politico @politico.com · 06/04/2026
Dem @colorado.gov Jared Polis thinks his party should talk more about climate change — and "center" their affordability plan around it. "I don't think there's any part of America that's been spared the impact of climate change," he told @zcolman.bsky.social on POLITICO Energy. 🎧 politi.co/4sOfPem
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Philippines declaring an energy emergency. India powering down factories. Bangladesh rationing fuel. Pakistan closing schools. The Iran war is hitting the developing world's most basic needs, disrupting everyday life. w/ @saraschonhardt.bsky.social www.eenews.net/articles/ira...
eenews.net
Iran conflict cuts deep in places that can least afford it
Debt-stressed developing countries are the most vulnerable to soaring oil prices.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
VP Vance, Sec. Wright will meet with top oil execs in Washington as WH, industry deal with rising oil, gas prices resulting from the war in Iran. w/ James Bikales www.politico.com/news/2026/03...
politico.com
Vance, Wright to address oil execs amid Iran tensions
The meeting comes as oil and gasoline prices have spiked after Iran closed a key waterway for global oil shipments.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
If you're wondering why you're seeing more pro-solar content from conservative voices, we have some answers here: www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
politico.com
Solar power’s newest friends: MAGA influencers
The nation’s leading clean energy lobby aims to bolster solar power’s standing via conservative media partnerships, polling and Stephen Miller’s wife.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
Trump's vision for Venezuela's oil is a wager that the energy transition will not come. Latest here w/ @karlmathiesen.bsky.social www.politico.eu/article/vene...
politico.eu
In Venezuela, Trump expands his anti-climate empire
The U.S. president’s fossil fuel-powered world vision is a bet on the energy transition failing.
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Reposted by Zack Colman
Bob King @bkingdc.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
Scoop by @benlefebvre.bsky.social, @zcolman.bsky.social and James Bikales: Trump has a use-it-or-lose-it demand for oil companies thinking of returning to #Venezuela: They go back in NOW, and spend billions of $, or forget about compensation for their seized assets. www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
politico.com
Trump’s message to oil companies on Venezuela: 'You gotta go in'
The White House has told companies they must to rebuild Venezuela's crude-pumping infrastructure if they want compensation for assets seized by Caracas.
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Bob King @bkingdc.bsky.social · 23/11/2025
#COP30 "exposed the world as it is — haltingly and slowly tackling climate pollution, and fragmented by rising economic nationalism and protectionism, rather than the united, optimistic community of nations that produced the Paris climate agreement 10 years ago." www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
politico.com
The world is fractured. The climate talks reflected that.
Delegates from nearly 200 nations — not including the U.S. — showed they could make some progress. But they deferred the hardest decisions.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
Past UN climate talks pushed nations to think bigger. This year, it held a mirror up to a fractured world. Our #COP30 wrap makes sense of this moment. Me w/ @karlmathiesen.bsky.social @ziaweise.bsky.social & Sarah Schonhardt, edit by @bkingdc.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
politico.com
The world is fractured. The climate talks reflected that.
Delegates from nearly 200 nations — not including the U.S. — showed they could make some progress. But they deferred the hardest decisions.
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Reposted by Zack Colman
Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
Today is “crunch day” to make progress on fossil fuel language with Lula set to fly back to Belém. 82 countries in Europe, the Pacific islands, Latin America and Africa are edging toward a “roadmap” that various countries could agree to @zcolman.bsky.social writes www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
politico.com
Double down on push to abandon fossil fuels, 82 countries urge at climate summit
Governments across Europe, the Pacific islands, Latin America and Africa embraced the call. The United States did not.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
"It won’t be long before we have a queue of American governors begging BYD to set up electric car factories in the States." As the US slams the door on climate, China makes it very clear at COP30 that it's open for business. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
politico.com
China strides into US-sized gap at climate talks
In the Biden era, countries interested in clean energy “were motivated to buy things from the U.S.,” an African official says. But now Beijing has few rivals.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
The US isn't at COP. But China is -- in some very obvious ways. Whether it will box out the US for the global EV and clean energy market is on minds here. The latest from Belem: www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
politico.com
China strides into US-sized gap at climate talks
In the Biden era, countries interested in clean energy “were motivated to buy things from the U.S.,” an African official says. But now Beijing has few rivals.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
NEW: 350.org, the group that spearheaded opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline, has suspended US operations amid funding woes. 350 helped popularize the “Keep It In The Ground” movement that has become foundational to green activism. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
politico.com
Enviro group that helped lead Keystone Pipeline opposition suspends US operations
The group will keep three U.S. positions open in hopes of reviving operations in the future.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
Trump is no longer content to stand aloof from the global alliance to combat climate change. His new goal is to demolish it. @karlmathiesen.bsky.social⁦‪‬⁩ & I explored Trump’s multi-prong strategy to instead build a coalition reliant on US fossil fuels. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
politico.com
Trump’s fossil fuel crusade confronts the climate faithful
Pulling out of the Paris climate agreement was not enough, an ex-aide to the U.S. president says on the eve of a summit in Brazil: "You have to potentially destroy it."
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
"A new survey of nine middle-income nations finds widespread concerns about climate change. Large majorities in these countries say global climate change is affecting the area where they live." via @pewresearch.org www.pewresearch.org/global/2025/...
pewresearch.org
People in Middle-Income Countries Say Climate Change Is Affecting Their Community
Large majorities in nine middle-income countries say global climate change is affecting their community. About half or more in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico see a great deal of impact.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
"their work has proven less durable than they expected.” Kelsey Tamborrino & Jessie Blaeser cover a Biden alumni autopsy of the admin's failure to protect its green legacy, which echoes many of the issues @politico.com uncovered in our Biden's Billions series. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
politico.com
Slow rollout throttled Biden’s big clean energy ambitions, former staffers say
An “executive branch machinery that defaulted to caution, process, and reactive strategies” undercut the ex-president’s massive energy and infrastructure programs, a report by his former staffers deta...
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
Nations remain far off-track of Paris climate agreement goals, with the planet almost certainly seeing long-term warming exceeding 1.5 C as soon as this decade, per the UN. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
politico.com
UN: Nations well off-track of Paris climate agreement goals
U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement would erase another 0.1 C of progress.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
NEW: Trump won't send "high level representatives" to COP30 climate talks, WH confirms. It remains unclear if career staff from agencies will attend. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...
subscriber.politicopro.com
POLITICO Pro: White House: Trump won't send 'high level' officials to climate talks
The news comes as diplomats from around the world wonder how and whether President Donald Trump will disrupt the COP30 negotiations in Brazil.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
Trump's ability to delay a vote imposing a carbon emissions levy on global shipping is already scrambling negotiations for next month's COP30 climate talks in Brazil, @ziaweise.bsky.social reports. www.politico.eu/article/trum...
politico.eu
Trump’s anti-climate crusade crashes EU’s COP30 preparations
A Greek veto prevents the EU from reendorsing a global carbon price on shipping in its position for next month’s climate summit.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
A lot of the tension boils down to Wright's willingness to take a deliberate, methodical approach to cuts -- including evaluating programs, seeking industry input -- and Trump politicos who want to quickly slash any energy spending with even a hint of Biden attached to it.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
It's one major example of how Wright, a successful fracking exec, has at times struggled to slot into politics and the broader government bureaucracy.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Wright dallied on these decisions for months. WH took over process when it learned of Wright's timing, worrying doing it so close to the shutdown would squander leverage over Democrats.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
The "straw that broke the camel's back," as one person told me, was Wright blindsided WH by telling them he intended to formally cut billions in energy contracts days before the govt shutdown.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Tensions are rising between Energy Sec. Chris Wright & the WH over a series of political missteps and policy disputes. w/ @benlefebvre.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
politico.com
‘It just seems so messy’: How Chris Wright went wrong with the White House
Missteps in cutting clean energy spending and friction between staffers has led to questions about whether the former fracking company CEO will remain in the Cabinet.
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Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Big ups to @catherineaallen.bsky.social who helped with the analysis and the many colleagues who had a hand creating the great graphics in this story
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