US Government Policy Archives - Green to Black

Strange (Sea)bed Fellows: Trump’s Thirst for Minerals Threatens International Ocean Protections

Henry Palmer — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:13:04 +0000

Newly updated U.S. regulations have made it far easier for American companies to obtain the rights to mine on the seafloor. According to an article by Sachi Kitajima Mulkey published in the New York Times on January 22nd, as the U.S. works to reduce its reliance on Chinese batteries, seafloor mining has emerged as a potential catalyst for this desired independence. Companies like The Metals Company promise the U.S. rich deposits of metals like cobalt, nickel, and manganese, but this regulatory change has not been without scrutiny. Created by the United Nations in 1994, the International Seabed Authority has protected much of the Pacific seafloor from such mining activities, as studies show mining subjects local marine ecosystems to damage with recovery times spanning decades. Despite being in the UN, the U.S. is not a member of this group and is thus not required to comply with its regulations, so, despite environmental concerns raised by Democrats, Trump is pressing on the accelerator hard. In April of 2025, Trump signed an executive order that authorized the U.S. to issue permits that allow companies to mine in international waters. The full effect of this order is yet to be seen, as “many contractors supporting the industry are based in one of the 170 countries that have committed to following the international body’s rules” (Mulkey). The Metal Company seems confident in the validity of these permits; however, as they just recently submitted a new application for permits to greatly increase the area of seafloor they are hoping to mine. This will be an interesting industry to keep an eye on, both in the coming year as permits are granted and in years to come, as battery makers in China have already begun straying away from cobalt and nickel, meaning the U.S. is likely to follow.

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Windfalls or Windfails: What Trump’s Continued Attacks on Clean Energy Might Mean for Investors

Henry Palmer — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 15:24:24 +0000

“Wind is a national security threat” is a statement likely never uttered by anyone prior to Trump. Under this odd pretense his administration is currently poised to throw away billions of dollars and the infrastructure powering 350,000 American homes in just one of their recent attacks on offshore wind farms. A recent article for the New York Times by Brad Plumer and Karen Zraick outlines the clash between the Trump administration and Orsted, a Danish energy company. Orsted is currently suing over what they claim to be the unlawful halt of their Rhode Island offshore wind farm. Developers at Orsted are rightfully angry as they have already put $5 billion into the project and would be subject to another billion in penalties if they cannot complete it. In addition to money already invested, they stand to lose billions in future revenue. This is not president Trump’s first attack on wind energy. Earlier this year in April his administration ordered Empire Wind, another multi-billion dollar farm off the coast of New York, to close despite receiving the necessary permits from the Biden administration. Currently, Trump has little power to legally stop projects that have already received permits. With the rising presence of the national guard in cities across the country, however, there may come a time when stop-work orders are backed by force rather than the law. It may be a risky investment, but with Orsted’s stock price reaching record lows last month following the order, the upside of investing in wind farms during these turbulent and unpredictable times may be too great to pass up.

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Big Oil’s Curious Call for Continued Regulation

Henry Palmer — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 17:02:59 +0000

Historically, major corporations have celebrated deregulation, but the proposed repeal of the 2009 “endangerment finding” by the Environmental Protection Agency has faced unexpected opposition. According to an August 19th NPR article by Michael Copley, many large corporations and industry groups, such as the American Petroleum Institute, representing oil and gas companies, are opposing the rollback. This has created an unusual dynamic where the interests of the Republican Party are not in alignment with those of American Industry. Many companies are in favor of federal oversight of climate regulations because it provides legal protection from climate-related lawsuits, predictable long-term investment environments, and the prevention of chaotic and diverse state regulations. Traditionally, Republican administrations have taken business concerns into account when determining regulations, but Trump’s administration currently appears to be driven more by its ideological opposition to environmental protection than corporate preferences. For investors, deregulation may create significant risk in energy and industrial stocks due to the legal uncertainties it presents. While predicting an exact outcome is difficult, long-term infrastructure investments will certainly become harder to evaluate, and larger companies that operate across state lines will face complex legal challenges, making financial planning more difficult. Public hearings on the EPA’s proposal are scheduled for this week, and depending on the results, we may be witnessing a notable departure from typical environmental debates and stances.

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Oil-Producing Nations thwart Global Plastic Pollution Treaty

Henry Palmer — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 23:25:35 +0000

In early August, for the sixth time, over 170 United Nations countries gathered in Geneva to discuss plastic regulations. A timely opinion pieces in the New York Times by author Oliver Franklin-Wallis examines the harmful effects of our world’s plastic infatuation and delineates the reasons why limiting these consequences draws more opposition than one would assume. According to estimates shared in the article, there are over 16,000 chemical additives known to be used in plastic production, with at least 4,200 of these already confirmed as toxic. Combined with the fact that plastics degrade slowly as they age, this is creating what Franklin-Wallis refers to as a “slow-release bomb” affecting us all. So who would oppose the regulation of chemicals proven to cause a laundry list of problems including increased risk of cancer, respiratory disorders, infertility, heart disease, and developmental disorders? The plastics industry, obviously. They aren’t acting alone either; countries including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, and the United States opposed the treaty proposed at a previous meeting in South Korea because of the potential ramifications to the oil industry. The meeting closed on August 15 without a deal, but with plastic production estimated to triple by 2060, now is the time for the world’s governing bodies to prove they truly care more about the health of their citizens than the profits lining their pockets.

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Driving Change: How the Chinese are Transforming Auto Markets in Brazil

Henry Palmer — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 17:29:40 +0000

According to a recent article by Somini Sengupta published in The New York Times, multiple Chinese vehicle manufacturers have begun expanding into Brazil in the hope of transforming the automobile markets of Latin America. Companies such as BYD and Great WAll Motor have been making strides in EV technology, developing affordable vehicles with batteries capable of fully charging in just five minutes and with ranges comparable to premium-priced Teslas. This convenience combined with affordability makes these vehicles perfect for Brazil’s hydropower-focused, renewable electrical grid. The environmental benefits of this industrial shift are prominent. EVs charging on clean electricity could cut emissions drastically across Brazil’s 212 million person population. This move began to pick up when BYD took over Ford’s factory near São Paulo, and Great Wall Motors acquired a Mercedes-Benz’s facility. While legacy automakers are struggling with EV development, Chinese companies have invested heavily in groundbreaking technology and are thus gaining control over supply chains. The result is a surplus of affordable yet advanced vehicles bringing clean transportation to markets long dominated by fossil fuels. Given that the U.S. has almost entirely banned the importation of Chinese EVs and the Trump administration is continuing to pull away from EV and clean energy development, America is at great risk of losing its long-held leadership in what is currently the fastest-growing segment of the automotive industry. Chinese manufacturers have now achieved a 20% stake in Europe’s EV market and are continuing to establish manufacturing facilities globally as demonstrated by the factories they are establishing in Brazil. If this trend continues, American competitiveness in the clean energy economy will fall further into jeopardy.

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Fossil Nation: How the US is Losing the Bid for Energy Dominance

Henry Palmer — Sun, 13 Jul 2025 19:39:38 +0000

A July 1, 2025 article by David Gelles in the New York Times discusses Trump’s intentional dismantling of the Biden Administration’s green energy initiatives. Biden’s policies directed billions to Republican-led districts and positioned the United States to compete with China in the rush to embrace renewable power, a process necessary due to the energy needs of artificial intelligence. Regardless, the Trump administration appears bent on steering the country further toward dependence on fossil fuels. America continues to lag behind in a field we once dominated with inventions like silicon photovoltaic cells and rechargeable lithium-metal batteries, costing both economic potential and technological superiority. Estimates show current fossil fuel reserves to have around a 50-year supply, but international energy consumption continues to grow. The renewable energy field has huge profit potential, which the administration seems willing to surrender to foreign nations and potential enemies. Regardless of the motivation, the approach to fulfilling our energy needs risks America losing future economic gains to rival nations and compromising its position in the global energy revolution.

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Science, Interrupted: Trump Administration Slashes Funding for Climate Research

Henry Palmer — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 18:52:31 +0000

In an article published in June 2025 of the MIT Technology Review, senior editor James Temple outlines the Trump administration’s termination of grants awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to over 100 climate research projects. Tens of millions of dollars were stripped from previously approved studies, many of which were already underway. As someone just beginning to dip my foot into the world of climate science, I’m concerned by the sight of established researchers like Harvard’s Daniel Nocera, a pioneer in artificial photosynthesis research, having funding for their groundbreaking studies slashed. If accomplished scientists working at prestigious universities have their heads on the chopping block, what does that mean for someone like me who’s just starting out? Further proposed cuts may be in place by the time my generation fully involves ourselves, and these are even more alarming: a 60% reduction in NSF research spending and additional massive cuts to climate monitoring programs. Climate science relies on decades of consistent measurements. Even short gaps can significantly delay our understanding for generations, so future scientists may be decades behind where current researchers hoped to position them. Daniel Schrag, co-director of Harvard’s science, technology, and public policy program, warns that “we might lose a generation of talent,” a direct blow to current high-school, undergraduate, and graduate students looking to prevent or reverse environmental harm. In a time when established scientists are already questioning whether to stay in the field, it makes me question my ambitions of entering it now. Yet I see something telling about these systematic attacks on climate science. Research doesn’t typically get defunded unless it’s producing what Al Gore termed an “inconvenient truth” a generation ago. The intensity of opposition suggests the work’s importance, and I believe that’s exactly why we need more people willing to pursue this field despite the challenges, not fewer.

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