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Energy

Tina Riley moved to Idaho recently in search of a new career working in the clean energy transition. Kirk Siegler/NPR hide caption

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Kirk Siegler/NPR

Oil industry could help the Biden administration tap 'invisible' green energy

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Pioneer Natural Resources' office is shown on Jan. 13, 2021, in Midland, Texas. Exxon Mobil's $60 billion deal to buy Pioneer has received clearance from the Federal Trade Commission, but the former CEO of Pioneer was barred from joining the new company's board of directors. Jacob Ford/AP hide caption

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Jacob Ford/AP

An aerial view of Colombia's Regadera Reservoir in Usme, near Bogotá, April 16. Colombia's capital of Bogotá imposed water rations due to a severe drought aggravated by the El Niño. Raul Arboleda/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Raul Arboleda/AFP via Getty Images

El Niño weather is leading to droughts and power cuts in South America

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A new version of the popular board game Catan, which hits shelves this summer, introduces energy production and pollution into the gameplay. Catan GmbH hide caption

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Catan GmbH

How the new Catan board game can spark conversations on climate change

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Independence Hall in Philadelphia in 2021. The National Park Service plans to install gas-fired boilers at Independence National Historical Park, despite a 2007 law mandating new and remodeled federal buildings be 100% free of fossil fuels by 2030. Matt Rourke/AP hide caption

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Matt Rourke/AP

The Conemaugh Generating Station in New Florence, Pa., is among the nation's coal-fired power plants that face tough new regulations to limit planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. Gene J. Puskar/AP hide caption

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Gene J. Puskar/AP

Coal and new gas power plants will have to meet climate pollution targets

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A new version of the popular board game Catan, which hits shelves this summer, introduces energy production and pollution into the gameplay. Catan GmbH hide caption

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Catan GmbH

How do you build without over polluting? That's the challenge of new Catan board game

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In this undated photo provided by the United States Geological Survey, permafrost forms a grid-like pattern in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, managed by the Bureau of Land Management on Alaska's North Slope. David W. Houseknecht/United States Geological Survey via AP hide caption

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David W. Houseknecht/United States Geological Survey via AP

A set of four tubes known as the "river outlet works," pictured on Nov. 2, 2022, could soon be the only way for water to make it through Glen Canyon Dam. Recently-discovered damage to those tubes has raised questions about their role going forward. Alex Hager/KUNC hide caption

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Alex Hager/KUNC

Damage at Glen Canyon Dam has Colorado River users concerned

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Following a new EPA rule, public water systems will have five years to address instances where there is too much PFAS in tap water – three years to sample their systems and establish the existing levels of PFAS, and an additional two years to install water treatment technologies if their levels are too high. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Chevron operates a major refinery in Richmond, Calif., a community with high childhood asthma rates. It also owns the city's dominant news site, putting its own spin on events, and runs similar websites in Texas and Ecuador. Tracy J. Lee for NPR hide caption

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Tracy J. Lee for NPR

Chevron owns this city's news site. Many stories aren't told

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The coal power plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming, owned by Rocky Mountain Power, is scheduled to be decommissioned next year. Kirk Siegler/NPR hide caption

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Kirk Siegler/NPR

Why a town on the front line of America's energy transition isn't letting go of coal

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The National Ignition Facility used lasers to generate net energy from a pellet of fusion fuel in 2022. But the experiment is still a long way from truly producing more electricity than it requires. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory hide caption

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Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Are we on the brink of a nuclear fusion breakthrough?

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The first operating South Fork Wind farm turbine stands east of Montauk Point, N.Y., on Dec. 7, 2023. South Fork Wind, America's first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, is officially open. Julia Nikhinson/AP hide caption

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Julia Nikhinson/AP
Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR

You asked, we answered: Your questions about electric vehicles

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Technician Konnor Therriault inside of a Vestas wind turbine in Bingham, Maine. Darian Woods/NPR hide caption

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Darian Woods/NPR

Wind boom, wind bust (Two Windicators)

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Flares burn off methane and other hydrocarbons at an oil and gas facility in Lenorah, Texas in 2021. New research shows drillers emit about three times as much climate-warming methane as official estimates. David Goldman/AP hide caption

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David Goldman/AP

Oil and gas companies emit more climate-warming methane than EPA reports

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Texas investigators say the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest in state history, appears to be caused by a downed utility power pole. When it comes to increased risks of starting wildfires, Michael Wara professor at Stanford University says some utilities "are walking into a catastrophe." Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption

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Scott Olson/Getty Images