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Oct 7, 2024 | 
thenewatlantis.com | Joseph Lawler |Thomas Hochman |Aidan Mackenzie |Michael Catanzaro
What went wrong and what it would take to start building again Massachusetts is one of the richest states in the country — because it’s pricing out its own middle class. Why did the state stop building enough to house them? “Time to build” is a great idea. But it’s not clear that liberals or conservatives really want it.
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Oct 2, 2024 | 
thenewatlantis.com | Aidan Mackenzie
Sign in or Subscribe Now for audio version Last March, a container ship collided with a main support of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing the central spans of the 1.6-mile-long bridge to collapse. The public response to the catastrophe has been unified: the bridge should be rebuilt, fast. Despite decades of slow and inefficient American infrastructure, there is reason to believe this might actually happen.
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Jul 25, 2024 | 
ifp.org | Aidan Mackenzie
Infrastructure The National Environmental Policy Act has become a barrier to environmental policy Introduction Will the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) hinder the clean energy revolution? Data on this question is sparse, which has led to significant disagreements about the answer.
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Jun 4, 2024 | 
ifp.org | Aidan Mackenzie
What’s the problem with NEPA? Is the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) a problem, blocking clean energy and harming our ability to build infrastructure? Or is it a robust defense against environmental devastation? The debate can be murky, and good data is hard to find. Here, we’ve answered some of the most common questions about the NEPA process and its impacts. A concise FAQ is followed by more detailed answers. NEPA FAQsQuestion: Are NEPA delays only caused by staff shortages?
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May 28, 2024 | 
ifp.org | Arnab Datta |Aidan Mackenzie
Infrastructure How do different reform proposals stack up? NEPA needs reformReforming judicial review is vital for fixing the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. Litigation of NEPA reviews has become an avenue for abuse and obstruction. Lawsuits can target these procedural reviews to block the construction of important infrastructure projects.
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Nov 16, 2023 | 
ifp.org | Aidan Mackenzie |Arnab Datta |Ashley George
The technological barriers to next-gen geothermal Reaching the thermal energy in earth’s crust is fundamentally a technological problem. Conventional geothermal systems (sometimes called hydrothermal) have historically been constrained by the limitations of drilling technology and traditional production techniques. Technological limitations have forced conventional geothermal producers to rely on three highly specific naturally occurring geological conditions: heat, fluids, and permeability.
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Oct 30, 2023 | 
progress.institute | Arnab Datta |Brian Potter |Alex Williams |Aidan Mackenzie
This piece introduces Hot Rocks: Commercializing Next-Generation Geothermal Energy, a joint series by Employ America and the Institute for Progress, examining the potential to commercialize next-generation geothermal energy, the lessons we might learn from the shale revolution, and the federal policy changes needed to make it happen. Links to follow-up pieces will be available here. Despite unprecedented investments in clean energy, the path to decarbonization is still highly uncertain.
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Sep 29, 2023 | 
progress.institute | Aidan Mackenzie |Alec Stapp
NEPA ReformSince NEPA became law in 1970, environmental reviews have grown from a few dozen pages to an average of 1,600 pages for environmental impact statements (EISs). NEPA has become a tax on new infrastructure and a veto point for project opponents. Under the Administrative Procedures Act, NEPA decisions can be blocked in court if plaintiffs can show that the relevant federal agency erred when writing the mandatory documentation.
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Sep 29, 2023 | 
ifp.org | Aidan Mackenzie |Arnab Datta |Alec Stapp
NEPA ReformSince NEPA became law in 1970, environmental reviews have grown from a few dozen pages to an average of 1,600 pages for environmental impact statements (EISs). NEPA has become a tax on new infrastructure and a veto point for project opponents. Under the Administrative Procedure Act, NEPA decisions can be blocked in court if plaintiffs can show that the relevant federal agency erred when writing the mandatory documentation.
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Aug 12, 2023 | 
fasterplease.substack.com | James Pethokoukis |Aidan Mackenzie
My free and paid Faster, Please! subscribers: Welcome to Week in Review. No paywall! Thank you all for your support! For my free subscribers, please become a paying subscriber today. ➡ One other thing: I have a book coming out on October 3. The Conservative Futurist: How To Create the Sci-Fi World We Were Promisedis currently available for pre-order pretty much everywhere, including Amazon. I’m very excited about it!Melior MundusFaster, Please! is a reader-supported publication.
