MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Tue, Jul 29, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Natural gas key to NC’s position as top business state in America; NATIONAL: Trump just triggered the largest data center buildout in history; Climate messaging – the alarmists are alarmed; Electricity generated from wind and solar cannot replace fossil fuels; No country for climate hawks; INTERNATIONAL: Oil surges as Trump pressures Russia on Ukraine; Starmer outlines oil & gas will be part of UK mix for ‘very long time’; “Fruit will be a once a year treat” says chief UN soothsayer.
OTHER U.S. REGIONS
Natural gas key to NC’s position as top business state in America
Raleigh (NC) The Carolina Journal/Justin Sykes
North Carolina has been named the best state for business in 2025 by CNBC, marking its sixth consecutive year in the top three. The state’s economic growth relies on an affordable, sustainable energy mix, with natural gas playing a critical role by generating over 40% of its electricity and supporting industries like agriculture, healthcare, and transportation. Switching from coal to gas has reduced CO2 emissions by 41% since 2005, but a memo from three NC State University professors criticizes natural gas, using worst-case scenarios and inaccurate claims about price volatility, limited pipeline capacity, LNG exports, and supply disruptions. These arguments overlook ongoing infrastructure projects, the reliability of underground pipelines during disasters like Hurricane Helene, and the fact that U.S. natural gas production far exceeds export growth. Natural gas remains essential for reliable energy, complementing renewables and supporting North Carolina’s economic momentum, with its proximity to Appalachian reserves ensuring affordability and accessibility. [MDN: How can universities keep employing professors who have such extreme political biases that it clouds their judgment? It makes no sense. NC State needs to fire the jerks who claim natgas is bad and hire professors who recognize the value of natgas to the state.]
NATIONAL
Trump just triggered the largest data center buildout in history
U.S. Global Investors
President Donald Trump’s executive order on July 23, 2025, has initiated a massive buildout of AI data centers in the U.S., prioritizing projects with over $500 million in capital expenditures and 100 megawatts of power consumption by streamlining regulations and permitting. This policy, likened to the Reagan-era defense buildup or the shale revolution, aims to bolster U.S. competitiveness in AI, with over $90 billion in private investments pledged, including $25 billion each from Alphabet and Blackstone for AI and natural gas infrastructure in Pennsylvania, leveraging the Marcellus Shale’s resources. McKinsey estimates a $6.7 trillion global AI infrastructure cost by 2030, with Goldman Sachs projecting a 165% rise in electricity demand. AI adoption is still low at 9.2% among U.S. companies, indicating early-stage growth. This “AI-industrial complex” signals a new industrial era, with significant investment opportunities for early movers. [MDN: History will look back and marvel at all DJT did in his second term. Books will be written about this a century from now. AI will change everything as the internet did.]
Climate messaging – the alarmists are alarmed
Master Resource/Robert Bradley Jr.
The author, Robert Bradley Jr., critiques the ineffective strategies of climate alarmists, focusing on Gilad Regev’s acknowledgment of flawed climate messaging. Regev argues that scaring or shaming people with guilt, jargon, and doom-centric narratives fails to inspire action, suggesting a shift toward positive, relatable messaging that emphasizes personal benefits like lower bills and better health. He lists seven messaging mistakes, including elitist language and neglecting economic equity, advocating for solutions-focused communication. In contrast, Joe Romm, a long-time climate alarmist, denies messaging issues, blaming disinformation and inadequate funding instead. Bradley counters Romm’s claims, highlighting the benefits of CO2, fossil fuels, and adaptation, while criticizing climate models and renewable energy’s ecological impact. He calls for free-market energy policies to replace the “Climate Industrial Complex,” urging alarmists to rethink their premises and abandon climate anxiety. [MDN: People on the left have always followed the same pattern: When they can’t win an argument based on reasoned debate, they migrate to theatrics, threats, and shaming. And when that doesn’t work, they eventually land on tyranny and authoritarianism—make people do what you want them to do. The left can’t win based on their ideas because their ideas are sucky. Violence is the end result of the left every time. Just look at history.]
Electricity generated from wind and solar cannot replace fossil fuels
America Out Loud News/Ronald Stein, Yoshihiro?Muronaka
The article argues that while renewable energy sources like wind and solar are promoted as solutions for a decarbonized future, their intermittent and weather-dependent nature limits their ability to reliably power modern society’s complex needs, including transportation, industry, healthcare, and digital infrastructure. Fossil fuels, which provide over 6,000 essential products and energy-dense fuels, remain integral to global economies, particularly in developing regions. The production and infrastructure for renewables, including batteries and electric vehicles, still rely heavily on fossil fuels, and large-scale battery storage is costly and insufficient. Prematurely phasing out fossil fuels without viable alternatives risks energy shortages, economic instability, and societal regression, as seen in Europe’s recent energy crises. The article advocates for a balanced approach, combining cleaner fossil fuel technologies, responsible renewable growth, and innovations like nuclear and carbon capture, emphasizing the need for energy literacy to inform pragmatic, sustainable energy policies that ensure both prosperity and environmental progress. [MDN: An extensive article that explains why fossil fuels aren’t going anywhere for generations to come.]
No country for climate hawks
RealClearEnergy/Danielle Franz
In “No Country for Climate Hawks,” Danielle Franz argues that the influence of “climate hawks,” once dominant in the environmental movement, is waning, particularly in California, where Democrats are rethinking aggressive climate policies due to rising energy and housing costs. The article critiques the movement’s moralizing approach, which prioritized ideological purity over practicality, alienating workers and families. Franz highlights a shift toward a pragmatic, growth-oriented philosophy that views energy as a tool for national strength, emphasizing innovation, infrastructure, and economic empowerment over scarcity and sacrifice. This emerging consensus favors affordable, reliable clean energy, domestic production, and climate adaptation strategies like regenerative agriculture and ecosystem management. Rejecting apocalyptic rhetoric and degrowth, this new generation of leaders focuses on engineering, economics, and national renewal to address environmental challenges while prioritizing American families and prosperity. Franz sees this as a hopeful, realistic path forward, replacing the faltering climate hawk movement. [MDN: In other words, the climate crazies are finally waking up from their stupor and (at least some of them) beginning to return to common-sense normality. Disappearing are the calls to extinguish all fossil energy.]
INTERNATIONAL
Oil surges as Trump pressures Russia on Ukraine
Bloomberg/Mia Gindis, Alex Longley
Oil prices surged after US President Donald Trump announced a shortened 10-12 day deadline for Russia to agree to a truce with Ukraine, raising fears of disrupted crude oil supplies amid escalating tensions with the West. West Texas Intermediate rose 2.4% to $66.71 a barrel, while Brent climbed 2.3% to $70.04, marking their highest levels in over a week and two weeks, respectively. Trump’s threat of 100% secondary tariffs on Russia, combined with new EU sanctions lowering the price cap on Russian crude and restricting refined product imports, has traders anticipating potential supply shocks and higher shipping costs from rerouted trade flows. JPMorgan analysts noted that enforcing such tariffs could significantly impact global oil markets due to Russia’s substantial exports and limited OPEC spare capacity. Despite OPEC+ urging adherence to quotas, concerns linger about oversupply, compounded by Trump’s trade policies and their potential to slow global economic growth. [MDN: So Brent cracked $70. So what? As soon as things settle, it will go back down again, and the so-called “surge” will turn into a retreat. Just watch and learn.]
Starmer outlines oil & gas will be part of UK mix for ‘very long time’
Rigzone/Andreas Exarheas
At an international press conference in Scotland alongside U.S. President Donald Trump, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized that oil and gas will remain integral to the UK’s energy mix for the long term, alongside renewables like wind, solar, and nuclear. Starmer stressed the importance of energy independence, criticizing the historical error of selling North Sea oil and gas on the international market only to buy it back. He advocated for a diverse energy strategy to ensure security and control. David Whitehouse, CEO of Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), welcomed Starmer’s remarks, reinforcing the need for both renewables and domestic oil and gas to support jobs, growth, and net-zero goals. Whitehouse urged action to back the UK’s offshore energy sector, reduce import dependency, and leverage lower-emission domestic production. The UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero declined to comment further, while Starmer and Trump also held private talks in Aberdeen. [MDN: The stumbling, bumbling Starmer had to admit the truth while seated next to the truth-teller. Kind of funny, no? Yes, the U.K. is still barreling toward oblivion with idiotic “net zero” policies and goals, but at least Euro weenie Starmer, for one brief moment, admitted oil and gas aren’t going anywhere. We’re sure the climate crazies in his country were not pleased.]
“Fruit will be a once a year treat” says chief UN soothsayer
Jo Nova
Jo Nova’s article satirically critiques a claim by UN climate chief Simon Stiell, who warned that climate change could reduce Australia’s fruit production to a “once-a-year treat” due to mega-droughts, potentially causing a $6.8 trillion GDP loss by 2050. Nova highlights the absurdity of this prediction, noting that global fruit production has increased fivefold since 1960, largely due to CO2 fertilization, with Australian per capita fruit production remaining stable at 150 kilograms despite population growth. She argues that Stiell’s statements, made during a Sydney speech to investors, lack scientific grounding and may serve as psychological warfare or a tactic to assert UN influence. Nova criticizes the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for uncritically amplifying Stiell’s claims and questions the UN’s motives, suggesting they push costly climate policies without evidence. The article underscores the resilience of free markets and agricultural advancements in maintaining abundant fruit supplies, contradicting apocalyptic climate narratives. [MDN: Jo Nova, who lives and writes in Australia, is a gem. She absolutely skewers the UN shaman in this piece by pointing out that worldwide fruit production has increased 5X due to the benefits of extra CO2 in the air. Click to read the full blog post.]