Alan Zibel
@alanzibel.bsky.social
Personal account. Trying to do the right thing and make the occasional joke. Former WSJ, AP & more. Now at @publiccitizen.bsky.social. (No, I don't actually have a mohawk).
the bipartisan deal industrial complex seems to promote deals for deals sake despite all the evidence anyone could ever want that MAGA wants to destroy renewables.
"Permitting reform" does not set up a "Grand Bargain" in the Senate that helps the climate by ceding ground to fossil fuels in exchange for Trump approving Renewables. I see a surrender to fossil fuels that may provide a fig leaf to Ds to rhetorically claim a policy win that's meaningless IRL.
December 2, 2025 at 4:29 PM
the bipartisan deal industrial complex seems to promote deals for deals sake despite all the evidence anyone could ever want that MAGA wants to destroy renewables.
it would really behoove Matt to do the thing in journalism where you call experts who have different points of view and interview them about the current reality and state of play in energy rather than posing as a knowledgeable person and regurgitating goofy Breakthrough Institute talking points.
December 2, 2025 at 1:44 PM
it would really behoove Matt to do the thing in journalism where you call experts who have different points of view and interview them about the current reality and state of play in energy rather than posing as a knowledgeable person and regurgitating goofy Breakthrough Institute talking points.
Reposted by Alan Zibel
Incredible - balcony solar, for owners or tenants, is ready to go. The tech is there; all that's missing is the legislation.
Delighted to to learn Maryland is one of the states queuing up laws that would make it possible for anyone to pop down to Costco or Ikea, buy a panel and plug it in.
Delighted to to learn Maryland is one of the states queuing up laws that would make it possible for anyone to pop down to Costco or Ikea, buy a panel and plug it in.
Today on Volts: I've had more requests to cover this than almost any other topic in the pod's history, so now, at long last, balcony solar! We dig into how "plug-in solar" took off in Europe & how it's making its way to the US, starting in Utah. Backyard DIY types rejoice!
What's the deal with balcony solar?
Cora Stryker joins me to explain how "plug-in" solar took Europe by storm and is finally, via Utah (?), making its way to America.
www.volts.wtf
December 1, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Incredible - balcony solar, for owners or tenants, is ready to go. The tech is there; all that's missing is the legislation.
Delighted to to learn Maryland is one of the states queuing up laws that would make it possible for anyone to pop down to Costco or Ikea, buy a panel and plug it in.
Delighted to to learn Maryland is one of the states queuing up laws that would make it possible for anyone to pop down to Costco or Ikea, buy a panel and plug it in.
Reposted by Alan Zibel
Everyone's panicking, saying we need more grid capacity to accommodate data centers, but ... current grid utilization is under 50%! Isn't the obvious first step to more efficiently use the grid we've already built?
This & much more covered in my latest solo pod:
This & much more covered in my latest solo pod:
What's going on in electricity world?
Some thoughts on where we are in the electricity sector -- data centers, rising rates, etc. -- and a way forward that can benefit everyone.
www.volts.wtf
December 1, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Everyone's panicking, saying we need more grid capacity to accommodate data centers, but ... current grid utilization is under 50%! Isn't the obvious first step to more efficiently use the grid we've already built?
This & much more covered in my latest solo pod:
This & much more covered in my latest solo pod:
Reposted by Alan Zibel
Tomorrow from Ezra Klein and Matt Yglesias: the Democratic Party will never win elections again unless it stops listening to its far-left extremists like Bill Kristol
For some reason Democratic leaders seem to prefer telling voters what they won’t be able to do, rather than what they’d like to do.
If Hegseth ordered a war crime and lied about it, shouldn’t Ds try for impeachment? Put Rs on the spot. They might get a few defections.
www.axios.com/2025/12/01/j...
If Hegseth ordered a war crime and lied about it, shouldn’t Ds try for impeachment? Put Rs on the spot. They might get a few defections.
www.axios.com/2025/12/01/j...
Jeffries says not to expect Democrats to pursue Hegseth impeachment over boat strikes
"Republicans will never allow articles of impeachment to be brought to the floor," he said.
www.axios.com
December 2, 2025 at 2:43 AM
Tomorrow from Ezra Klein and Matt Yglesias: the Democratic Party will never win elections again unless it stops listening to its far-left extremists like Bill Kristol
Reposted by Alan Zibel
Notice that when it comes to climate & energy, Yglesias, again and again and again, reflexively punches left, using vapid, reductionist conceits that distract from what he omits: Any reference to the noxious power, influence, and harm caused by the fossil fuel industry.
I would never advocate “panicking” but I think it’s useful to contextualize some of these arguments with conflicts that go back to well before anyone was talking about data centers or even artificial intelligence and speak directly to the degrowth origins of the green movement.
Everyone's panicking, saying we need more grid capacity to accommodate data centers, but ... current grid utilization is under 50%! Isn't the obvious first step to more efficiently use the grid we've already built?
This & much more covered in my latest solo pod:
This & much more covered in my latest solo pod:
December 2, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Notice that when it comes to climate & energy, Yglesias, again and again and again, reflexively punches left, using vapid, reductionist conceits that distract from what he omits: Any reference to the noxious power, influence, and harm caused by the fossil fuel industry.
Reposted by Alan Zibel
"Don't listen to the pod I'm linking to, which addresses this. Don't examine the details of utility dynamics shaping the grid, the physical characteristics of data centers, or any of the actual on-the-ground questions. Instead, retreat to this tired ideological frame I use for everything."
December 1, 2025 at 10:42 PM
"Don't listen to the pod I'm linking to, which addresses this. Don't examine the details of utility dynamics shaping the grid, the physical characteristics of data centers, or any of the actual on-the-ground questions. Instead, retreat to this tired ideological frame I use for everything."
Reposted by Alan Zibel
This is fundamentally Nazism. The idea that different peoples than the favored races carry degradation in their very genes, that they cannot strive to become better because biology compels them to be worse. It’s not just repugnant, it’s a bald faced lie.
Stephen Miller is now arguing that assimilation is fundamentally impossible and that certain cultures are not compatible with Western civilization
November 28, 2025 at 2:02 PM
This is fundamentally Nazism. The idea that different peoples than the favored races carry degradation in their very genes, that they cannot strive to become better because biology compels them to be worse. It’s not just repugnant, it’s a bald faced lie.
Georgia O’Cringe www.artnews.com/art-news/new...
Vanity Fair’s Soon-To-Be-Published Hollywood Issue Includes an Intimate Portrait of Olivia Nuzzi
Vanity Fair plans to run an abstract nude portrait of Olivia Nuzzi in its upcoming issue along with an excerpt of Nuzzi's forthcoming book <em>American Canto</em>
www.artnews.com
November 28, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Georgia O’Cringe www.artnews.com/art-news/new...
Reposted by Alan Zibel
This seems like a play to cut NPS profitability to make it easier to open these lands up to extraction. 35% of NPS visitors are from overseas
US triples national park fee for non-residents, amid ‘new’ fee for Americans
Interior department, which has defunded conservation organizations, claims fee hike is for conservation
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 2:27 PM
This seems like a play to cut NPS profitability to make it easier to open these lands up to extraction. 35% of NPS visitors are from overseas
Reposted by Alan Zibel
Average electricity cost increase since Jan:
Missouri ⬆️ 37%
Iowa ⬆️ 30%
North Dakota ⬆️ 30%
Oklahoma ⬆️ 30%
New Jersey ⬆️ 27%
Nebraska ⬆️ 25%
Montana ⬆️ 25%
Wyoming ⬆️ 23%
NATIONWIDE ⬆️ 11%
Instead of working to lower costs, Trump is boosting power-hungry AI data centers.
Missouri ⬆️ 37%
Iowa ⬆️ 30%
North Dakota ⬆️ 30%
Oklahoma ⬆️ 30%
New Jersey ⬆️ 27%
Nebraska ⬆️ 25%
Montana ⬆️ 25%
Wyoming ⬆️ 23%
NATIONWIDE ⬆️ 11%
Instead of working to lower costs, Trump is boosting power-hungry AI data centers.
November 25, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Average electricity cost increase since Jan:
Missouri ⬆️ 37%
Iowa ⬆️ 30%
North Dakota ⬆️ 30%
Oklahoma ⬆️ 30%
New Jersey ⬆️ 27%
Nebraska ⬆️ 25%
Montana ⬆️ 25%
Wyoming ⬆️ 23%
NATIONWIDE ⬆️ 11%
Instead of working to lower costs, Trump is boosting power-hungry AI data centers.
Missouri ⬆️ 37%
Iowa ⬆️ 30%
North Dakota ⬆️ 30%
Oklahoma ⬆️ 30%
New Jersey ⬆️ 27%
Nebraska ⬆️ 25%
Montana ⬆️ 25%
Wyoming ⬆️ 23%
NATIONWIDE ⬆️ 11%
Instead of working to lower costs, Trump is boosting power-hungry AI data centers.
Reposted by Alan Zibel
I am never going to talk about permitting reform again without bringing up the “trump bottleneck” 😎🔥🔥🔥
Exclusive: I have learned that any energy permitting deal struck this Congress will have to address Trump’s solar and wind energy bottleneck or else it will never become law.
This comes as the main solar industry group is staying silent on a GOP-led deal moving through the House.
This comes as the main solar industry group is staying silent on a GOP-led deal moving through the House.
Trump Is the Biggest Wild Card in Permitting Reform
Congress is motivated to pass a bipartisan deal, but Democrats are demanding limits on executive power.
heatmap.news
November 25, 2025 at 9:48 PM
I am never going to talk about permitting reform again without bringing up the “trump bottleneck” 😎🔥🔥🔥
Reposted by Alan Zibel
You’re about to hear many in the commentariat claim a permitting bill, the SPEED Act, will help all energy sources.
The thing folks like Matt Yglesias don’t mention is that SPEED would fail to do anything for renewables without addressing Trump’s bottleneck.
That’s not “sources say” — it is fact.
The thing folks like Matt Yglesias don’t mention is that SPEED would fail to do anything for renewables without addressing Trump’s bottleneck.
That’s not “sources say” — it is fact.
i have a story coming today that explains how this tweet is… unacceptable levels of weirdly inaccurate
November 25, 2025 at 8:57 PM
You’re about to hear many in the commentariat claim a permitting bill, the SPEED Act, will help all energy sources.
The thing folks like Matt Yglesias don’t mention is that SPEED would fail to do anything for renewables without addressing Trump’s bottleneck.
That’s not “sources say” — it is fact.
The thing folks like Matt Yglesias don’t mention is that SPEED would fail to do anything for renewables without addressing Trump’s bottleneck.
That’s not “sources say” — it is fact.
Reposted by Alan Zibel
Very strong “subprime crisis begins boiling over” vibes under every headline!
November 25, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Very strong “subprime crisis begins boiling over” vibes under every headline!
this piece is super
I felt like I was losing my mind watching this person's remarks and had to write about how disgusting they are.
Sarah Hurwitz Profanes the Holocaust
Holocaust education has worked too well for the Obama speechwriter, since when she rationalizes Israel's genocide, "I sound obscene." Maybe sit with that, Sarah
www.forever-wars.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:58 PM
this piece is super
Reposted by Alan Zibel
I felt like I was losing my mind watching this person's remarks and had to write about how disgusting they are.
Sarah Hurwitz Profanes the Holocaust
Holocaust education has worked too well for the Obama speechwriter, since when she rationalizes Israel's genocide, "I sound obscene." Maybe sit with that, Sarah
www.forever-wars.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:50 PM
I felt like I was losing my mind watching this person's remarks and had to write about how disgusting they are.
Reposted by Alan Zibel
when its definitely not a hostage situation
November 25, 2025 at 4:19 PM
when its definitely not a hostage situation
Reposted by Alan Zibel
Guys IDK, if a Jew who has been very critical of Israel going to Israel to tell Israelis to their faces that they’re doing bad things is a violation of BDS then I don’t know what the goal is
Pro-Boycott writer Peter Beinart faces BDS backlash over Tel Aviv University event
Despite Saying He Supports 'Many Forms' of Boycott Against Israel, Beinart Defended His Decision to Speak at the Event, Emphasizing the Importance of Engaging With Israelis. He Previously Criticized B...
www.haaretz.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Guys IDK, if a Jew who has been very critical of Israel going to Israel to tell Israelis to their faces that they’re doing bad things is a violation of BDS then I don’t know what the goal is
Reposted by Alan Zibel
i have a story coming today that explains how this tweet is… unacceptable levels of weirdly inaccurate
November 25, 2025 at 2:21 PM
i have a story coming today that explains how this tweet is… unacceptable levels of weirdly inaccurate
Reposted by Alan Zibel
Democracy dies in dampness
At this point, the Washpost edit page is just trolling its readers.
This is today's actual house editorial.
This is today's actual house editorial.
November 25, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Democracy dies in dampness
Reposted by Alan Zibel
Targeting Kelly is one of those “this is why we’ll win” moments, bc it shows how politically impetuous this admin is.
There’s clearly no adult in the room to say “wait, maybe don’t go after the charismatic war hero turned literal astronaut who ran after his wife was a victim of political violence.”
There’s clearly no adult in the room to say “wait, maybe don’t go after the charismatic war hero turned literal astronaut who ran after his wife was a victim of political violence.”
Mark Kelly: "My wife, Gabby Giffords, meeting with her constituents, shot in the head. Six people killed around her, a horrific thing. She spent six months in the hospital. We know what political violence is and we know what causes it too, The statements that Donald Trump made incites others."
November 25, 2025 at 3:10 AM
Targeting Kelly is one of those “this is why we’ll win” moments, bc it shows how politically impetuous this admin is.
There’s clearly no adult in the room to say “wait, maybe don’t go after the charismatic war hero turned literal astronaut who ran after his wife was a victim of political violence.”
There’s clearly no adult in the room to say “wait, maybe don’t go after the charismatic war hero turned literal astronaut who ran after his wife was a victim of political violence.”
Reposted by Alan Zibel
Behind this important reversal is a member of the Coast Guard who saw what was happening and had the courage to leak it to the press. That person deserves serious praise.
November 21, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Behind this important reversal is a member of the Coast Guard who saw what was happening and had the courage to leak it to the press. That person deserves serious praise.
Reposted by Alan Zibel
November 21, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Reposted by Alan Zibel
Donald Trump is reposting calls to hang Democratic politicians on his Truth Social account.
This is the type of deranged behavior you might expect from an internet troll, not the President of the United States.
This is the type of deranged behavior you might expect from an internet troll, not the President of the United States.
November 20, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Donald Trump is reposting calls to hang Democratic politicians on his Truth Social account.
This is the type of deranged behavior you might expect from an internet troll, not the President of the United States.
This is the type of deranged behavior you might expect from an internet troll, not the President of the United States.