Tony Dutzik
@frontiertony.bsky.social
Assoc. Director/Sr. Policy Analyst, Frontier Group, part of The Public Interest Network. Transportation, climate and energy policy, mostly.
Reposted by Tony Dutzik
"Road Cost Recovery Trends" (vtpi.org/rcrt.pdf)
This short study calculates the portion of US roadway expenditures paid by fuel taxes and tolls. Most local road costs and a growing portion highway costs are funded by general taxes; user fees now cover less than half of road spending.
This short study calculates the portion of US roadway expenditures paid by fuel taxes and tolls. Most local road costs and a growing portion highway costs are funded by general taxes; user fees now cover less than half of road spending.
November 26, 2025 at 10:11 PM
"Road Cost Recovery Trends" (vtpi.org/rcrt.pdf)
This short study calculates the portion of US roadway expenditures paid by fuel taxes and tolls. Most local road costs and a growing portion highway costs are funded by general taxes; user fees now cover less than half of road spending.
This short study calculates the portion of US roadway expenditures paid by fuel taxes and tolls. Most local road costs and a growing portion highway costs are funded by general taxes; user fees now cover less than half of road spending.
The reality this story lays bare is that in much of the country, environmental protections are too weak, not too strong; those thst exist are easily gamed by politicians and industry; and the price is sometimes paid in lost kidneys and lost babies. www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
'The Precedent Is Flint': How Oregon's Data Center Boom Is Supercharging a Water Crisis
Amazon data centers constructed in eastern Oregon's farmland have worsened a water pollution problem that’s been linked to cancer and miscarriages.
www.rollingstone.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:56 PM
The reality this story lays bare is that in much of the country, environmental protections are too weak, not too strong; those thst exist are easily gamed by politicians and industry; and the price is sometimes paid in lost kidneys and lost babies. www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
Incredible reporting on the intersection of data center water use, agricultural and industrial water pollution, public corruption and more. www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
'The Precedent Is Flint': How Oregon's Data Center Boom Is Supercharging a Water Crisis
Amazon data centers constructed in eastern Oregon's farmland have worsened a water pollution problem that’s been linked to cancer and miscarriages.
www.rollingstone.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Incredible reporting on the intersection of data center water use, agricultural and industrial water pollution, public corruption and more. www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
Reposted by Tony Dutzik
There are complicated, structural reasons for the recent surge in electric prices (maybe a future thread on that) and beware of simple narratives. But prioritizing the most expensive generation is, quite literally, the dumbest possible solution.
November 25, 2025 at 1:44 PM
There are complicated, structural reasons for the recent surge in electric prices (maybe a future thread on that) and beware of simple narratives. But prioritizing the most expensive generation is, quite literally, the dumbest possible solution.
Little appreciated is that the "doomed" conflict dooms both "sides" - preventing the emergence of a (never easily achieved and always shifting) synthesis between conservation and the energy transition.
Pundit supporters of "permitting reform" sweep aside (& do not understand) ecology & community.
In their ignorance, they seek to confine the decision-making space to energy infrastructure.
This invariably leads to doomed conflict btw/energy infrastructure + ecological & community systems.
In their ignorance, they seek to confine the decision-making space to energy infrastructure.
This invariably leads to doomed conflict btw/energy infrastructure + ecological & community systems.
November 25, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Little appreciated is that the "doomed" conflict dooms both "sides" - preventing the emergence of a (never easily achieved and always shifting) synthesis between conservation and the energy transition.
Deepening our dependence on natural gas isn't a solution to the affordability challenge. And it never has been. isonewswire.com/2025/11/18/i...
November 24, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Deepening our dependence on natural gas isn't a solution to the affordability challenge. And it never has been. isonewswire.com/2025/11/18/i...
Good to see some measure of justice being done here, but the damage to renewable energy and energy efficiency in Ohio - inflicted by the coal and nuclear industries - remains. www.toledoblade.com/local/politi...
FirstEnergy ordered to pay $250M related to H.B. 6 scandal
COLUMBUS — FirstEnergy’s Ohio utilities — Toledo Edison, Ohio Edison, and Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company — are required to pay a combined $250.7 ...
www.toledoblade.com
November 22, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Good to see some measure of justice being done here, but the damage to renewable energy and energy efficiency in Ohio - inflicted by the coal and nuclear industries - remains. www.toledoblade.com/local/politi...
The lines on the page aren’t real until they are made real. And (already inadequate) past performance <> future results.
Where are global CO2 emissions heading?
Middle-of-the-road? But just because we have followed the SSP2-45, SSP4-60 path for 10 years, does not mean we follow it for the next 70 years.
Policy & technology have pushed the world away from the high-end, but 2.7C in 2100 & rising is not a good outcome!
Middle-of-the-road? But just because we have followed the SSP2-45, SSP4-60 path for 10 years, does not mean we follow it for the next 70 years.
Policy & technology have pushed the world away from the high-end, but 2.7C in 2100 & rising is not a good outcome!
November 21, 2025 at 1:21 PM
The lines on the page aren’t real until they are made real. And (already inadequate) past performance <> future results.
The problem, you see, is that we’re all too worried about climate change. Such sillies we are! www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
A Climate ‘Shock’ Is Eroding Some Home Values. New Data Shows How Much.
Changes in the insurance market have started to affect home prices in the most disaster-prone areas, new research finds, pushing some homeowners’ finances to the breaking point.
www.nytimes.com
November 21, 2025 at 12:13 PM
The problem, you see, is that we’re all too worried about climate change. Such sillies we are! www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Tony Dutzik
Where are global CO2 emissions heading?
Middle-of-the-road? But just because we have followed the SSP2-45, SSP4-60 path for 10 years, does not mean we follow it for the next 70 years.
Policy & technology have pushed the world away from the high-end, but 2.7C in 2100 & rising is not a good outcome!
Middle-of-the-road? But just because we have followed the SSP2-45, SSP4-60 path for 10 years, does not mean we follow it for the next 70 years.
Policy & technology have pushed the world away from the high-end, but 2.7C in 2100 & rising is not a good outcome!
November 21, 2025 at 9:07 AM
Where are global CO2 emissions heading?
Middle-of-the-road? But just because we have followed the SSP2-45, SSP4-60 path for 10 years, does not mean we follow it for the next 70 years.
Policy & technology have pushed the world away from the high-end, but 2.7C in 2100 & rising is not a good outcome!
Middle-of-the-road? But just because we have followed the SSP2-45, SSP4-60 path for 10 years, does not mean we follow it for the next 70 years.
Policy & technology have pushed the world away from the high-end, but 2.7C in 2100 & rising is not a good outcome!
Great work by @frontiergroup.bsky.social alum/colleague R.J. Cross working the "NSFW AI teddy bear chatbots for kids" beat. Which, incredibly, is now an actual thing.
Yesterday we put out a report about #AI toys - stuffed animals & toy robots that have a chatbot inside of them. Today the company that made the worst AI toy we tested suspended all sales, and #OpenAI suspended them from API access. pirg.org/edfund/media...
Breaking news: New ‘Trouble in Toyland’ report spurs maker of AI toys to suspend all sales
40th annual expose’ of dangerous toys publicized dangers of AI chatbots
pirg.org
November 20, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Great work by @frontiergroup.bsky.social alum/colleague R.J. Cross working the "NSFW AI teddy bear chatbots for kids" beat. Which, incredibly, is now an actual thing.
I agree with and can relate to a lot in this piece, but prefer to think about transit/bike/walk advocacy as "counter-cultural" rather than "radical." In part b/c it enables you to clarify the cultural values you're against (and for!) and b/c it's more expansive. usa.streetsblog.org/2025/11/17/t...
Transportation Politics Is Inherently Radical — Streetsblog USA
And we need to embrace that if we want to win.
usa.streetsblog.org
November 19, 2025 at 2:07 PM
I agree with and can relate to a lot in this piece, but prefer to think about transit/bike/walk advocacy as "counter-cultural" rather than "radical." In part b/c it enables you to clarify the cultural values you're against (and for!) and b/c it's more expansive. usa.streetsblog.org/2025/11/17/t...
Reposted by Tony Dutzik
Cutting transit and disproportionately taxing EVs won't fix the Highway Trust Fund. We’re in this mess because Congress chose to take money from all taxpayers to prop up a highway program that is failing to deliver on safety, state of repair, and mobility.
t4america.org/2025/11/18/a...
t4america.org/2025/11/18/a...
Axing federal transit funding won’t solve the Highway Trust Fund’s fiscal woes - Transportation For America
The Trump administration’s proposal to eliminate the core pillar of federal transit funding won’t fix the Highway Trust Fund’s budget woes. Other proposals put forward by this Congress so far haven’t ...
t4america.org
November 18, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Cutting transit and disproportionately taxing EVs won't fix the Highway Trust Fund. We’re in this mess because Congress chose to take money from all taxpayers to prop up a highway program that is failing to deliver on safety, state of repair, and mobility.
t4america.org/2025/11/18/a...
t4america.org/2025/11/18/a...
Autumn at Cedar Grove Cemetery never disappoints.
November 15, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Autumn at Cedar Grove Cemetery never disappoints.
Excellent deep dive on the failings and lesser-known successes of the federal electric vehicle charging program.
The U.S. could have thrown a lot of money at low-quality chargers in the wrong places. It didn't. And in the long run, that's good.
www.eenews.net/articles/bid...
The U.S. could have thrown a lot of money at low-quality chargers in the wrong places. It didn't. And in the long run, that's good.
www.eenews.net/articles/bid...
Biden’s EV plan failed. Or did it?
We never got those promised EV chargers — but we did get a future for EVs.
www.eenews.net
November 14, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Excellent deep dive on the failings and lesser-known successes of the federal electric vehicle charging program.
The U.S. could have thrown a lot of money at low-quality chargers in the wrong places. It didn't. And in the long run, that's good.
www.eenews.net/articles/bid...
The U.S. could have thrown a lot of money at low-quality chargers in the wrong places. It didn't. And in the long run, that's good.
www.eenews.net/articles/bid...
This is counterintuitive, but true. Also true: average electricity prices are near historic lows, at least back to the 1970s, when adjusted for inflation.
What has happened is that the trajectory has changed.
What has happened is that the trajectory has changed.
4. Electricity prices are more a state political issue than a national one. Retail electricity prices are going up in some states and down in others. But on average over states and customer classes, retail prices are *8.5% lower than they were in 2010* after adjustment for inflation.
November 14, 2025 at 3:47 PM
This is counterintuitive, but true. Also true: average electricity prices are near historic lows, at least back to the 1970s, when adjusted for inflation.
What has happened is that the trajectory has changed.
What has happened is that the trajectory has changed.
Got a feeling that deepening our dependence on natural gas in the name of "affordability" is not going to turn out well. For the environment *or* for affordability.
November 14, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Got a feeling that deepening our dependence on natural gas in the name of "affordability" is not going to turn out well. For the environment *or* for affordability.
Reposted by Tony Dutzik
10. States with more renewable generation tend to have somewhat lower prices, but it's a weak trend. A much stronger trend: Higher dependence on natural gas for electricity generation means higher retail prices. Gas prices often set wholesale electricity prices, which utilities pass through to us.
October 19, 2025 at 9:58 PM
10. States with more renewable generation tend to have somewhat lower prices, but it's a weak trend. A much stronger trend: Higher dependence on natural gas for electricity generation means higher retail prices. Gas prices often set wholesale electricity prices, which utilities pass through to us.
The most depressing thing is the finding that state/local governments likely used federal transit capital funding to replace their own funds, rather than boost transit investment. If more federal funding <> more transit investment, what does that mean for federal advocacy going forward?
Excellent report documenting the real effects of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law on transportation, and a must-read as the transportation reathorization conversation gets rolling in earnest.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed 4 years ago. In new research @urbaninstitute.bsky.social we study its effects.
US transport spending increased by 30%, but:
—Funding for non-highway projects flatlined
—Construction cost increases resulted in no actual increase in infrastructure
US transport spending increased by 30%, but:
—Funding for non-highway projects flatlined
—Construction cost increases resulted in no actual increase in infrastructure
November 13, 2025 at 3:27 PM
The most depressing thing is the finding that state/local governments likely used federal transit capital funding to replace their own funds, rather than boost transit investment. If more federal funding <> more transit investment, what does that mean for federal advocacy going forward?
Excellent report documenting the real effects of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law on transportation, and a must-read as the transportation reathorization conversation gets rolling in earnest.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed 4 years ago. In new research @urbaninstitute.bsky.social we study its effects.
US transport spending increased by 30%, but:
—Funding for non-highway projects flatlined
—Construction cost increases resulted in no actual increase in infrastructure
US transport spending increased by 30%, but:
—Funding for non-highway projects flatlined
—Construction cost increases resulted in no actual increase in infrastructure
Federal Infrastructure Spending on Transportation, Four Years after the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is up for reauthorization in 2026. New analysis shows that the act increased spending on transportation infrastructure, but…
www.urban.org
November 12, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Excellent report documenting the real effects of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law on transportation, and a must-read as the transportation reathorization conversation gets rolling in earnest.
Gonna go out on a limb here, but I'm pretty sure the solution to the deep crisis of meaning and spirit among young men (and others of us 21st c. moderns) is not permitting reform. www.derekthompson.org/p/the-monks-...
November 12, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Gonna go out on a limb here, but I'm pretty sure the solution to the deep crisis of meaning and spirit among young men (and others of us 21st c. moderns) is not permitting reform. www.derekthompson.org/p/the-monks-...
Reposted by Tony Dutzik
Finally driving my first EV and can’t be the only middle aged dad now *obsessed* with regenerative braking and getting as many miles as humanly possible.
November 12, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Finally driving my first EV and can’t be the only middle aged dad now *obsessed* with regenerative braking and getting as many miles as humanly possible.
Reposted by Tony Dutzik
"U.S. data centers would add 24 million to 44 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually to the atmosphere through the end of the decade... The build-out also is projected to drain 731 million to 1,125 million cubic meters of water... equivalent to the household usage of 6 million to 10 million"
3-year study maps CO2 spikes from AI data center boom
The analysis also examines water use and offers a road map for lower emissions through states with considerable renewable resources.
www.eenews.net
November 10, 2025 at 3:01 PM
"U.S. data centers would add 24 million to 44 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually to the atmosphere through the end of the decade... The build-out also is projected to drain 731 million to 1,125 million cubic meters of water... equivalent to the household usage of 6 million to 10 million"
Reposted by Tony Dutzik
It's not just the AI sociopaths pushing the idea that we need data centers. The oil and gas industry desperately wants us to believe we need them and must power them with gas.
November 8, 2025 at 12:51 PM
It's not just the AI sociopaths pushing the idea that we need data centers. The oil and gas industry desperately wants us to believe we need them and must power them with gas.
Reposted by Tony Dutzik
Far from serving as a sort of grid-expansion gym to help training for incoming electrification, data centres are actually eating up the finite resources need to accomodate billions of homes, vehicles and industrial facilities
Here's a remarkable example from Tasmania, Australia
Here's a remarkable example from Tasmania, Australia
There is really no escaping the fact that electrification = an overall massive reduction in energy consumption *but* a massive increase in *electricity* consumption.
This is why curbing pointless data centre growth is so important: make way for the socially critical stuff like electrification ->
This is why curbing pointless data centre growth is so important: make way for the socially critical stuff like electrification ->
Paper mill owner told not enough power for coal to electric conversion
Australia's only paper mill uses coal-fired boilers, which its new owner wants to convert to electric, but he says he has been told there is not enough local power in the Tasmanian grid to support thi...
www.abc.net.au
November 7, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Far from serving as a sort of grid-expansion gym to help training for incoming electrification, data centres are actually eating up the finite resources need to accomodate billions of homes, vehicles and industrial facilities
Here's a remarkable example from Tasmania, Australia
Here's a remarkable example from Tasmania, Australia