Public Policy & NGOs
Here's a look at documents from public policy and non-governmental organizations
Featured Stories
World Vision Calls For Urgent Protection of Children Following Deadly Mining Landslide In Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
MONROVIA, California, Feb. 4 -- World Vision International issued the following news release:
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World Vision Calls For Urgent Protection of Children Following Deadly Mining Landslide In Eastern DR Congo
Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo - World Vision is deeply saddened by news of a deadly landslide at the Rubaya artisanal mining site in Masisi Territory, North Kivu, eastern DRC, which has claimed the lives of more than 200 people following heavy rainfall. An estimated 70 of them are children, although exact figures are yet to be confirmed as recovery efforts continue.
The disaster has
... Show Full Article
MONROVIA, California, Feb. 4 -- World Vision International issued the following news release:
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World Vision Calls For Urgent Protection of Children Following Deadly Mining Landslide In Eastern DR Congo
Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo - World Vision is deeply saddened by news of a deadly landslide at the Rubaya artisanal mining site in Masisi Territory, North Kivu, eastern DRC, which has claimed the lives of more than 200 people following heavy rainfall. An estimated 70 of them are children, although exact figures are yet to be confirmed as recovery efforts continue.
The disaster hashad major consequences for communities already weakened by years of armed conflict, forced displacement, and chronic poverty. In eastern DRC, control of mineral-rich areas has long fuelled violence, pushing families from their homes, disrupting education, and leaving children with few options other than unsafe and poorly regulated mining or other hazardous work to survive.
Rubaya sits at the heart of a lucrative coltan-producing area, where profits from poorly regulated artisanal mining have repeatedly been linked to the financing of armed groups. These groups profit from insecurity, while children pay the price - displaced from their homes, forced out of school, and drawn into dangerous mining work that exposes them to exploitation, injury and death.
"This is a heartbreaking tragedy," said Aline Napon, World Vision DRC National Director.
"Children should be in school, not working underground in dangerous conditions that put their lives at risk. Yet the minerals extracted here help fuel the conflict that displaces families in the first place - and ultimately end up in global supply chains that generate profits far beyond Congo, while local communities remain trapped in poverty and danger."
The collapse occurred during a period of intense rainfall, which caused soil instability and the failure of several underground shafts while miners were inside. Children are usually used in the mines to engage in small-scale trading and help to carry goods. Many survivors, including children, have sustained serious injuries, with some transferred to hospitals in the regional capital, Goma, for specialised care. Authorities have temporarily closed the site to support recovery efforts, though access remains extremely difficult.
Communities around Rubaya were already under severe strain due to ongoing insecurity, displacement, and chronic poverty. The disaster has left families grieving, injured people requiring long-term medical support, and households suddenly without income. Children now face heightened risks of exploitation, psychological trauma, family separation, and being pushed further into hazardous labour as families struggle to cope.
"Beyond the immediate loss of life, this tragedy will have long-lasting impacts on children's safety, wellbeing and futures," said David Munkley, World Vision Zonal Director in Eastern DRC.
"Emergency assistance is urgently needed, but so is action to address the deeper drivers -- conflict, weak regulation, and poverty -- that continue to force children into the most dangerous forms of work"
World Vision has been working in Eastern Congo since 1984, focusing on responding to the humanitarian needs of children and families in the region. World Vision's WALIP programme, funded by the US Department of State, is currently working in North Kivu with local protection organisation Coeur Sans Frontiere to reach over a thousand children whose lives have been uprooted by the recent surge in violence. Many children have been forced to work in mines or on the streets to survive. Our WALIP programme helps them access psychosocial care and gives them a pathway back to education and safety.
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About World Vision
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. For more information, please follow on X @WorldVision.
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Original text here: https://www.wvi.org/newsroom/congo/world-vision-calls-urgent-protection-children-following-deadly-mining-landslide
[Category: Sociological]
IFPTE Requests the House Pass Five FY26 Appropriations Bills and Ensure Administration Respects the Law and Constitution
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 -- The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers issued the following news:
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IFPTE Requests the House Pass Five FY26 Appropriations Bills and Ensure Administration Respects the Law and Constitution
Ahead of the House vote to end the partial government shutdown by passing five Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) appropriations bills, Senate Amendments to H.R. 7418, IFPTE urged the passage of the legislation and also urged lawmakers "accountability, oversight, and justice for overbroad DHS immigration enforcement operations that have resulted in too many tragic
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WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 -- The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers issued the following news:
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IFPTE Requests the House Pass Five FY26 Appropriations Bills and Ensure Administration Respects the Law and Constitution
Ahead of the House vote to end the partial government shutdown by passing five Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) appropriations bills, Senate Amendments to H.R. 7418, IFPTE urged the passage of the legislation and also urged lawmakers "accountability, oversight, and justice for overbroad DHS immigration enforcement operations that have resulted in too many tragicoutcomes."
The funding bill includes short-term funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), not the full FY26 Homeland Security funding, to allow Congress to reign in DHS immigration enforcement operations that have resulted in the deaths of Alex Pretti, a VA nurse, and Renee Good, both U.S. citizens residing in Minnesota. DHS and it's immigration agencies are being sued by state and local governments, civil rights organizations, and individuals for violating Constitution rights and harming life and property. IFPTE's letter notes that, "The American public's calls for oversight of the DHS operations in Minnesota and in other states must be answered by Congress."
IFPTE also notes that while the union calls for the passage of the FY26 appropriations bill, Congress must use must-pass appropriations and authorizations bills to make sure the "Executive Branch must follow the law and Constitutional limits and respect the constitutional rights of the American people." The letter calls for Congress to enact protections for federal employees collective bargaining rights, block the implementation of Schedule Policy/Career (Schedule P/C), and prevent the Executive Branch from interfering in state and local authorities administration of elections, which is Constitutionally protected.
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February 3, 2026
Dear Representative:
We write to you as the executive officers of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, a labor union representing upwards of 90,000 workers employed in thefederal sector, state and local governments, and the private sector, to request that you advancethe Senate Amendments to H.R. 7148, which funds five Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26)
appropriations bills that have bipartisan support and extends funding for the FY26 Homeland Security on a short-term basis, as funding for the Department for Homeland Security (DHS)lacks bipartisan support and requires further negotiations.
Today, the federal government is in a partial shutdown. Hundreds of thousands of those federalworkers at agencies that have a lapse in funding are still reporting to work with no certainty onwhen this shutdown will end and whether they will be paid on time. Our members - whetherthey support our national defense at the Navy Shipyards and other Department of Defenseagencies, adjudicate Social Security disability claims, or hear Merit System Protection Boardappeals - want to go to work and do not want a shutdown. Working people throughout the U.S.
who count on the government services and functions provided by the Departments of Labor,Health and Human Services, State, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation donot want a government shutdown. Our federal sector membership knows that government
shutdowns are costly and inefficient, cause economic harm, and hurt the government servicesand functions.
We urge you not to hold five appropriations bills from enactment while Congress and the American public seek to ensure accountability, oversight, and justice for overbroad DHSimmigration enforcement operations that have resulted in too many tragic outcomes. In theaftermath of the death of Alex Pretti, a federal employee and nurse at a Veterans Affairshospital in Minneapolis, who was shot and killed by federal agents from the DHS on January24, the FY26 Homeland Security appropriations fund is an immediate opportunity for Congressto provide urgent and overdue accountability. The federal immigration enforcement operationsin Minnesota and in other states are subject to several federal court cases, including a suitbrought by the State of Minnesota and multiple class action lawsuits alleging ongoingviolations of constitutional rights and denial of due process rights. Two weeks earlier,Minneapolis resident Renee Good was also killed by DHS agents. The American public's callsfor oversight of the DHS operations in Minnesota and in other states must be answered byCongress.
Passing the five FY26 appropriations bills in the minibus package before the House - whichincluded Defense; Labor and Health and Human Services; Transportation and Housing and Urban Development; Financial Services and General Government; and National Security and State - still allows Congress to negotiate the DHS funding and make sure the Executive Branchleadership and the agencies they lead are bound by the rule of law and respect Constitutionallimits.
Whether this partial shutdown ends with the passage and enactment of Senate Amendments to H.R. 7148 or it continues until a resolution on DHS funding is reached, IFPTE urges Congressto utilize all Congressional appropriations and authorizations vehicles to restrain unlawfulExecutive Branch overreach that makes government unaccountable, harms government
effective operations, and is not in the public interest. IFPTE requests Congress nullify theexecutive orders that suspend federal workers' bargaining rights, which not only deprives over1 million federal workers of their union rights but also harms agency performance, missionreadiness, innovation in operations, and morale. The House has already recognized that the Administration's antiunion actions overreach far beyond what Congress intended in the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, but Congress needs to make certain that the restoration ofbargaining rights for federal workers is enacted. Congress should also block implementationof Schedule P/C, which moves nonpartisan federal civil servant positions into partisan exceptedservice, turning a professional and impartial federal workforce that has due process protectionsinto one that is politically loyal to the Administration and allows federal employees to be firedwithout cause by the Administration. Schedule P/C is a profound reversal of the developmentof the merit system protections, which replaced the spoils system through the passage of the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 and subsequent legislation. Finally, we urge Congress to block any effort by the Executive Branch to violate the Constitution's Elections Clause by "nationalizing" the role of state and local governments in administering elections orotherwise interfering in elections.
We urge you to pass Senate Amendments to H.R. 7148 and continue working to make clearthat the Executive Branch must follow the law and Constitutional limits and respect theconstitutional rights of the American people. Thank you for considering our request. Shouldyou have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call IFPTE Legislative DirectorFaraz Khan at fkhan@ifpte.org.
Sincerely,
Matthew S. Biggs
IFPTE President
Gay Henson
IFPTE Secretary
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Original text here: https://www.ifpte.org/news/pass-five-fy26-approps-bills-and-ensure-administration-respects-the-law-and-constitution
[Category: Engineering]
Florida Chamber Foundation's Florida Prosperity Initiative's New Analysis Shows Florida Making Continued Progress on Replacing Childhood Poverty With Prosperity
TALLAHASSEE, Florida, Feb. 4 -- The Florida Chamber Foundation issued the following news:
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Florida Chamber Foundation's Florida Prosperity Initiative's New Analysis Shows Florida Making Continued Progress on Replacing Childhood Poverty with Prosperity
Florida's Zip Code Model and 10 Root Causes focus is doubling efforts to accelerate breaking the cycle of generational poverty
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The Leadership Advisory Board of the Florida Prosperity Initiative reports that Florida is making progress in reducing childhood poverty. The latest Florida Chamber Foundation Prosperity Initiative analysis highlights
... Show Full Article
TALLAHASSEE, Florida, Feb. 4 -- The Florida Chamber Foundation issued the following news:
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Florida Chamber Foundation's Florida Prosperity Initiative's New Analysis Shows Florida Making Continued Progress on Replacing Childhood Poverty with Prosperity
Florida's Zip Code Model and 10 Root Causes focus is doubling efforts to accelerate breaking the cycle of generational poverty
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The Leadership Advisory Board of the Florida Prosperity Initiative reports that Florida is making progress in reducing childhood poverty. The latest Florida Chamber Foundation Prosperity Initiative analysis highlightscontinued momentum in the statewide business-led effort to cut Florida's childhood poverty in half by 2030, which is one of 39 targeted goals of the Florida 2030 Blueprint to move Florida from the 15th-largest global economy to the 10th-largest.
According to our latest analysis, despite having more children in Florida, the number of children in poverty in Florida dropped from 714,768 to 711,576, a reduction of 3,192 children over the last reporting period alone, and a decrease of over 200,000 children in poverty since the launch of the Florida Prosperity Initiative.
Driven by strong collaboration among business, community, and policy leaders, such as our aligned partners at United Way, the Federal Reserve, Local Chamber of Commerce, Hope Florida, Boys and Girls Clubs, the Reading Pals program and so many others, Florida continues to see measurable improvements as partners remain focused on expanding economic opportunity and removing barriers for children and families.
"This progress illustrates the power of business leaders with big hearts, our collective impact model, and reinforces Florida's growing reputation as a national model for tackling generational poverty through localized, data-driven solutions," said Mark Wilson, President & CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Foundation. "When I originally testified before Congress about Florida's zip code-driven approach, 23.3% of Florida's children were living in poverty. Today, that figure has dropped to 16.5%. However, our work is far from finished."
Even as Florida businesses create 1 in every 15 new jobs in America, state leaders emphasize that sustained focus is essential to ensure economic growth reaches every family. Through the Florida Prosperity Initiative, partners remain committed to replacing poverty with self-sufficiency--one zip code at a time--and inviting business leaders across the state to play an active role in shaping Florida's future.
"I know firsthand that abuse, foster care, and poverty do not have to define a child's future," said Heather Cogar, Statewide Director of Community Engagement of the Florida Prosperity Initiative. "When caring adults, businesses, and community leaders show up with intention and data-driven solutions, the cycle of generational poverty can be broken. We are creating pathways to opportunity that truly change lives for generations, one zip code at a time, one family at a time."
Echoing Florida's zip code-driven approach to breaking generational poverty, leaders and policymakers stress that child safety, one of the root causes of poverty, must be addressed with the same neighborhood-level focus.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who has made protecting children a central focus of his leadership, is already working with communities and law enforcement across Florida to change the trajectory for children and their families experiencing barriers to safety and economic opportunity.
"Safety for children in Florida should never depend on a zip code, which is why I'm working with the Florida Prosperity Initiative in driving real change at the neighborhood level to strengthen protections and close gaps to opportunity and self-sufficiency," said Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
Florida Prosperity Initiative Advisory Board member Dawn Belamarich, President & CEO of Southwest Florida's Collaboratory, said, "We unite business, non-profit and community leaders in our five Southwest Florida counties and the Prosperity Initiative's 10 Root Causes of Poverty allow us to focus our time, resources and action where and how it's needed most."
Mike Bays, a prominent Citrus County business and community leader, agrees. "The genius of the Prosperity Initiative approach is it lets local business leaders collaborate together with their local Sheriff, chamber, United Way, schools, food pantries and others to create zip code-level solutions based on the unique needs of our zip code (34465) here in Citrus County. As a local State Farm Agent, I want what's best for our community, and the Florida Chamber's 10 Root Cause model allows businesses in my zip code to focus our time and resources on what will make the biggest difference to cutting childhood poverty in half."
Data Snapshot: The latest childhood poverty numbers have already been uploaded to our county-by-county scorecard. To view your county's latest childhood poverty numbers, visit www.thefloridascorecard.org and use the drop-down menu to focus on your county.
The latest zip code look at childhood poverty numbers can be found at the Florida Prosperity Initiatives' www.theFloridaGapMap.org. More than half of our 711,576 children in poverty live in 150 of our 983 Florida zip codes. To view over 100 metrics in your zip code, visit www.thefloridagapmap.org.
The Florida Chamber Foundation's research team will analyze the new data and provide a full report later this month. We know that, while childhood poverty is down slightly, we saw 35 counties reduce their childhood poverty, one stayed the same and 31 counties saw an increase in childhood poverty. A full analysis will be available next month.
* Overall Poverty in Florida:
* Highest Percentage of Residents in Poverty: Gadsden County, 27.9%
* Lowest Percentage of Residents in Poverty: St. John's County, 6.5%
* Overall Childhood Poverty in Florida:
* Highest Percentage of Children in Poverty: Hardee County, 39.30%
* Lowest Percentage of Children in Poverty: Santa Rose County, 6.5%
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TABLE: For Countywide Poverty Rate Ranked Least to Highest Year-Over-Year Comparison
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The Florida Chamber Foundation Prosperity Initiative will release a comprehensive statewide report later this month and host a nationwide webinar discussing the findings, highlighting best practices, and outlining next steps for continued progress, including what will be covered at the June 9 Florida Prosperity Summit in Tampa.
How Leaders Can Help Cut Florida Childhood Poverty in Half
Join the Florida Prosperity Initiative
The Florida Chamber Foundation's Florida Prosperity Initiative created the Florida Model to address the 10 Root Causes of Poverty and ensure every child has a pathway to prosperity, one zip code at a time.
The 10 Root Causes of Poverty:
1. Food Insecurity
2. Unattainable Housing
3. Lack of Access to Quality Healthcare
4. Unsafe Homes and Neighborhoods
5. Lack of Employment Opportunities
6. Lack of Available Quality Education
7. Insufficient Transportation
8. Unaffordable and Unattainable Child Care
9. Lack of Financial Literacy
10. Lack of Agency and Community Voice
To learn how you can join the effort to cut Florida childhood poverty in half by 2030, contact Kristina Donohue at kdonohue@flchamber.com.
2026 Florida Prosperity & Economic Opportunity Solution Summit
Business and community leaders are invited to participate in the Florida Chamber Foundation's 2026 Florida Prosperity & Economic Opportunity Solution Summit on June 9, 2026, in Tampa, Florida.
This annual event will provide insights into the 10 root causes of poverty and explore actionable, data-driven solutions to advance economic opportunities at the local and statewide levels. Learn more and register HERE.
Florida Prosperity Initiative Advisory Board
The Florida Chamber Foundation's efforts to cut Florida childhood poverty in half by 2030 are guided by a growing group of individuals and companies, who serve on the Florida Prosperity Initiative Advisory Board:
1. Sky Beard, Florida Director, No Kid Hungry
2. Maritza Martinez-Guerrero, VP of External Affairs & Philanthropy, Orlando Magic
3. Mike Griffin, Senior VP of Advocacy & Public Policy, Advent Health
4. Tracy Melvin, Manager, Maximus
6. Dawn Bellamarich, President & CEO, Collaboratory
6. Andy Sweet, CEO & President, Children's Home Society of Florida
7. Michelle Hamilton, Senior Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, Florida Blue
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About the Florida Prosperity Initiative
The Florida Prosperity Initiative is a data-driven, business-led effort of the Florida Chamber Foundation focused on addressing the root causes of poverty and expanding economic opportunity for all Floridians. Through cross-sector partnerships, community engagement, and measurable outcomes, the Initiative is working to cut childhood poverty in half by 2030. For more information, visit flchamber.com/flprosperityinitiative.
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Original text here: https://www.flchamber.com/florida-chamber-foundations-florida-prosperity-initiatives-new-analysis-shows-florida-making-continued-progress-on-replacing-childhood-poverty-with-prosperity/
[Category: Business]
Cato's McCluskey: Community College Fraud Highlights Need to End Federal Student Aid
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 -- Cato Institute issued the following news release:
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Cato's McCluskey: Community College Fraud Highlights Need to End Federal Student Aid
Recent reporting has uncovered massive fraud schemes in community college enrollment throughout the country, resulting in hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars being stolen. A new blog post by Neal McCluskey, the director of Cato's Center for Educational Freedom, details why this is just another reason to end federal student loans, in part writing:
"Of course, the most painful effect of federal third-party funding in higher ed
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 -- Cato Institute issued the following news release:
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Cato's McCluskey: Community College Fraud Highlights Need to End Federal Student Aid
Recent reporting has uncovered massive fraud schemes in community college enrollment throughout the country, resulting in hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars being stolen. A new blog post by Neal McCluskey, the director of Cato's Center for Educational Freedom, details why this is just another reason to end federal student loans, in part writing:
"Of course, the most painful effect of federal third-party funding in higher edis on prices. Federal aid enables colleges to raise prices and bring in more money, and it often incentivizes students to demand more expensive options that have little to do with education. Oh, and funding more and more degrees artificially inflates demand for credentials in the workforce.
"Basically, federal student aid fuels tuition inflation, credential inflation, and fraud. It is also unconstitutional ... and time for it to end."
To speak with McCluskey further on student loan fraud, contact Christopher Tarvardian.
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Original text here: https://www.cato.org/news-releases/catos-mccluskey-community-college-fraud-highlights-need-end-federal-student-aid#
[Category: Sociological]
Cato Institute: Research - Immigrants Created $14.5T Fiscal Savings
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (TNSrep) -- Cato Institute issued the following news release:
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New Research: Immigrants Created $14.5T Fiscal Savings
Cato scholar David Bier has released new research revealing that immigrants generated a $14.5 trillion fiscal savings for U.S. government budgets from 1994 to 2023.
The white paper (https://www.cato.org/white-paper/immigrants-recent-effects-government-budgets-1994-2023), which updates the National Academies of Sciences model with 30 years of comprehensive data, finds that immigrants paid more in taxes than they received in benefits every single year.
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WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (TNSrep) -- Cato Institute issued the following news release:
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New Research: Immigrants Created $14.5T Fiscal Savings
Cato scholar David Bier has released new research revealing that immigrants generated a $14.5 trillion fiscal savings for U.S. government budgets from 1994 to 2023.
The white paper (https://www.cato.org/white-paper/immigrants-recent-effects-government-budgets-1994-2023), which updates the National Academies of Sciences model with 30 years of comprehensive data, finds that immigrants paid more in taxes than they received in benefits every single year.Without immigrants, U.S. public debt would have reached 205 percent of GDP, nearly double current levels, and a threshold some analysts believe would trigger economic catastrophe.
Key findings include: Even low-skilled immigrants were fiscally positive overall. Noncitizens (including those here illegally) contributed $6.3 trillion in savings. Immigrants cut U.S. deficits by roughly one-third over the three-decade period.
If you'd like to speak with Bier, please contact Madison: mmiller@cato.org.
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Original text here: https://www.cato.org/news-releases/new-research-immigrants-created-145t-fiscal-savings#
[Category: Sociological]
Cato Institute: Policy Approach for Powering AI Data Centers Without Raising Rates
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (TNSrep) -- Cato Institute issued the following news release:
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New Policy Approach for Powering AI Data Centers without Raising Rates
Surging demand from artificial intelligence and data centers is colliding with an electricity system built for slow, incremental change. The result: multiyear interconnection delays, rising costs for existing customers, and growing reliability risks.
Cato scholar Travis Fisher and Glen Lyons, founder and chief advocate at Advocates for Consumer-Regulated Electricity, propose Consumer-Regulated Electricity (CRE), a reform allowing privately
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (TNSrep) -- Cato Institute issued the following news release:
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New Policy Approach for Powering AI Data Centers without Raising Rates
Surging demand from artificial intelligence and data centers is colliding with an electricity system built for slow, incremental change. The result: multiyear interconnection delays, rising costs for existing customers, and growing reliability risks.
Cato scholar Travis Fisher and Glen Lyons, founder and chief advocate at Advocates for Consumer-Regulated Electricity, propose Consumer-Regulated Electricity (CRE), a reform allowing privatelyfinanced, off-grid utilities to serve new electricity-intensive facilities under voluntary contracts. Because these utilities would be physically "islanded" from the regulated grid, they would impose zero costs or reliability risks on existing ratepayers.
Their new briefing paper (https://www.cato.org/briefing-paper/case-consumer-regulated-electricity-private-electricity-grids-offer-parallel-path) examines how CRE could help states attract new industrial investment while protecting households from cost increases, addressing what Fisher and Lyons call "the defining electricity challenge of the coming decade: speed to power."
If you'd like to speak with Fisher or Lyons, please contact Madison: mmiller@cato.org.
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Original text here: https://www.cato.org/news-releases/new-policy-approach-powering-ai-data-centers-without-raising-rates#
[Category: Sociological]
CATF Report: As Global Development Finance Retreats, Gulf Countries Could Play a Decisive Role in Africa's Clean Energy Future
BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 4 (TNSrep) -- Clean Air Task Force, an organization that says it works to safeguard against the impacts of climate change by catalyzing the development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies, issued the following news:
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New CATF report: As global development finance retreats, Gulf countries could play a decisive role in Africa's clean energy future
As traditional sources of development finance recede, a new report from Clean Air Task Force (CATF) finds that countries in the Middle East, particularly the United Arab Emirates
... Show Full Article
BOSTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 4 (TNSrep) -- Clean Air Task Force, an organization that says it works to safeguard against the impacts of climate change by catalyzing the development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies, issued the following news:
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New CATF report: As global development finance retreats, Gulf countries could play a decisive role in Africa's clean energy future
As traditional sources of development finance recede, a new report from Clean Air Task Force (CATF) finds that countries in the Middle East, particularly the United Arab Emiratesand Saudi Arabia, are emerging as some of the most influential actors shaping Africa's clean energy and industrial future. The report, The Role of Middle East Leadership in Clean Energy Infrastructure Funding, examines how growing Gulf investment in energy and enabling infrastructure could help close Africa's power gaps, support economic development, and advance global climate goals--if structured to deliver long-term, system-wide impact.
"Africa has the resources and the ambition to meet its energy needs--but what it lacks is patient capital willing to take on the required risks," said David Yellen, Director, Climate Policy Innovation at CATF and coauthor of the report. "The UAE and Saudi Arabia are showing that a new investment model is possible--one built on partnership, market creation, and shared value rather than piling on debt. But realizing that at scale means funding projects in more countries, beyond those that have historically been repeat beneficiaries of development aid, and supporting initiatives beyond renewable power generation alone."
According to the report (https://www.catf.us/resource/role-middle-east-leadership-clean-energy-infrastructure-funding/), UAE and Saudi governmental and semi-governmental entities have announced more than $175 billion in clean energy investments and commitments in Africa since 2010, with the vast majority announced after 2022. Much of this capital is structured as direct project investment rather than sovereign lending, reducing debt burdens while enabling larger, faster-moving infrastructure projects.
The UAE has expanded its clean energy footprint through entities such as Masdar and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, investing across solar, wind, geothermal, and green hydrogen projects in North, East, and Southern Africa. Saudi Arabia, led by ACWA Power and the Saudi Fund for Development, has similarly ramped up activity, particularly in large-scale renewables and hydrogen projects in countries including Egypt, South Africa, and Morocco.
"However, current Gulf investment patterns risk replicating longstanding inequities," added Nada Hamade, co-author of the report. "Most capital continues to flow to a small group of relatively well-capitalized countries, while nations with the greatest energy access gaps remain underserved. GCC investors have an opportunity to diversify both where and how they invest, ensuring their support reaches the places and projects that need it most."
Key opportunities identified in the report include:
* Transmission and grid infrastructure to ensure reliable electricity access and renewable integration
* Clean firm power, such as geothermal and nuclear energy, to support industrial growth and stabilize grids
* System-level investments linking energy supply to new sources of demand, including industry and data centers
* Climate-smart investments in methane abatement and critical minerals, where Gulf expertise could deliver rapid climate benefits and economic returns
The report emphasizes that Gulf countries can distinguish themselves from legacy development institutions--not by replicating traditional models, but by investing in enabling infrastructure, adopting a longer-term view of risk, and partnering with a broader range of African countries. By diversifying support, fostering local value through workforce development and shared ownership, and aligning investments with national development priorities, Gulf investors could unlock energy access, industrial growth, and climate resilience at scale, reshaping global development finance and accelerating a just and durable clean energy transition.
More than 600 million people in Africa still lack reliable electricity, yet the continent receives only 2% of global clean energy investment. By 2030, Africa will require roughly $133 billion annually in clean energy funding to meet its development and climate goals. With development finance from the U.S., Europe, and China increasingly constrained, the report highlights that Gulf countries are uniquely positioned to help bridge this growing gap. A 2024 CATF analysis finds the average cost of capital for African energy projects is an alarming 15.6%--more than three times higher than in developed regions such as Western Europe and the U.S.
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About Clean Air Task Force
Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is a global nonprofit organization working to safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change by catalyzing the rapid development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies. With 30 years of internationally recognized expertise on climate policy and a fierce commitment to exploring all potential solutions, CATF is a pragmatic, non-ideological advocacy group with the bold ideas needed to address climate change. CATF has offices in Boston, Washington D.C., and Brussels, with staff working virtually around the world. Visit catf.us and follow @cleanaircatf.
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Original text here: https://www.catf.us/2026/02/new-catf-report-global-development-finance-retreats-gulf-countries-could-play-decisive-role-africas-clean-energy-future/
[Category: Environment]
