Public Policy & NGOs
Here's a look at documents from public policy and non-governmental organizations
Featured Stories
Fleischmann & Newhouse Tout Growing Support of Nuclear Power as a Way to Meet America's Increasing Energy Demand
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 [Category: Political] -- The Ripon Society posted the following news release:
* * *
Fleischmann & Newhouse Tout Growing Support of Nuclear Power as a Way to Meet America's Increasing Energy Demand
*
"It's safe. It's clean. It's one of those energies that is actually attracting people from both sides of the aisle. It's truly amazing."
WASHINGTON, D.C. - With America facing unprecedented energy demands driven by data centers, artificial intelligence, and technological advancements, U.S. Reps. Chuck Fleischmann and Dan Newhouse appeared this past Thursday before a breakfast
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 [Category: Political] -- The Ripon Society posted the following news release:
* * *
Fleischmann & Newhouse Tout Growing Support of Nuclear Power as a Way to Meet America's Increasing Energy Demand
*
"It's safe. It's clean. It's one of those energies that is actually attracting people from both sides of the aisle. It's truly amazing."
WASHINGTON, D.C. - With America facing unprecedented energy demands driven by data centers, artificial intelligence, and technological advancements, U.S. Reps. Chuck Fleischmann and Dan Newhouse appeared this past Thursday before a breakfastdiscussion of The Ripon Society to discuss the effort they are leading to meet this demand and boost U.S. energy security in the coming years.
Fleischmann represents the 3rd District of Tennessee and serves as Chairman of the Energy & Water Subcommittee of Appropriations. Newhouse represents the 4th District of Washington and is a member of the subcommittee. In their remarks, the two lawmakers talked about the increasing importance of nuclear power in meeting the country's growing energy needs, and the steps they believe Congress and the President should take to make sure that America -not China or Russia -remains the top energy producer around the world.
"I'm all about energy," Fleischmann stated in remarks to open the discussion. "If you were to stop most people on the street in this town, they would say Chuck Fleischmann is synonymous with nuclear energy. And I respect that. I do associate with those remarks. I like big and existing nuclear. I like the fact that we are extending the life of our larger nuclear power plants in this country because they're built well. We're going back. Companies like Holtec are going to bring a big one back in Michigan. Constellation is going to bring one back in Pennsylvania. My fervent hope is that New York State comes back at some point in time. Our friends on both sides of the aisle -excuse the pun-are warming towards nuclear energy."
In addition to serving as Energy & Water Appropriations Subcommittee Chair, Fleischmann also serves as Co-Chair of several related caucuses, including Fusion Energy Caucus, the National Labs Caucus, the Advanced Nuclear Caucus, and the Nuclear Security Working Group -all of which reflect the fact that there is growing support for nuclear energy across the U.S., and that much of this support is bipartisan.
"The bottom line is we need energy in this country," Fleischmann said. "We need natural gas. We need renewables. But we need all the above to get on the grid because we are going to have a dearth of energy. Nuclear is a big part of that. It's safe. It's clean. It's one of those energies that is actually attracting people from both sides of the aisle. It's truly amazing. I threw an event at the beginning of this Congress, and I invited Republicans and Democrats. It was a new nuclear dinner, and an equal number of Democrats and Republicans showed up. Our caucuses are bipartisan. Our efforts are bipartisan."
Fleischmann noted that he is finding support for nuclear energy not only across the political aisle on Capitol Hill, but on the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, as well.
"The Administration is working hand in hand with me," the Tennessee lawmaker stated matter-of-factly. "Secretary Wright, Secretary Burgum, and the President of the United States -I work very closely with them. I'm a Republican who actually supports the Tennessee Valley Authority. I think it's a great institution. The reality is, in our part of the world, we have less expensive, abundant energy, with a very diverse portfolio. It's nuclear. It's natural gas. It's hydro. There is some coal in there. There are renewables in there. It is just very robust."
Newhouse agreed.
"We are experiencing a never-before-seen demand for power in our country," he stated. "It's not just here, but throughout the world... We've got to meet these demands. And nuclear energy definitely is going to have a huge role."
"But we need all kinds of energy. I think natural gas is still one of the things that we're going to depend on, at least till we get to where we are with some of the other things. I'm really excited about geothermal, too. There are a lot of possibilities there. But nuclear -I don't know that you could find another community in the country that is more pro-nuclear than the Tri-Cities of Washington State. And that's a good thing. I think part of Tennessee absolutely falls into that category. Not too long ago, nuclear was almost a four-letter word. Now, people from both sides of the aisle and all philosophies are looking at nuclear as being a very viable option. And the good thing is we've got a lot of technology that will get us to a very strong nuclear future."
Still, Newhouse cautioned, these and other developments related to expanding America's nuclear power capacity, will not occur on their own. They will require smart policy in Washington and smart investment in innovation around the U.S.
"I believe the federal government has a clear role here," the Washington state Republican said bluntly. "We were on the verge of losing a lot of that assistance and influence that we have to provide in H.R.1, the Big Beautiful Bill. Some of the tax credits that were very important to a lot of aspects of nuclear production were left on the cutting room floor -literally -until a group of us decided, 'Hey, this is crazy -we can't be throwing the baby out with the bath water here.' Nuclear has got to be a part of our future. And we have to have those tax policies in place that will allow the industry to move forward."
"We are very excited in Washington state about the small modular reactors. We believe that the Tri-Cities and the state of Washington will be a hub of production of that equipment. We've got the technology and we've got the brain power of the people that really know how to make this happen. I'm very excited about all of the different projects that are in place around the country. And we need more of that. We need some of these to actually come to fruition so that we can realize this future that we absolutely have to have."
In addition to serving on the Energy & Water Appropriations Subcommittee, Newhouse also is a member of The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, which, he noted, had been assessing the threat facing the U.S. from China and other energy powers around the globe.
"This is not just a domestic problem," he stated. "We are faced with competition. I'm on the China committee, looking at the threats of the CCP. They're producing not only nuclear, but coal and all kinds of different power generations. They are moving forward like there's no tomorrow. Russia is the same way. We're getting left in the dust as far as keeping up with them in this category. We can't let that happen."
To view the remarks of Fleischmann and Newhouse before The Ripon Society Thursday morning, please click the link below:
The Ripon Society is a public policy organization that was founded in 1962 and takes its name from the town where the Republican Party was born in 1854 - Ripon, Wisconsin. One of the main goals of The Ripon Society is to promote the ideas and principles that have made America great and contributed to the GOP's success. These ideas include keeping our nation secure, keeping taxes low and having a federal government that is smaller, smarter and more accountable to the people.
***
Original text here: https://riponsociety.org/2026/01/fleischmann-newhouse-tout-growing-support-of-nuclear-power/
Earthjustice: Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Under Attack From Utah Members of Congress
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Jan. 24 -- The Consumer Technology Association issued the following news release:
* * *
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Under Attack from Utah Members of Congress
Threatens to bring chaos to a crown jewel of the nation's public lands system and upend public land protection as we know it
*
Washington, D.C. -- Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is under attack from Utah members of Congress. In July 2025, Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT-02) secretly requested an opinion from the Government Accountability Office about whether Congress can overturn the current
... Show Full Article
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Jan. 24 -- The Consumer Technology Association issued the following news release:
* * *
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Under Attack from Utah Members of Congress
Threatens to bring chaos to a crown jewel of the nation's public lands system and upend public land protection as we know it
*
Washington, D.C. -- Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is under attack from Utah members of Congress. In July 2025, Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT-02) secretly requested an opinion from the Government Accountability Office about whether Congress can overturn the currentGrand Staircase-Escalante Monument Management Plan -- a maneuver that would upend the monument's management. Last week, the GAO released an opinion that Congress can interfere and undo the plan.
With GAO's opinion in hand, Utah's federal delegation (Senators Lee & Curtis, Representatives Owens, Moore, Maloy, and Kennedy) is expected to introduce a bill under the Congressional Review Act. If both chambers of Congress pass the bill, called a "resolution of disapproval" by simple majority votes, the Monument Management Plan will be eliminated and the Bureau of Land Management will be barred from issuing another plan that is "substantially the same" in the future.
Introducing a bill to strike at the heart of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument will represent a clear escalation of use of the CRA to attack the nation's wildest public lands. As the first CRA attack on a national monument, this action threatens to upend public land protection. Though this Congress is the first to use the CRA to overturn BLM resource management plans, using it to eliminate a national monument management plan goes much further: resource management plans cover multiple-use lands, but national monuments are not multiple-use lands and were specifically designated to elevate conservation over extraction.
Beloved by Utahns and Americans, the monument was established in 1996 to protect the incredible geological, ecological, and paleontological resources within its 1.9 million-acre boundaries in southern Utah. A crown jewel of the nation's public lands system, it was the first monument managed by the BLM and was the first unit in the agency's now-robust and expansive "National Conservation Lands" program.
President Trump illegally reduced the monument in 2017, and it has been reported that he is again considering eliminating protections for Grand Staircase-Escalante. These unprecedented attacks are being harshly criticized by conservation organizations and members of the Grand Staircase-Escalante Inter-Tribal Coalition.
"This is a direct assault by Utah politicians on one of the crown jewels of America's system of federal public lands," said Steve Bloch, legal director at the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. "Any attempt to leverage this obscure federal law against the monument is an effort to thwart the will of millions of Americans who have repeatedly stood up in support of Grand Staircase-Escalante, its wild red rock landscape, and its irreplaceable cultural and fossil resources. Republicans are currently attempting to use the CRA to remove protections for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness -- neither landscape should be under attack and we encourage all Americans to contact their members of Congress and speak out in opposition."
"The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument offers people the freedom to experience the very best of our nation's public lands," said Axie Navas, director of designation campaigns at The Wilderness Society. "We stand ready to defend our national monuments so that future generations may inherit these irreplaceable landscapes."
"Utah politicians are at it again, doing whatever they can to erode protections for our public lands," said Tom Delehanty, senior attorney at Earthjustice. "The monument management plan was created by local officials, Tribes, and communities working together to provide certainty in how this national treasure is managed and protected. Now Utah's elected officials want to flush that effort down the toilet -- a situation that benefits no one."
"The Utah delegation knows that our national monuments are well-loved by Americans and protecting them is overwhelmingly popular among Utahns regardless of party affiliation," said Tim Peterson, cultural landscapes director at the Grand Canyon Trust. "The public would not stand for legislation that gets rid of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument outright, so they're trying to eliminate the commonsense management plan that affords day-to-day protections to the monument. We can't let that happen."
"Using the Congressional Review Act to unravel Grand Staircase Escalante's management plan is an assault on a national treasure," said Bobby McEnaney, director of land conservation at NRDC. "It would wipe out years of science and public input and lay the groundwork to make additional attacks on Grand Staircase easier. Americans overwhelmingly support this monument. Congress must reject this assault on our conservation values and honor its commitment to Tribes, local communities, and future generations."
"No one ought to mistake this effort as isolated-it's part of a concerted effort to destroy the Bureau of Land Management's ability to manage public lands, so that privatizing or industrializing them are the only viable options," said Chris Hill, CEO of the Conservation Lands Foundation. "Going after BLM's first national monument sends the signal that the rest of the 30 monuments and all of the National Conservation Lands that BLM oversees are in the crosshairs, and we know from experience that the public will fight like never before to keep these places protected."
* * *
About Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument & the Monument Management Plan
Since its establishment, heightened protections for the monument's geology, paleontology, wildlife, plant communities, and ancestral sites have succeeded in preserving these unique values for generations to come, and local communities on the monument's doorstep have benefited as well. Nearly 30 years later, the numerous benefits of protecting Grand Staircase-Escalante are clear: the monument preserves a remarkable ecosystem at the landscape level and sets the stage for future discovery about human, paleontological, and geological history on the Colorado Plateau.
On December 4, 2017, President Trump ignored millions of public comments and unlawfully eliminated large swaths of the monument, slashing it by 47 percent - roughly 900,000 acres. On October 8, 2021, President Biden signed a proclamation restoring Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to its full, original boundaries. In 2023, BLM began developing a new management plan for the full monument. As a part of that work, the BLM engaged in extensive outreach to Tribal Nations, the state of Utah, local governments, stakeholders (including outfitters and guides, ranchers, local utilities), and the public. During the planning process, BLM received overwhelming support from throughout Utah and the nation for a holistic, conservation-based management plan worthy of this remarkable place.
In August 2023, a Federal District Court Judge in Utah dismissed lawsuits brought by the state of Utah and others challenging President Biden's use of the Antiquities Act to restore the boundaries of Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments. The state and other plaintiffs quickly appealed that decision to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, which held oral argument on September 26, 2024, and may issue a decision at any time. Conservation organizations intervened on behalf of the United States to defend President Biden's restoration of the monuments, as have four Tribal Nations.
National monuments are overwhelmingly popular. Seventy-five percent of Utah voters support the President's ability to protect public lands as national monuments. Three in four Utah voters, including a majority of Republicans, want to keep Grand Staircase-Escalante as a national monument.
* * *
About the Congressional Review Act
The CRA is a federal statute enacted in March 1996 that requires federal agencies to submit "rules" to Congress for a mandatory review period "before they may take effect." If Congress votes to overturn, or "disapprove," the rule, it "may not be reissued in substantially the same form. . . ." The BLM has long maintained that its land management plans are not "rules" subject to the CRA. Other federal land management agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service, have similarly not submitted their land management plans to Congress under the CRA.
However, emboldened by a series of non-binding Government Accountability Office (GAO) opinions, Republican members of Congress have embraced the novel theory that federal land management plans are in fact "rules" subject to the CRA. This year, Congress has passed six CRA resolutions overturning previously finalized land management plans or other types of public lands management decisions. The GAO issued a decision regarding the Grand Staircase-Escalante Monument Management Plan on January 15, 2026.
* * *
Additional Resources
* Related case documents & news (https://earthjustice.org/library?_case=national-monument-defense)
* About the Policy and Legislation Team (https://earthjustice.org/office/policy-and-legislation/)
* About the Rocky Mountain Office (https://earthjustice.org/office/rocky-mountain)
* * *
About Earthjustice
Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization. We wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people's health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer.
* * *
Original text here: https://earthjustice.org/press/2026/grand-staircase-escalante-national-monument-under-attack-from-utah-members-of-congress
[Category: Environment]
Congress Must Pull DHS Funding Out of Current Spending Bill after Agents Kill Another Person in Minneapolis
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 [Category: Political] -- Public Citizen issued the following news release:
* * *
Congress Must Pull DHS Funding Out of Current Spending Bill after Agents Kill Another Person in Minneapolis
*
WASHINGTON, D.C. -Today, ICE agents beat, shot and killed a 37-year-old activist in a Minneapolis neighborhood, less than three weeks after agents shot and killed Renee Good in her car and only days after doctors ruled the death of Geraldo Lunas Campos, who was being held in an ICE detention center, as a homicide.
Public Citizen Co-President Lisa Gilbert issued the following statement:
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 [Category: Political] -- Public Citizen issued the following news release:
* * *
Congress Must Pull DHS Funding Out of Current Spending Bill after Agents Kill Another Person in Minneapolis
*
WASHINGTON, D.C. -Today, ICE agents beat, shot and killed a 37-year-old activist in a Minneapolis neighborhood, less than three weeks after agents shot and killed Renee Good in her car and only days after doctors ruled the death of Geraldo Lunas Campos, who was being held in an ICE detention center, as a homicide.
Public Citizen Co-President Lisa Gilbert issued the following statement:
"Masked ICE agents are attacking and executing people in broad daylight. The person shot and killed in Minneapolis should still be alive today.
"This federal enforcement agency is running rampant with an outrageous budget that dwarfs most countries' militaries. The Department of Homeland Security must get ICE off our streets now and the Senate must immediately take out any additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security in the current spending bill. Congressional Republicans must answer for these killings."
***
Original text here: https://www.citizen.org/news/congress-must-pull-dhs-funding-out-of-current-spending-bill-after-agents-kill-another-person-in-minneapolis/
Cato Analyst: Trump's JPMorgan Lawsuit 'Unlikely to Be Successful'
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 -- Cato Institute issued the following news release on Jan. 23, 2026:
* * *
Cato Analyst: Trump's JPMorgan Lawsuit "Unlikely to Be Successful"
Yesterday, President Donald Trump announced he is suing JPMorgan Chase & Co., along with CEO Jamie Dimon, for alleged political debanking. Following this announcement, Cato Institute scholar Nicholas Anthony released the following statement:
"President Trump is unlikely to be successful in his effort to attack JPMorgan Chase over claims of political debanking. When you point a finger, three more are pointed back at you. In this case,
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 -- Cato Institute issued the following news release on Jan. 23, 2026:
* * *
Cato Analyst: Trump's JPMorgan Lawsuit "Unlikely to Be Successful"
Yesterday, President Donald Trump announced he is suing JPMorgan Chase & Co., along with CEO Jamie Dimon, for alleged political debanking. Following this announcement, Cato Institute scholar Nicholas Anthony released the following statement:
"President Trump is unlikely to be successful in his effort to attack JPMorgan Chase over claims of political debanking. When you point a finger, three more are pointed back at you. In this case,those fingers are pointing at Congress, regulators, and the president himself. Congress set the laws that have made banks overly sensitive to legal risks, regulators set the laws that have made banks overly sensitive to social risks, and President Trump himself has made banking his political enemies illegal by designating Antifa as a terrorist organization. These factors are the real cause of debanking, not phantoms of political or religious discrimination. The problem of debanking can be fixed, but it won't happen in the courtroom."
To speak with Anthony further on the recent lawsuit, contact Christopher Tarvardian.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.cato.org/news-releases/cato-analyst-trumps-jpmorgan-lawsuit-unlikely-be-successful#
[Category: Sociological]
CCRKBA: GUN PROHIBITION LOBBY DECEPTION BARED BY NEW DATA
BELLEVUE, Washington, Jan. 24 [Category: Political] -- The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms issued the following news release:
* * *
CCRKBA: GUN PROHIBITION LOBBY DECEPTION BARED BY NEW DATA
*
BELLEVUE, WA - Newly-released data from the Council on Criminal Justice has unintentionally revealed the deceptive nature of rhetoric from the gun prohibition lobby, and it's time for the media to start asking the tough questions, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said in response.
"The new report, which is all over the media, says homicides declined more
... Show Full Article
BELLEVUE, Washington, Jan. 24 [Category: Political] -- The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms issued the following news release:
* * *
CCRKBA: GUN PROHIBITION LOBBY DECEPTION BARED BY NEW DATA
*
BELLEVUE, WA - Newly-released data from the Council on Criminal Justice has unintentionally revealed the deceptive nature of rhetoric from the gun prohibition lobby, and it's time for the media to start asking the tough questions, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said in response.
"The new report, which is all over the media, says homicides declined morethan 20 percent last year from the number in 2024," noted CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. "Yet a look at data from the FBI and National Shooting Sports Foundation suggests the number of guns in private possession is at an all-time high.
"Perhaps it is time for the establishment media to start questioning the doom-and-gloom predictions that more guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens would lead to a dramatic increase in murders," he observed. "The Council report suggests we might have seen the largest single-year percentage drop in homicide rates ever on record, yet last year gun sales continued, and anecdotal information indicates more people bought guns for the first time.
"Isn't it time for the media, which has for too long accepted rhetoric from the gun ban crowd as gospel, to start questioning what they are hearing from people who are determined to erase the Second Amendment," Gottlieb challenged. "When are reporters going to start questioning politicians who continually push proposals to erode the rights of their law-abiding constituents? When was the last time the media, especially the Sunday morning talking heads, put anti-gun lawmakers or gun ban proponents on the spot, asking how their gun control agenda squares with the federal and state constitutions, which protect the right of individual citizens to keep and bear arms?
"This new report from the Council on Criminal Justice literally bares the dishonesty perpetuated by the gun ban lobby about gun ownership and violent crime," Gottlieb said. "For decades, gun rights groups have argued for tougher sentencing for genuine criminals, for stronger self-defense protections, and for the right of honest citizens to keep, and especially bear, arms for personal protection. In return, anti-gunners have consistently treated America's gun owners like criminals, and they have worked to turn a right into a government-regulated privilege. We think it's time for the media to ask them why."
***
Original text here: https://ccrkba.org/2026/01/24/ccrkba-gun-prohibition-lobby-deception-bared-by-new-data/
Alliance to Save Energy: Why Energy Efficiency Must Lead the Load Growth Conversation
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 -- The Alliance to Save Energy issued the following commentary on Jan. 22, 2026:
* * *
Why Energy Efficiency Must Lead the Load Growth Conversation
By Sapna Gheewala-Dowla
At a moment of profound uncertainty for the U.S. energy system, one message came through clearly during a recent convening of industry leaders: we are at an inflection point. At the USEA State of the Industry Forum on Jan. 15, Alliance President Paula Glover joined leaders across the energy ecosystem to discuss how rising electricity demand driven by data centers, AI, electrification, and economic growth
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 -- The Alliance to Save Energy issued the following commentary on Jan. 22, 2026:
* * *
Why Energy Efficiency Must Lead the Load Growth Conversation
By Sapna Gheewala-Dowla
At a moment of profound uncertainty for the U.S. energy system, one message came through clearly during a recent convening of industry leaders: we are at an inflection point. At the USEA State of the Industry Forum on Jan. 15, Alliance President Paula Glover joined leaders across the energy ecosystem to discuss how rising electricity demand driven by data centers, AI, electrification, and economic growthis colliding with long infrastructure timelines, affordability pressures, grid constraints and geopolitical uncertainty. This discussion showed that while innovation is accelerating, we cannot solely build our way out of today's challenges. From the Alliance's perspective, this dialogue could not be more timely.
A Shared Recognition: Demand Is the Challenge We Must Manage Now
Across the discussion, panelists acknowledged a core reality: new generation, transmission, and infrastructure take years, often a decade or more, to come online. Meanwhile, load growth is happening now. Data centers and hyperscalers are seeking capacity today, not in 2035. Utilities and regulators are being asked to plan for demand scenarios that range from modest growth to exponential increases, often without certainty about where, when, or how that load will materialize.
In this context, energy efficiency and demand-side solutions are not optional, they are foundational.
Energy efficiency represents the fastest, most cost-effective, and most scalable resource available to the system. As highlighted during the session, efficiency is fuel-neutral and technology-agnostic: it's about getting the most value out of every electron and every therm, regardless of how energy is generated. In times of uncertainty, that flexibility matters.
Innovation Isn't Only About What's New -- It's About What Works
While much of the conversation focused on next-generation supply technologies, hydrogen pathways, fusion commercialization, advanced nuclear, storage, and grid cybersecurity, there was strong alignment around the need to deploy solutions that already deliver results.
Panelist and President of ASE, Paula Glover, said "Even if something happened tomorrow, it would still be seven to twelve years before it's here. But we have a problem we need to solve tomorrow."
Examples discussed reinforced this point:
* Analytics, smart meters, and customer-facing data are changing how people use energy and enabling utilities to shape demand during peak periods.
* Demand response programs, supported by behavioral insights and real-time communication, are reducing peak load at scale, sometimes exceeding expectations.
* Digital twins for buildings and grids are improving system planning, optimizing operations, and informing where new loads can be integrated most efficiently.
These tools sit squarely at the intersection of innovation and energy efficiency. They reduce costs, enhance reliability, and improve resilience, all while buying the system time to build longer-term infrastructure.
Load Growth, Data Centers, and the Role of States
Another strong theme was the growing role of state regulators and state-level policy in managing large loads. While federal policy sets important signals, many of the most immediate decisions around siting, interconnection, planning, and cost allocation are happening at the state and local level. This is especially true for data centers and AI-driven demand. Meeting these needs will require new approaches to flexibility, from targeted efficiency measures and demand response to behind-the-meter solutions, storage, and coordinated planning. States are increasingly central to these conversations, and energy efficiency must be embedded early in those decisions, not layered on later.
Why Energy Efficiency Must Be at the Front, Not the Back
A recurring takeaway from the dialogue was that affordability remains non-negotiable. As energy demand grows, customers, households, businesses, and communities, cannot absorb unchecked cost increases. Energy efficiency is uniquely positioned to address this challenge by lowering bills, reducing system strain, and improving performance across the board.
Put simply:
If basic efficiency and conservation are not in place, none of the more advanced solutions will deliver their full value.
Staying Engaged
The Alliance to Save Energy believes this moment calls for pragmatic leadership and collaboration. Energy efficiency and demand-side solutions must move from being viewed as complementary tools to being recognized as core infrastructure for a modern, competitive, and resilient energy system.
If you're interested in engaging with us on email us at sgdowla@ase.org:
* Energy efficiency policy at the federal, state, or international level
* Demand-side management, virtual power plants, and load flexibility
* The intersection of energy efficiency, AI, and data centers
* Business, utility, or regulatory leadership on efficiency solutions
We encourage you to reach out and get involved. These conversations, and the actions that follow, will shape how effectively we meet today's challenges and prepare for what comes next.
* * *
Sapna Gheewala-Dowla
Associate Vice President of Policy and Research
Sapna Gheewala-Dowla joined the Alliance to Save Energy as the Director of Policy in June 2023. Sapna helps to lead the development, execution, and evaluation of the Alliance's policy work, including managing members of the policy team, conducting analysis and advocacy, and working closely with associate members, external stakeholders, and others to effectively achieve the organization's policy objectives. She forwards the organization's work by cultivating relationships with key congressional committees and staff. She also leads and manages issues related to the built environment, including managing the organization's Building Policy Committee and supporting the Responsible Energy Codes Alliance (RECA).
* * *
Original text here: https://www.ase.org/blog/why-energy-efficiency-must-lead-load-growth-conversation
[Category: Energy]
Advocates Ask Congress to Investigate FBI's Search of Washington Post Reporter
SILVER SPRING, Maryland, Jan. 24 -- Demand Progress posted the following news release on Jan. 23, 2026:
* * *
Advocates Ask Congress to Investigate FBI's Search of Washington Post Reporter
Washington, D.C. -- On Friday, Demand Progress and 16 other press freedoms, human rights, and civil liberties groups asked Congress to investigate the FBI's unprecedented raid of a Washington Post reporter's home. In a letter sent to House and Senate committee leadership, the organizations warned that the FBI's search possibly violates federal law and raises the possibility that the government is trying to
... Show Full Article
SILVER SPRING, Maryland, Jan. 24 -- Demand Progress posted the following news release on Jan. 23, 2026:
* * *
Advocates Ask Congress to Investigate FBI's Search of Washington Post Reporter
Washington, D.C. -- On Friday, Demand Progress and 16 other press freedoms, human rights, and civil liberties groups asked Congress to investigate the FBI's unprecedented raid of a Washington Post reporter's home. In a letter sent to House and Senate committee leadership, the organizations warned that the FBI's search possibly violates federal law and raises the possibility that the government is trying tothreaten the press, uncover whistleblowers and chill newsgathering activities. In addition to launching an oversight investigation, the letter also asks Congress to obtain and disclose the government's warrant materials, including any associated affidavits, and authorization paper trail related to the search of the reporter's home.
"By raiding Hannah Natanson's home and seizing her devices, the government threatened bedrock principles of our Constitution and a free society," said Demand Progress Policy Director Emily Peterson-Cassin. "Congress has a responsibility to investigate whether the government is undermining the First Amendment and a free press by targeting and threatening a reporter like this."
"Congressional intervention is necessary because the FBI's January 14, 2026 raid of Natanson's home represents a perilous escalation in the executive branch's use of law enforcement powers against the free press and a citizenry that depends on fearless newsgathering," stated the letter. "While the Department of Justice has publicly justified this intrusion as a necessary step in a classified leaks investigation involving federal contractor Aurelio Perez-Lugones, the available facts suggest a far more disturbing motive: the weaponization of legal process to engage in a fishing expedition into more than 1,000 confidential sources cultivated by Natanson inside the federal workforce."
The groups behind the letter include American Society of Journalists and Authors, Amnesty International USA, Defending Rights & Dissent, Demand Progress, Democratic Messaging Project, Freedom of the Press Foundation, Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS), National Press Photographers Association, PEN America, People For the American Way, Public Citizen, Radio Television Digital News Association, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Society of Professional Journalists, The Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in the USA and The Media and Democracy Project.
* * *
INFODOC: https://demandprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Coalition-Letter-to-Congress-Regarding-FBI-raid-of-WaPo-Reporter-2026-01-23.pdf
* * *
Original text here: https://demandprogress.org/advocates-ask-congress-to-investigate-fbis-search-of-washington-post-reporter/
[Category: Sociological]
