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Jamestown Foundation Issues Commentary: United Front Worker Recommits to Rejuvenation
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 -- The Jamestown Foundation issued the following commentary on Aug. 19, 2026, by China Studies fellow Cheryl Yu in the foundation's China Brief Notes:
* * *
United Front Worker Recommits to Rejuvenation
Executive Summary:
* The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) expects trusted overseas Chinese leaders to internalize broad political guidance and act proactively rather than waiting for direct instructions.
* Overseas Chinese association leaders are encouraged to embed themselves in host-country political, business, and social networks while remaining oriented toward the Party's ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 -- The Jamestown Foundation issued the following commentary on Aug. 19, 2026, by China Studies fellow Cheryl Yu in the foundation's China Brief Notes: * * * United Front Worker Recommits to Rejuvenation Executive Summary: * The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) expects trusted overseas Chinese leaders to internalize broad political guidance and act proactively rather than waiting for direct instructions. * Overseas Chinese association leaders are encouraged to embed themselves in host-country political, business, and social networks while remaining oriented toward the Party'sagenda. Their local standing can provide Beijing with access, credibility, relationships, and channels for promoting its narratives and supporting objectives including "national rejuvenation" and unification with Taiwan.
* Beijing treats overseas Chinese associations as two-way economic and political conduits: bringing talent, technology, capital, and commercial connections into the People's Republic of China (PRC) while helping Chinese firms expand abroad.
Shi Qianping, president of the U.S. Federation of Chinese American Entrepreneurs, illustrates how political networking, business facilitation, and united front work can operate through the same intermediaries: He has facilitated travel to the PRC for former New York state government employee Linda Sun and co-hosted a conference in Texas for PRC and U.S. petroleum companies.
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In July, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council convened the 11th Conference for Friendship of Overseas Chinese Associations. The conference communicated political and organizational goals to leaders of overseas Chinese associations (China Brief, August 7). Wang Huning, chairman of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and Li Ganjie, head of the United Front Work Department (UFWD), emphasized the importance of overseas Chinese work. They framed this work in terms of General Secretary Xi Jinping's formulation of a shared "root, soul, and dream", which defines the Chinese nation as the common "root" of Chinese people at home and abroad, Chinese culture as their common "soul," and national rejuvenation as their common "dream" (Xinhua, July 13; Dangjian, August 3).
Shi Qianping, president of the U.S. Federation of Chinese American Entrepreneurs, published a reflection after attending the conference (People's Political Consultative Conference Net, July 22). Shi is a CPPCC National Committee member and a standing committee member of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese (ACFROC), a constituent body of the Party's united front system (Western Returned Scholars Association, July 22).
His article offers a concise account of how the Party expects selected overseas Chinese to operate in their countries of residence. First, the Party doesn't always give direct orders. Overseas Chinese are expected to carry out Party objectives themselves. Shi stated that he will transform the central leadership's trust and care into "an inner driving force" and will "take an active role" to facilitate exchanges and connect the People's Republic of China (PRC) with the rest of the world. In 2022, after studying Xi's speech at the Central United Front Work Conference, he also stated that he will "act on his own accord" as a builder of pro-PRC forces and strive to contribute to united front work, which he understood as a "magic weapon" to "defeat the enemy and achieve victory" (ACFROC, July 30, 2022). His statements show how overseas Chinese leaders are expected to behave as self-motivated actors who translate broad political guidance into their own initiatives.
Second, overseas Chinese are expected to embed themselves in the host country while using that position to advance Beijing's objectives. In Shi's reflections after the conference, he stated that they should "take root in local mainstream society" and "integrate deeply into mainstream circles" while "keeping the nation at heart and shouldering one's responsibilities" and supporting national rejuvenation and "the great task of peaceful reunification" by "integrating the development of overseas Chinese associations and one's individual career into the broader national development agenda". This combination is the dual mandate of cultivating standing within a host society while remaining politically oriented toward and organizationally useful to the Party's agenda. The former creates the relationships, credibility, and access through which overseas leaders can channel resources back to the PRC, promote the Party's narratives, and facilitate its external objectives.
Third, overseas Chinese are expected to act as a two-way conduit for the Party. A global network of overseas Chinese associations, numbering in the thousands according to Jamestown's research (and in the tens of thousands according to some Party sources) act as resources for the PRC's domestic development and international expansion (Liu & van Dongen, 2016; China Brief, February 11). [1] Shi identified three specific tasks that this work comprises: bringing overseas "talent, technology, capital, and channels" into the PRC; helping Chinese companies and brands establish themselves abroad; and aligning overseas leaders' businesses with local and national PRC development plans. Overseas associations are presented not only as cultural or representative bodies who bring PRC propaganda abroad, but also as intermediaries capable of directing investment, expertise, market access, and commercial relationships both ways.
Putting the Model into Practice
The activities of the U.S. Federation of Chinese American Entrepreneurs appear consistent with Shi's reflection. At its 2016 launch in New York, Shi declared that the organization would serve as a "political-business platform" (Sino-US Times, September 20, 2016). ACFROC chairman Lin Jun and PRC Deputy Consul General Qiu Jian attended the ceremony. In May 2017, the organization co-hosted the "7th Annual US-China Petroleum Forum" in Houston. More than 20 PRC petroleum companies and over ten U.S. companies reportedly participated in discussions concerning technological cooperation, investment opportunities, and commercial partnerships (FD media, May 14, 2017). These activities illustrate the two sides of Shi's model: establishing political and commercial networks in the United States while creating channels through which PRC companies and institutions can obtain foreign technology, investment, and market access.
Shi's personal activities provide a further example of this brokerage role. During the 2025 trial of former New York state official Linda Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, prosecutors presented evidence that Shi helped Hu pursue a proposed seafood import-export project in Shandong. Shi contacted officials in Qingdao, Weihai, and Yantai and accompanied Hu during meetings in those cities. He also arranged Sun's accommodation when she traveled to Beijing to attend and speak at an ACFROC meeting in early 2018 (World Journal, December 2, 2025). (Sun and Hu's case is currently pending a retrial.)
Conclusion
Shi Qianping's statements and activities illustrate the practical role that Beijing envisions for overseas association leaders connected to the united front system. Such figures are encouraged to establish themselves within host-country political and commercial networks while maintaining organizational ties to PRC united front institutions and mobilizing those networks in support of the Party's economic and political objectives. The Party's priorities are internalized by trusted intermediaries who can identify opportunities, cultivate relationships, and connect actors across jurisdictions on their own initiative.
* * *
Cheryl Yu is a Fellow in China Studies at The Jamestown Foundation. She is the author of an upcoming report on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s united front groups in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany and the co-author of "Chinese Communist Party Covert Operations Against Taiwan." Her research on the CCP and its operations has been published by think tanks, academic journals, and global media.
* * *
Original text here: https://jamestown.org/united-front-worker-recommits-to-rejuvenation/
[Category: ThinkTank]
* * *
United Front Worker Recommits to Rejuvenation
Executive Summary:
* The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) expects trusted overseas Chinese leaders to internalize broad political guidance and act proactively rather than waiting for direct instructions.
* Overseas Chinese association leaders are encouraged to embed themselves in host-country political, business, and social networks while remaining oriented toward the Party's ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 -- The Jamestown Foundation issued the following commentary on Aug. 19, 2026, by China Studies fellow Cheryl Yu in the foundation's China Brief Notes: * * * United Front Worker Recommits to Rejuvenation Executive Summary: * The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) expects trusted overseas Chinese leaders to internalize broad political guidance and act proactively rather than waiting for direct instructions. * Overseas Chinese association leaders are encouraged to embed themselves in host-country political, business, and social networks while remaining oriented toward the Party'sagenda. Their local standing can provide Beijing with access, credibility, relationships, and channels for promoting its narratives and supporting objectives including "national rejuvenation" and unification with Taiwan.
* Beijing treats overseas Chinese associations as two-way economic and political conduits: bringing talent, technology, capital, and commercial connections into the People's Republic of China (PRC) while helping Chinese firms expand abroad.
Shi Qianping, president of the U.S. Federation of Chinese American Entrepreneurs, illustrates how political networking, business facilitation, and united front work can operate through the same intermediaries: He has facilitated travel to the PRC for former New York state government employee Linda Sun and co-hosted a conference in Texas for PRC and U.S. petroleum companies.
-
In July, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council convened the 11th Conference for Friendship of Overseas Chinese Associations. The conference communicated political and organizational goals to leaders of overseas Chinese associations (China Brief, August 7). Wang Huning, chairman of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and Li Ganjie, head of the United Front Work Department (UFWD), emphasized the importance of overseas Chinese work. They framed this work in terms of General Secretary Xi Jinping's formulation of a shared "root, soul, and dream", which defines the Chinese nation as the common "root" of Chinese people at home and abroad, Chinese culture as their common "soul," and national rejuvenation as their common "dream" (Xinhua, July 13; Dangjian, August 3).
Shi Qianping, president of the U.S. Federation of Chinese American Entrepreneurs, published a reflection after attending the conference (People's Political Consultative Conference Net, July 22). Shi is a CPPCC National Committee member and a standing committee member of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese (ACFROC), a constituent body of the Party's united front system (Western Returned Scholars Association, July 22).
His article offers a concise account of how the Party expects selected overseas Chinese to operate in their countries of residence. First, the Party doesn't always give direct orders. Overseas Chinese are expected to carry out Party objectives themselves. Shi stated that he will transform the central leadership's trust and care into "an inner driving force" and will "take an active role" to facilitate exchanges and connect the People's Republic of China (PRC) with the rest of the world. In 2022, after studying Xi's speech at the Central United Front Work Conference, he also stated that he will "act on his own accord" as a builder of pro-PRC forces and strive to contribute to united front work, which he understood as a "magic weapon" to "defeat the enemy and achieve victory" (ACFROC, July 30, 2022). His statements show how overseas Chinese leaders are expected to behave as self-motivated actors who translate broad political guidance into their own initiatives.
Second, overseas Chinese are expected to embed themselves in the host country while using that position to advance Beijing's objectives. In Shi's reflections after the conference, he stated that they should "take root in local mainstream society" and "integrate deeply into mainstream circles" while "keeping the nation at heart and shouldering one's responsibilities" and supporting national rejuvenation and "the great task of peaceful reunification" by "integrating the development of overseas Chinese associations and one's individual career into the broader national development agenda". This combination is the dual mandate of cultivating standing within a host society while remaining politically oriented toward and organizationally useful to the Party's agenda. The former creates the relationships, credibility, and access through which overseas leaders can channel resources back to the PRC, promote the Party's narratives, and facilitate its external objectives.
Third, overseas Chinese are expected to act as a two-way conduit for the Party. A global network of overseas Chinese associations, numbering in the thousands according to Jamestown's research (and in the tens of thousands according to some Party sources) act as resources for the PRC's domestic development and international expansion (Liu & van Dongen, 2016; China Brief, February 11). [1] Shi identified three specific tasks that this work comprises: bringing overseas "talent, technology, capital, and channels" into the PRC; helping Chinese companies and brands establish themselves abroad; and aligning overseas leaders' businesses with local and national PRC development plans. Overseas associations are presented not only as cultural or representative bodies who bring PRC propaganda abroad, but also as intermediaries capable of directing investment, expertise, market access, and commercial relationships both ways.
Putting the Model into Practice
The activities of the U.S. Federation of Chinese American Entrepreneurs appear consistent with Shi's reflection. At its 2016 launch in New York, Shi declared that the organization would serve as a "political-business platform" (Sino-US Times, September 20, 2016). ACFROC chairman Lin Jun and PRC Deputy Consul General Qiu Jian attended the ceremony. In May 2017, the organization co-hosted the "7th Annual US-China Petroleum Forum" in Houston. More than 20 PRC petroleum companies and over ten U.S. companies reportedly participated in discussions concerning technological cooperation, investment opportunities, and commercial partnerships (FD media, May 14, 2017). These activities illustrate the two sides of Shi's model: establishing political and commercial networks in the United States while creating channels through which PRC companies and institutions can obtain foreign technology, investment, and market access.
Shi's personal activities provide a further example of this brokerage role. During the 2025 trial of former New York state official Linda Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, prosecutors presented evidence that Shi helped Hu pursue a proposed seafood import-export project in Shandong. Shi contacted officials in Qingdao, Weihai, and Yantai and accompanied Hu during meetings in those cities. He also arranged Sun's accommodation when she traveled to Beijing to attend and speak at an ACFROC meeting in early 2018 (World Journal, December 2, 2025). (Sun and Hu's case is currently pending a retrial.)
Conclusion
Shi Qianping's statements and activities illustrate the practical role that Beijing envisions for overseas association leaders connected to the united front system. Such figures are encouraged to establish themselves within host-country political and commercial networks while maintaining organizational ties to PRC united front institutions and mobilizing those networks in support of the Party's economic and political objectives. The Party's priorities are internalized by trusted intermediaries who can identify opportunities, cultivate relationships, and connect actors across jurisdictions on their own initiative.
* * *
Cheryl Yu is a Fellow in China Studies at The Jamestown Foundation. She is the author of an upcoming report on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s united front groups in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany and the co-author of "Chinese Communist Party Covert Operations Against Taiwan." Her research on the CCP and its operations has been published by think tanks, academic journals, and global media.
* * *
Original text here: https://jamestown.org/united-front-worker-recommits-to-rejuvenation/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Jamestown Foundation Issues Commentary: Minesweeping Exercise Highlights Intelligent Warfare Efforts
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 -- The Jamestown Foundation issued the following commentary on Aug. 19, 2026, by Joaquin Camarena, former intelligence analyst of the U.S. Marine Corps, in the foundation's China Brief Notes:
* * *
Minesweeping Exercise Highlights Intelligent Warfare Efforts
Executive Summary:
* A June exercise conducted by Southern Theater Command minesweepers and drones shows how the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) would use both unmanned and manned vessels in Mine Countermeasures (MCM) operations.
* The PLAN views the use of drones such as Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) and Unmanned ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 -- The Jamestown Foundation issued the following commentary on Aug. 19, 2026, by Joaquin Camarena, former intelligence analyst of the U.S. Marine Corps, in the foundation's China Brief Notes: * * * Minesweeping Exercise Highlights Intelligent Warfare Efforts Executive Summary: * A June exercise conducted by Southern Theater Command minesweepers and drones shows how the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) would use both unmanned and manned vessels in Mine Countermeasures (MCM) operations. * The PLAN views the use of drones such as Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) and UnmannedUnderwater Vehicles (UUVs) as a force multiplier that would enhance their three-dimensional MCM system.
* The integration of drones into MCM operations is part of the PLAN's efforts to implement intelligent warfare, but the branch would encounter issues in doing so.
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The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command's 10th Minesweeping Squadron conducted an exercise along the coast near Jiangmen, Guangdong, in late June. The exercise involved at least one Type 081A minesweeper, the Taishan, and one Type 082II, the Kaiping, conducting various minesweeping drills under complex electromagnetic conditions both during the day and night. These drills included detecting simulated mines using visual methods and H/TJM-01 Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs), launching depth charges, and firing the 30mm autocannons at targets. At least one Type 529 minesweeping Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) that was controlled by the Type 082II, as well as two Type 073 Amphibious Transport Docks, provided support to the other ships (CCTV13, June 20). At least two USVs equipped with new mine-neutralization charges were also used, which were first unveiled during the military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in September 2025 (China Brief, August 28, 2025).
The exercise shows that the PLA Navy (PLAN) is advancing its integration of various drones to conduct Mine Countermeasures (MCM) missions as part of wider efforts to incorporate intelligent warfare into its operations.
Drones a Force Multiplier for Minesweeping
The PLAN views the use of drones for mine clearance operations as a force multiplier that would enable the service to more effectively conduct these missions. This force multiplier concept is based on the view that unmanned systems are a new type of combat force and would be key in future MCM operations (Xu, Liu, Xiao, et al, 2022).[1] For example, the PLAN introduced both the H/TJM-01 UUV and Type 529 USV in the early 2000s and 2010s to enhance their mine-clearing capabilities by providing them with additional detection and clearance options. The drones also provide the PLAN with the ability to increase the capabilities of their three-dimensional MCM system that consists of aerial, surface, and underwater platforms that would conduct integrated minesweeping and hunting missions in the various naval operations they conduct during future conflicts (Wang, 2022).[2]
These unmanned systems would be crucial because they would act as connectors between the three levels that make up the MCM system. The use of these systems, however, also reflects the PLAN's view that new technologies could be leveraged to increase capabilities in areas in which the branch is deficient. The PLAN understands that mine-clearance operations are inherently dangerous and seeks to incorporate technologies, such as new materials, detection methods, and intelligent control systems, to reduce these risks (Cheng and Xu, 2019).[3]
Drone-Integrated MCM Operations in Intelligent Warfare Face Obstacles
The continued emphasis on unmanned systems in MCM operations is part of PLAN efforts to enhance its intelligent warfare capabilities. The PLAN is integrating intelligent warfare into its operations by using Manned-Unmanned Teams (MUM-T) that would consist of various drones and operators (PLA Daily, June 21). This combination would greatly enhance the PLAN's capabilities in the various operations it conducts, including MCM. For example, the minesweeping squadrons are incorporating new USVs and UUVs that would use the PLA concept of "human strategic guidance + machine tactical execution" (PLA Daily, March 31). The drones would likely be used to both conduct minesweeping operations and be a connector that provides information sharing and other types of assistance to the three levels. Additionally, the USVs and UUVs would have the ability to conduct autonomous operations if certain aspects of the mission, such as the risk of using manned minesweeping assets, are high (PLA Daily, May 9).
The PLAN would likely encounter obstacles when trying to incorporate the new drones into their MCM operations. These include the challenges of integrating and operating the drones for intelligent warfare and, most substantially, the increased emphasis that the Chinese Communist Party places on controlling all aspects of military operations. The Northern Theater Command's 11th Minesweeping Squadron encountered issues in learning how to operate new drones and a command system during an exercise. The members emphasized that the party organization's cohesion and combat effectiveness should be stronger compared to the necessity of learning to operate the drones and associated systems as well as coordinate operations (PLA Daily, March 31). This emphasis on party control also bled into the unit's training plan, which included lessons to ensure that decisions about drones were made under party guidance. Another obstacle is the lack of understanding surrounding intelligent warfare and its operational requirements in a future conflict (PLA Daily, May 9, 2023). The lack of understanding could lead to units emphasizing tactics instead of technology, which would hinder their ability to employ intelligent warfare.
Conclusion
The continued integration of drones in the PLAN's three-dimensional MCM systems illustrates how the service is developing its intelligent warfare capabilities. The PLAN views the integration of drones into its mine-clearance operations at all levels as important since it would enable them to leverage key aspects of the intelligent warfare concept, such as using artificial intelligence and big data. Furthermore, the PLAN views the drones as a necessary force multiplier that could be used to enhance their MCM operations while reducing the number of risks posed to its personnel.
The PLAN believes that current and future drones will be leveraged in these areas to successfully conduct MCM operations. Its ability to incorporate the drones into its method of conducting intelligent warfare, however, would likely be hindered by several obstacles, such as the emphasis on party control and the ability to understand the fields that make up the concept.
* * *
Joaquin Camarena is a former United States Marine Corps intelligence analyst who runs Sino Talk, an entity devoted to monitoring the PLA's developing capabilities. His main focuses are PLAN and PLANMC expeditionary capabilities and PLA modernization efforts.
* * *
Original text here: https://jamestown.org/minesweeping-exercise-highlights-intelligent-warfare-efforts/
[Category: ThinkTank]
* * *
Minesweeping Exercise Highlights Intelligent Warfare Efforts
Executive Summary:
* A June exercise conducted by Southern Theater Command minesweepers and drones shows how the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) would use both unmanned and manned vessels in Mine Countermeasures (MCM) operations.
* The PLAN views the use of drones such as Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) and Unmanned ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 -- The Jamestown Foundation issued the following commentary on Aug. 19, 2026, by Joaquin Camarena, former intelligence analyst of the U.S. Marine Corps, in the foundation's China Brief Notes: * * * Minesweeping Exercise Highlights Intelligent Warfare Efforts Executive Summary: * A June exercise conducted by Southern Theater Command minesweepers and drones shows how the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) would use both unmanned and manned vessels in Mine Countermeasures (MCM) operations. * The PLAN views the use of drones such as Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) and UnmannedUnderwater Vehicles (UUVs) as a force multiplier that would enhance their three-dimensional MCM system.
* The integration of drones into MCM operations is part of the PLAN's efforts to implement intelligent warfare, but the branch would encounter issues in doing so.
-
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command's 10th Minesweeping Squadron conducted an exercise along the coast near Jiangmen, Guangdong, in late June. The exercise involved at least one Type 081A minesweeper, the Taishan, and one Type 082II, the Kaiping, conducting various minesweeping drills under complex electromagnetic conditions both during the day and night. These drills included detecting simulated mines using visual methods and H/TJM-01 Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs), launching depth charges, and firing the 30mm autocannons at targets. At least one Type 529 minesweeping Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) that was controlled by the Type 082II, as well as two Type 073 Amphibious Transport Docks, provided support to the other ships (CCTV13, June 20). At least two USVs equipped with new mine-neutralization charges were also used, which were first unveiled during the military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in September 2025 (China Brief, August 28, 2025).
The exercise shows that the PLA Navy (PLAN) is advancing its integration of various drones to conduct Mine Countermeasures (MCM) missions as part of wider efforts to incorporate intelligent warfare into its operations.
Drones a Force Multiplier for Minesweeping
The PLAN views the use of drones for mine clearance operations as a force multiplier that would enable the service to more effectively conduct these missions. This force multiplier concept is based on the view that unmanned systems are a new type of combat force and would be key in future MCM operations (Xu, Liu, Xiao, et al, 2022).[1] For example, the PLAN introduced both the H/TJM-01 UUV and Type 529 USV in the early 2000s and 2010s to enhance their mine-clearing capabilities by providing them with additional detection and clearance options. The drones also provide the PLAN with the ability to increase the capabilities of their three-dimensional MCM system that consists of aerial, surface, and underwater platforms that would conduct integrated minesweeping and hunting missions in the various naval operations they conduct during future conflicts (Wang, 2022).[2]
These unmanned systems would be crucial because they would act as connectors between the three levels that make up the MCM system. The use of these systems, however, also reflects the PLAN's view that new technologies could be leveraged to increase capabilities in areas in which the branch is deficient. The PLAN understands that mine-clearance operations are inherently dangerous and seeks to incorporate technologies, such as new materials, detection methods, and intelligent control systems, to reduce these risks (Cheng and Xu, 2019).[3]
Drone-Integrated MCM Operations in Intelligent Warfare Face Obstacles
The continued emphasis on unmanned systems in MCM operations is part of PLAN efforts to enhance its intelligent warfare capabilities. The PLAN is integrating intelligent warfare into its operations by using Manned-Unmanned Teams (MUM-T) that would consist of various drones and operators (PLA Daily, June 21). This combination would greatly enhance the PLAN's capabilities in the various operations it conducts, including MCM. For example, the minesweeping squadrons are incorporating new USVs and UUVs that would use the PLA concept of "human strategic guidance + machine tactical execution" (PLA Daily, March 31). The drones would likely be used to both conduct minesweeping operations and be a connector that provides information sharing and other types of assistance to the three levels. Additionally, the USVs and UUVs would have the ability to conduct autonomous operations if certain aspects of the mission, such as the risk of using manned minesweeping assets, are high (PLA Daily, May 9).
The PLAN would likely encounter obstacles when trying to incorporate the new drones into their MCM operations. These include the challenges of integrating and operating the drones for intelligent warfare and, most substantially, the increased emphasis that the Chinese Communist Party places on controlling all aspects of military operations. The Northern Theater Command's 11th Minesweeping Squadron encountered issues in learning how to operate new drones and a command system during an exercise. The members emphasized that the party organization's cohesion and combat effectiveness should be stronger compared to the necessity of learning to operate the drones and associated systems as well as coordinate operations (PLA Daily, March 31). This emphasis on party control also bled into the unit's training plan, which included lessons to ensure that decisions about drones were made under party guidance. Another obstacle is the lack of understanding surrounding intelligent warfare and its operational requirements in a future conflict (PLA Daily, May 9, 2023). The lack of understanding could lead to units emphasizing tactics instead of technology, which would hinder their ability to employ intelligent warfare.
Conclusion
The continued integration of drones in the PLAN's three-dimensional MCM systems illustrates how the service is developing its intelligent warfare capabilities. The PLAN views the integration of drones into its mine-clearance operations at all levels as important since it would enable them to leverage key aspects of the intelligent warfare concept, such as using artificial intelligence and big data. Furthermore, the PLAN views the drones as a necessary force multiplier that could be used to enhance their MCM operations while reducing the number of risks posed to its personnel.
The PLAN believes that current and future drones will be leveraged in these areas to successfully conduct MCM operations. Its ability to incorporate the drones into its method of conducting intelligent warfare, however, would likely be hindered by several obstacles, such as the emphasis on party control and the ability to understand the fields that make up the concept.
* * *
Joaquin Camarena is a former United States Marine Corps intelligence analyst who runs Sino Talk, an entity devoted to monitoring the PLA's developing capabilities. His main focuses are PLAN and PLANMC expeditionary capabilities and PLA modernization efforts.
* * *
Original text here: https://jamestown.org/minesweeping-exercise-highlights-intelligent-warfare-efforts/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Hudson Institute Issues Commentary to Washington Post: Trump's Steam Obsession Risks Crippling the US Carrier Fleet
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 -- Hudson Institute, a research organization that says it promotes leadership for a secure, free and prosperous future, issued the following commentary on Aug. 19, 2026, by Bryan Clark, director and senior fellow of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology, to the Washington Post:
* * *
Trump's Steam Obsession Risks Crippling the US Carrier Fleet
Steam power was cutting-edge technology in the nineteenth century. It is the wrong choice for a modern navy.
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President Donald Trump's Aug. 13 executive order directing the US Navy to return to steam power for its catapults, ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 -- Hudson Institute, a research organization that says it promotes leadership for a secure, free and prosperous future, issued the following commentary on Aug. 19, 2026, by Bryan Clark, director and senior fellow of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology, to the Washington Post: * * * Trump's Steam Obsession Risks Crippling the US Carrier Fleet Steam power was cutting-edge technology in the nineteenth century. It is the wrong choice for a modern navy. - President Donald Trump's Aug. 13 executive order directing the US Navy to return to steam power for its catapults,the system used by carriers to launch fixed-wing aircraft, risks crippling fleet readiness -- already at its lowest point in decades.
After six months of war against Iran, the Pentagon has extended two carrier deployments to more than 260 days and will probably do the same with their replacements. The government's repair yards will take years to work through the maintenance backlog, and many of the best sailors will almost certainly leave for better options. Combine that with budget uncertainty, and the Navy could go months with only one carrier deployed overseas during each of the next few years.
Redesigning the USS Doris Miller, already under construction, to replace its electromagnetic catapults with steam systems will exacerbate the readiness crisis. The change is estimated to cost billions of dollars and delay the ship's launch into the late 2030s. And that's only if the Navy can convince a manufacturer to start building steam catapults again after a nearly three-decade hiatus.
Delayed carrier production will drop the fleet to 10 flattops next year, with the USS Nimitz retiring and the USS John F. Kennedy not ready to deploy. Continued construction and redesign delays for the USS Miller would shrink the fleet to nine carriers during the next decade. The Navy would need to work the smaller force harder, wearing out its people and equipment faster, and accelerating the readiness decline.
The Navy adopted electromagnetic catapults in its new carriers for the same reason rail lines shifted from steam to electric propulsion during the 20th century. Electric power has fewer moving parts, is more reliable, costs less and offers higher speeds compared with steam power.
The United States isn't alone in moving to electromagnetic catapults. The other two countries with catapult-equipped carriers, China and France, have adopted the technology.
The Trump administration has prioritized warfighting and lethality in its strategies, budgets and military campaigns. If returning to steam catapults paid off operationally, it would make sense for the Navy to bite the bullet and make the change. But recent events show steam is the wrong choice.
During its 11-month deployment, which ended in May and was the longest for a carrier since the Vietnam War, the USS Gerald R. Ford conducted more than 11,000 aircraft launches using electromagnetic catapults, more than carriers with steam systems could achieve. Nearly all of those sorties were strike fighters that could each carry more than eight tons of ordnance and hit nearly a dozen targets.
But perhaps the biggest benefit of the electromagnetic catapults are their lower cost and lighter personnel requirements. With the Navy running out of operating funds, and retention likely to plummet in the aftermath of the war with Iran, the fleet needs to make the most of every dollar and sailor.
The Ford's crew is about 500 sailors smaller than its predecessors, largely because it is an all-electric ship outside of the engine room. Because they needed steam for catapults, older carriers also used steam for a variety of other functions throughout the ship -- such as cooking equipment and water purification.
The valves, pressure regulators and piping needed for steam services create an enormous maintenance burden for older carriers that require a division of mechanics. And the steam catapults have so many moving parts and failure modes that they require about 10 more sailors per catapult -- there are four catapults on a modern carrier -- than electromagnetic systems.
People are the most expensive element of running a ship. With hundreds fewer sailors and easier-to-maintain electrical equipment, the Ford costs the Navy about $100 million less per year to operate compared with its older carriers. That equals the price of almost 100 Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Steam power was cutting-edge technology in the 19th century. It is the wrong choice for a Pentagon that is leaning into artificial intelligence and autonomous systems. The Navy should stay the course with electromagnetic catapults to keep the carrier fleet strong and deliver more firepower. It could use the savings to help refill the fleet's weapons magazines.
Read in The Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/08/19/us-navy-readiness-could-be-crippled-by-trump-steam-obsession/).
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Bryan Clark is a senior fellow and director of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology at Hudson Institute. He is an expert in naval operations, electronic warfare, autonomous systems, military competitions, and wargaming.
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Original text here: https://www.hudson.org/national-security-defense/trumps-steam-obsession-risks-crippling-us-carrier-fleet-bryan-clark
[Category: ThinkTank]
* * *
Trump's Steam Obsession Risks Crippling the US Carrier Fleet
Steam power was cutting-edge technology in the nineteenth century. It is the wrong choice for a modern navy.
-
President Donald Trump's Aug. 13 executive order directing the US Navy to return to steam power for its catapults, ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 -- Hudson Institute, a research organization that says it promotes leadership for a secure, free and prosperous future, issued the following commentary on Aug. 19, 2026, by Bryan Clark, director and senior fellow of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology, to the Washington Post: * * * Trump's Steam Obsession Risks Crippling the US Carrier Fleet Steam power was cutting-edge technology in the nineteenth century. It is the wrong choice for a modern navy. - President Donald Trump's Aug. 13 executive order directing the US Navy to return to steam power for its catapults,the system used by carriers to launch fixed-wing aircraft, risks crippling fleet readiness -- already at its lowest point in decades.
After six months of war against Iran, the Pentagon has extended two carrier deployments to more than 260 days and will probably do the same with their replacements. The government's repair yards will take years to work through the maintenance backlog, and many of the best sailors will almost certainly leave for better options. Combine that with budget uncertainty, and the Navy could go months with only one carrier deployed overseas during each of the next few years.
Redesigning the USS Doris Miller, already under construction, to replace its electromagnetic catapults with steam systems will exacerbate the readiness crisis. The change is estimated to cost billions of dollars and delay the ship's launch into the late 2030s. And that's only if the Navy can convince a manufacturer to start building steam catapults again after a nearly three-decade hiatus.
Delayed carrier production will drop the fleet to 10 flattops next year, with the USS Nimitz retiring and the USS John F. Kennedy not ready to deploy. Continued construction and redesign delays for the USS Miller would shrink the fleet to nine carriers during the next decade. The Navy would need to work the smaller force harder, wearing out its people and equipment faster, and accelerating the readiness decline.
The Navy adopted electromagnetic catapults in its new carriers for the same reason rail lines shifted from steam to electric propulsion during the 20th century. Electric power has fewer moving parts, is more reliable, costs less and offers higher speeds compared with steam power.
The United States isn't alone in moving to electromagnetic catapults. The other two countries with catapult-equipped carriers, China and France, have adopted the technology.
The Trump administration has prioritized warfighting and lethality in its strategies, budgets and military campaigns. If returning to steam catapults paid off operationally, it would make sense for the Navy to bite the bullet and make the change. But recent events show steam is the wrong choice.
During its 11-month deployment, which ended in May and was the longest for a carrier since the Vietnam War, the USS Gerald R. Ford conducted more than 11,000 aircraft launches using electromagnetic catapults, more than carriers with steam systems could achieve. Nearly all of those sorties were strike fighters that could each carry more than eight tons of ordnance and hit nearly a dozen targets.
But perhaps the biggest benefit of the electromagnetic catapults are their lower cost and lighter personnel requirements. With the Navy running out of operating funds, and retention likely to plummet in the aftermath of the war with Iran, the fleet needs to make the most of every dollar and sailor.
The Ford's crew is about 500 sailors smaller than its predecessors, largely because it is an all-electric ship outside of the engine room. Because they needed steam for catapults, older carriers also used steam for a variety of other functions throughout the ship -- such as cooking equipment and water purification.
The valves, pressure regulators and piping needed for steam services create an enormous maintenance burden for older carriers that require a division of mechanics. And the steam catapults have so many moving parts and failure modes that they require about 10 more sailors per catapult -- there are four catapults on a modern carrier -- than electromagnetic systems.
People are the most expensive element of running a ship. With hundreds fewer sailors and easier-to-maintain electrical equipment, the Ford costs the Navy about $100 million less per year to operate compared with its older carriers. That equals the price of almost 100 Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Steam power was cutting-edge technology in the 19th century. It is the wrong choice for a Pentagon that is leaning into artificial intelligence and autonomous systems. The Navy should stay the course with electromagnetic catapults to keep the carrier fleet strong and deliver more firepower. It could use the savings to help refill the fleet's weapons magazines.
Read in The Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/08/19/us-navy-readiness-could-be-crippled-by-trump-steam-obsession/).
* * *
Bryan Clark is a senior fellow and director of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology at Hudson Institute. He is an expert in naval operations, electronic warfare, autonomous systems, military competitions, and wargaming.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.hudson.org/national-security-defense/trumps-steam-obsession-risks-crippling-us-carrier-fleet-bryan-clark
[Category: ThinkTank]
Center of the American Experiment Issues Commentary: Minnesota's Poor Financial Planning is Threatening the Education of 88,000 College Students
MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Aug. 20 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary by intern Hailey Benjamin:
* * *
Minnesota's poor financial planning is threatening the education of 88,000 college students
I never expected to feel thankful for losing over $6,000 in need-based aid, but I am. My Minnesota State Grant scholarship was originally $10,000; I'm one of the lucky ones who got to keep any of it at all. That's because one of Minnesota's largest need-based scholarship programs, funded ... Show Full Article MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Aug. 20 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary by intern Hailey Benjamin: * * * Minnesota's poor financial planning is threatening the education of 88,000 college students I never expected to feel thankful for losing over $6,000 in need-based aid, but I am. My Minnesota State Grant scholarship was originally $10,000; I'm one of the lucky ones who got to keep any of it at all. That's because one of Minnesota's largest need-based scholarship programs, fundedby state tax revenue, failed thousands of the state's college students due to a massive, unaddressed deficit.
This deficit was first acknowledged in November 2024. Lawmakers implemented a one-time cut for students enrolled in the summer 2025 school term, and for students who completed their aid application after December 1, 2024. Following this short, but successful, patch, legislators once again faced an increase of students. According to a February 2025 report from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (MOHE), the budget came under "tremendous strain" in 2024 due to the significant increase in grant recipients. The report projected increased participation in the program would continue to have negative effects in the following years. It did.
During the 2026 legislative session, efforts to address the $131 million deficit for the 2026-27 academic year failed in both the House and Senate. One of the failed amendments added $60 million to the program, while another prohibited undocumented noncitizens from receiving the financial aid.
An April 2026 letter written by the Minnesota Association of Private College Students (MAPCS) and the Council of Student Government Presidents asked legislators to increase the funding for the State Grant program. Over 40 representatives, including the student body president and vice president of my school (University of Northwestern - St. Paul), signed the letter. Yet lawmakers' inability to compromise has left tens of thousands of Minnesota students who relied on the State Grant to pursue higher education with an impossible decision.
As a need-based grant, the Minnesota State Grant removed financial barriers for students from low- and middle- income families ($27,320 - $126,400 for households of three) so they could afford higher education in the state. Although there is no hard and fast income cap, the State Grant considers students' financial need based on their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which means higher income students typically receive little to no aid from the program.
In 2024, approximately half of the grant recipients were in households with an adjusted gross income (AGI) of under $40,000. Eligible students (at least 17 years old and a high school graduate) can use the grant at a qualified public or private Minnesota institution. Projections from the Minnesota Private College Council note that 88,000 students would have received aid from the program for the 2026-27 academic year. The unaddressed deficit has left 18,000 students with no aid and an additional 70,000 students whose awards will, on average, be reduced by more than 30 percent. For these 88,000 students -- of which I am one -- the financial loss increases the likelihood of them ending their time in academia prematurely, which could have future career impacts. For those who continue their higher education journey, many may have to take out student loans, which has implications for Minnesota's economy.
Contributing to the stress on the State Grant is Minnesota's North Star Promise. For students from families with an AGI below $80,000, North Star Promise covers the tuition and fees that remain after all other aid -- including the Minnesota State Grant -- is applied. Like the Minnesota State Grant, there is no academic requirement for eligibility. However, this funding is only available to students attending Minnesota public higher education schools or tribal colleges, excluding students at Minnesota's private institutions.
After North Star Promise was launched, public and tribal colleges with previously declining enrollment experienced a 10 percent increase in enrollment from 2023 to 2025. Within its first year, approximately 60,000 students received financial aid from the program. The uptick in participation simultaneously increased the number of students looking into the Minnesota State Grant, since North Star Promise and Minnesota State Grant aid students at approximately the same income level. The same MOHE February report that noted the "tremendous strain" increased participation was causing the Minnesota State Grant praised North Star Promise's increased enrollment.
Like me, 88,000 Minnesota students who were promised a State Grant chose to pursue higher education here because of that aid. Disrupting it now may nudge many of us to drop out or finish our degrees elsewhere. Because North Star Promise covers only remaining tuition and fees -- not living costs -- even students at Minnesota's public and tribal institutions will feel the financial strain of expenses the State Grant used to cover. If that gap pushes promising students to leave Minnesota for other states, it would undermine the very goal North Star Promise was meant to achieve: keeping our future workforce here.
Because both have low standards for eligibility, and because the legislature kept funding the original North Star Promise, this deficit will likely be ever increasing. Legislators need to be held accountable for their spending on North Star Promise and the Minnesota State Grant instead of making thousands of promises they cannot keep.
If Minnesota's government wants to keep claiming it cares about educational opportunities for low- and middle-income students, an unaddressed deficit can't be the response. Ignoring the problem doesn't make it go away; it harms the very people lawmakers claim to want to help. The promises made in the Minnesota State Grant should be kept.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/minnesotas-poor-financial-planning-is-threatening-the-education-of-88000-college-students/
[Category: ThinkTank]
* * *
Minnesota's poor financial planning is threatening the education of 88,000 college students
I never expected to feel thankful for losing over $6,000 in need-based aid, but I am. My Minnesota State Grant scholarship was originally $10,000; I'm one of the lucky ones who got to keep any of it at all. That's because one of Minnesota's largest need-based scholarship programs, funded ... Show Full Article MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Aug. 20 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary by intern Hailey Benjamin: * * * Minnesota's poor financial planning is threatening the education of 88,000 college students I never expected to feel thankful for losing over $6,000 in need-based aid, but I am. My Minnesota State Grant scholarship was originally $10,000; I'm one of the lucky ones who got to keep any of it at all. That's because one of Minnesota's largest need-based scholarship programs, fundedby state tax revenue, failed thousands of the state's college students due to a massive, unaddressed deficit.
This deficit was first acknowledged in November 2024. Lawmakers implemented a one-time cut for students enrolled in the summer 2025 school term, and for students who completed their aid application after December 1, 2024. Following this short, but successful, patch, legislators once again faced an increase of students. According to a February 2025 report from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (MOHE), the budget came under "tremendous strain" in 2024 due to the significant increase in grant recipients. The report projected increased participation in the program would continue to have negative effects in the following years. It did.
During the 2026 legislative session, efforts to address the $131 million deficit for the 2026-27 academic year failed in both the House and Senate. One of the failed amendments added $60 million to the program, while another prohibited undocumented noncitizens from receiving the financial aid.
An April 2026 letter written by the Minnesota Association of Private College Students (MAPCS) and the Council of Student Government Presidents asked legislators to increase the funding for the State Grant program. Over 40 representatives, including the student body president and vice president of my school (University of Northwestern - St. Paul), signed the letter. Yet lawmakers' inability to compromise has left tens of thousands of Minnesota students who relied on the State Grant to pursue higher education with an impossible decision.
As a need-based grant, the Minnesota State Grant removed financial barriers for students from low- and middle- income families ($27,320 - $126,400 for households of three) so they could afford higher education in the state. Although there is no hard and fast income cap, the State Grant considers students' financial need based on their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which means higher income students typically receive little to no aid from the program.
In 2024, approximately half of the grant recipients were in households with an adjusted gross income (AGI) of under $40,000. Eligible students (at least 17 years old and a high school graduate) can use the grant at a qualified public or private Minnesota institution. Projections from the Minnesota Private College Council note that 88,000 students would have received aid from the program for the 2026-27 academic year. The unaddressed deficit has left 18,000 students with no aid and an additional 70,000 students whose awards will, on average, be reduced by more than 30 percent. For these 88,000 students -- of which I am one -- the financial loss increases the likelihood of them ending their time in academia prematurely, which could have future career impacts. For those who continue their higher education journey, many may have to take out student loans, which has implications for Minnesota's economy.
Contributing to the stress on the State Grant is Minnesota's North Star Promise. For students from families with an AGI below $80,000, North Star Promise covers the tuition and fees that remain after all other aid -- including the Minnesota State Grant -- is applied. Like the Minnesota State Grant, there is no academic requirement for eligibility. However, this funding is only available to students attending Minnesota public higher education schools or tribal colleges, excluding students at Minnesota's private institutions.
After North Star Promise was launched, public and tribal colleges with previously declining enrollment experienced a 10 percent increase in enrollment from 2023 to 2025. Within its first year, approximately 60,000 students received financial aid from the program. The uptick in participation simultaneously increased the number of students looking into the Minnesota State Grant, since North Star Promise and Minnesota State Grant aid students at approximately the same income level. The same MOHE February report that noted the "tremendous strain" increased participation was causing the Minnesota State Grant praised North Star Promise's increased enrollment.
Like me, 88,000 Minnesota students who were promised a State Grant chose to pursue higher education here because of that aid. Disrupting it now may nudge many of us to drop out or finish our degrees elsewhere. Because North Star Promise covers only remaining tuition and fees -- not living costs -- even students at Minnesota's public and tribal institutions will feel the financial strain of expenses the State Grant used to cover. If that gap pushes promising students to leave Minnesota for other states, it would undermine the very goal North Star Promise was meant to achieve: keeping our future workforce here.
Because both have low standards for eligibility, and because the legislature kept funding the original North Star Promise, this deficit will likely be ever increasing. Legislators need to be held accountable for their spending on North Star Promise and the Minnesota State Grant instead of making thousands of promises they cannot keep.
If Minnesota's government wants to keep claiming it cares about educational opportunities for low- and middle-income students, an unaddressed deficit can't be the response. Ignoring the problem doesn't make it go away; it harms the very people lawmakers claim to want to help. The promises made in the Minnesota State Grant should be kept.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/minnesotas-poor-financial-planning-is-threatening-the-education-of-88000-college-students/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Center of the American Experiment Issues Commentary: Hands Off My Gas - Xcel is Spending Your Money to Ban Natural Gas
MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Aug. 20 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary by policy fellow Darren Nelson:
* * *
Hands off my gas! Xcel is spending your money to ban natural gas
Minnesotans need to put a stop to the Orwellian plan known as the "Natural Gas Innovation Act" or NGIA, which became law in 2021. It is aimed at forcing most homes and workplaces onto an electricity grid, that is increasingly unaffordable and unreliable due to renewables.
The so called innovations to replace ... Show Full Article MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Aug. 20 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary by policy fellow Darren Nelson: * * * Hands off my gas! Xcel is spending your money to ban natural gas Minnesotans need to put a stop to the Orwellian plan known as the "Natural Gas Innovation Act" or NGIA, which became law in 2021. It is aimed at forcing most homes and workplaces onto an electricity grid, that is increasingly unaffordable and unreliable due to renewables. The so called innovations to replacenatural gas include absurd green technologies like heat pumps. This is at a time when electricity in MN is several times more expensive than natural gas. And this state is not alone, as at least a dozen others are looking to do the same.
CenterPoint Energy and Xcel Energy both filed NGIA annual reports with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), on June 1st and 15th respectively. I focus here on Xcel's NGIA report for 2025, with a view to subsequently and separately examining CenterPoint's NGIA report.
Xcel's NGIA overview
Xcel's annual NGIA report is for the period of May 16 to December 31 of 2025. The former date is when the PUC issued the NGIA Plan Order. Xcel points out on page 1 that: "Most of the Company's efforts during this time focused on planning, project design, and contract negotiations for the projects." The report is 113 pages in length, and is structured as follows:
* Letter (P0) and Introduction (P1);
* Section I: Overview (P1-P2);
* Section II: Early Progress Summary (P2-P3);
* Section III: Quantitative Results (P3-P11);
* Section IV: Cost Effectiveness Objectives (P11-P18);
* Section V: Pilots (P18-P44);
* Section VI: R&D Projects (P44-P48);
* Section VII: Plan Modifications (P48);
* Section VIII: NGIA Tracker and Adjustment Factor (P48);
* Section IX: Federal Actions (P49);
* Exhibit A: Compliance Matrix (P50-P59);
* Exhibit B: Updated NGIA Tracker and 2027 Rate (P60-P81);
* Exhibit C: Tariff Updates (P82-85);
* Exhibit D: Federal Actions Update (P86-90);
* Certificate of Service (P91) and List of Persons (P92-P113).
On pages 2-3, Xcel summarises early progress on: Renewable Natural Gas [RNG]; Urban Tree Planting; Strategic Electrification; Thermal Energy Network; and Hydrogen Blending CRADA R&D Project. The CRADA project "will not be proceeding [as] there have been changes in the industry including economic feasibility concerns...and challenges to scalability."
Xcel's NGIA highlights
Xcel reports on 13 pilots and 6 research and development (R&D) projects. These are:
* Dem-Con HZI RNG (P19-P20);
* Sauk Centre RNG (P20-P22);
* Amp-Swift RNG (P22-P23);
* Pine Bend RNG [landfill biogas] (P23-P25);
* Sherco 5MW Hydrogen (P25-P27);
* Green Cities Accord (P27-P30);
* Dem-Con HZI Biochar (P30-P31);
* Advanced Methane Leak Detection (P31-P32);
* Custom Projects for Large Customers (P33-P35);
* PIIC [Prairie Island Indian Community] (P35-P37);
* Utility Thermal Energy Network [UTEN] (P38-P41);
* Commercial ASHP [Air Source Heat Pump] + Storage (P41-P43);
* Strategic Electrification for Income Qualified (IQ) Customers (P43-P44);
* Gasification SET [Singularity Energy Technologies] Partnership (P44-P45);
* RNG Potential Study (P45-P46);
* Very Low GWP [Global Warming Potential] Refrigerants (P46);
* Industrial Heat Pump [IHP] Field Trial (P46-P47);
* Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) Ammonia Test Burn (P47);
* Continuous Exterior Insulation Retrofit (P47-P48).
Highlights from these projects and pilots include:
* Re Sherco 5MW Hydrogen: "the hydrogen equipment supplier space has narrowed as a result of declining general market enthusiasm for green hydrogen systems."
* Re Custom Projects for Large Customers: "the Company did not have any large customer electrification projects that failed the ECO [Energy Conservation and Optimization] screening criteria, so did not implement any projects in this Pilot."
* Re PIIC: "There are limited equipment options with both furnaces and heat pumps that physically fit in the unique spaces of manufactured homes [and we have] yet to find a heat pump water heater that can be installed, primarily due to space constraints."
* Re UTEN: "At a high level, the Company hopes to learn more about whether this technology can be used to decarbonize our gas utility system, cost effectively, at scale."
* Re IHP: "Locating an IHP customer has been challenging...because, even if an IHP is a good technical solution that supports decarbonization, in many instances the payback period and/or increased electric charges are not financially beneficial to the customer."
Xcel's NGIA costs
As per page 60, Xcel is looking to recover the following level of NGIA costs from rate payers:
* $54,334,960 spend between 2025 and 2029, with 94% pilots, 5% R&D and 1% admin;
* $981,881 has been spent in 2025, with 91% pilots, 3% R&D and 6% admin;
* 2027 has the largest anticipated spend of $18,363,124, with 91% pilots and 9% R&D.
Xcel is seeking to monetize their NGIA spending, through rate increases in natural gas tariffs for all customer classes, to take effect from January 1, 2027. These are found on page 83 as follows:
* Residential: 6% increase from $0.017214 to $0.018269 per therm;
* Commercial Firm: 9% decrease from $0.010520 to $0.009594 per therm;
* Commercial Demand Billed: 408% increase from $0.001194 to $0.006063 per therm;
* Interruptible: 142% increase from $0.006601 to $0.015966 per therm.
There is also a natural gas rate case before the PUC, with a final decision expected by November 30, 2026. Xcel's current rates for 2026 reflect a PUC interim decision, that allows for an annual 6.8% increase of $51.47 million. But Xcel is seeking a 8.2% increase of $63.40 million.
Have your say, on NGIA
I read this long and dull report so you did not have to. The key takeaway is Xcel and the PUC are the conduits through which natural gas is intended to one day end in this state. It is about time Minnesotans of all political stripes ... who prefer to keep their places warm, showers hot, clothes dry and food cooked ... take a public stand and say, "Hands off my gas!"
The PUC issued a "Notice of Comment Period" on June 23, 2026 for Xcel as follows:
* Party Initial comment period closes August 19, 2026 at 4:30pm;
* Utility Reply comment period closes September 18, 2026 at 4:30pm;
* Party Reply comment period closes October 21, 2026 at 4:30pm.
Anyone from the public can and should comment. Not just on the details of the plans and reports, but also on the ends, means and costs of the NGIA. One can submit comments here:
* Online: https://mn.gov/puc/get-involved/public-comments/, and follow the instructions.
* Email: consumer.puc@state.mn.us
* U.S. Mail: Consumer Affairs Office, Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, 121 7th Place East, Suite 350, St. Paul MN 55101
* * *
Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/hands-off-my-gas-xcel-is-spending-your-money-to-ban-natural-gas/
[Category: ThinkTank]
* * *
Hands off my gas! Xcel is spending your money to ban natural gas
Minnesotans need to put a stop to the Orwellian plan known as the "Natural Gas Innovation Act" or NGIA, which became law in 2021. It is aimed at forcing most homes and workplaces onto an electricity grid, that is increasingly unaffordable and unreliable due to renewables.
The so called innovations to replace ... Show Full Article MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Aug. 20 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary by policy fellow Darren Nelson: * * * Hands off my gas! Xcel is spending your money to ban natural gas Minnesotans need to put a stop to the Orwellian plan known as the "Natural Gas Innovation Act" or NGIA, which became law in 2021. It is aimed at forcing most homes and workplaces onto an electricity grid, that is increasingly unaffordable and unreliable due to renewables. The so called innovations to replacenatural gas include absurd green technologies like heat pumps. This is at a time when electricity in MN is several times more expensive than natural gas. And this state is not alone, as at least a dozen others are looking to do the same.
CenterPoint Energy and Xcel Energy both filed NGIA annual reports with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), on June 1st and 15th respectively. I focus here on Xcel's NGIA report for 2025, with a view to subsequently and separately examining CenterPoint's NGIA report.
Xcel's NGIA overview
Xcel's annual NGIA report is for the period of May 16 to December 31 of 2025. The former date is when the PUC issued the NGIA Plan Order. Xcel points out on page 1 that: "Most of the Company's efforts during this time focused on planning, project design, and contract negotiations for the projects." The report is 113 pages in length, and is structured as follows:
* Letter (P0) and Introduction (P1);
* Section I: Overview (P1-P2);
* Section II: Early Progress Summary (P2-P3);
* Section III: Quantitative Results (P3-P11);
* Section IV: Cost Effectiveness Objectives (P11-P18);
* Section V: Pilots (P18-P44);
* Section VI: R&D Projects (P44-P48);
* Section VII: Plan Modifications (P48);
* Section VIII: NGIA Tracker and Adjustment Factor (P48);
* Section IX: Federal Actions (P49);
* Exhibit A: Compliance Matrix (P50-P59);
* Exhibit B: Updated NGIA Tracker and 2027 Rate (P60-P81);
* Exhibit C: Tariff Updates (P82-85);
* Exhibit D: Federal Actions Update (P86-90);
* Certificate of Service (P91) and List of Persons (P92-P113).
On pages 2-3, Xcel summarises early progress on: Renewable Natural Gas [RNG]; Urban Tree Planting; Strategic Electrification; Thermal Energy Network; and Hydrogen Blending CRADA R&D Project. The CRADA project "will not be proceeding [as] there have been changes in the industry including economic feasibility concerns...and challenges to scalability."
Xcel's NGIA highlights
Xcel reports on 13 pilots and 6 research and development (R&D) projects. These are:
* Dem-Con HZI RNG (P19-P20);
* Sauk Centre RNG (P20-P22);
* Amp-Swift RNG (P22-P23);
* Pine Bend RNG [landfill biogas] (P23-P25);
* Sherco 5MW Hydrogen (P25-P27);
* Green Cities Accord (P27-P30);
* Dem-Con HZI Biochar (P30-P31);
* Advanced Methane Leak Detection (P31-P32);
* Custom Projects for Large Customers (P33-P35);
* PIIC [Prairie Island Indian Community] (P35-P37);
* Utility Thermal Energy Network [UTEN] (P38-P41);
* Commercial ASHP [Air Source Heat Pump] + Storage (P41-P43);
* Strategic Electrification for Income Qualified (IQ) Customers (P43-P44);
* Gasification SET [Singularity Energy Technologies] Partnership (P44-P45);
* RNG Potential Study (P45-P46);
* Very Low GWP [Global Warming Potential] Refrigerants (P46);
* Industrial Heat Pump [IHP] Field Trial (P46-P47);
* Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) Ammonia Test Burn (P47);
* Continuous Exterior Insulation Retrofit (P47-P48).
Highlights from these projects and pilots include:
* Re Sherco 5MW Hydrogen: "the hydrogen equipment supplier space has narrowed as a result of declining general market enthusiasm for green hydrogen systems."
* Re Custom Projects for Large Customers: "the Company did not have any large customer electrification projects that failed the ECO [Energy Conservation and Optimization] screening criteria, so did not implement any projects in this Pilot."
* Re PIIC: "There are limited equipment options with both furnaces and heat pumps that physically fit in the unique spaces of manufactured homes [and we have] yet to find a heat pump water heater that can be installed, primarily due to space constraints."
* Re UTEN: "At a high level, the Company hopes to learn more about whether this technology can be used to decarbonize our gas utility system, cost effectively, at scale."
* Re IHP: "Locating an IHP customer has been challenging...because, even if an IHP is a good technical solution that supports decarbonization, in many instances the payback period and/or increased electric charges are not financially beneficial to the customer."
Xcel's NGIA costs
As per page 60, Xcel is looking to recover the following level of NGIA costs from rate payers:
* $54,334,960 spend between 2025 and 2029, with 94% pilots, 5% R&D and 1% admin;
* $981,881 has been spent in 2025, with 91% pilots, 3% R&D and 6% admin;
* 2027 has the largest anticipated spend of $18,363,124, with 91% pilots and 9% R&D.
Xcel is seeking to monetize their NGIA spending, through rate increases in natural gas tariffs for all customer classes, to take effect from January 1, 2027. These are found on page 83 as follows:
* Residential: 6% increase from $0.017214 to $0.018269 per therm;
* Commercial Firm: 9% decrease from $0.010520 to $0.009594 per therm;
* Commercial Demand Billed: 408% increase from $0.001194 to $0.006063 per therm;
* Interruptible: 142% increase from $0.006601 to $0.015966 per therm.
There is also a natural gas rate case before the PUC, with a final decision expected by November 30, 2026. Xcel's current rates for 2026 reflect a PUC interim decision, that allows for an annual 6.8% increase of $51.47 million. But Xcel is seeking a 8.2% increase of $63.40 million.
Have your say, on NGIA
I read this long and dull report so you did not have to. The key takeaway is Xcel and the PUC are the conduits through which natural gas is intended to one day end in this state. It is about time Minnesotans of all political stripes ... who prefer to keep their places warm, showers hot, clothes dry and food cooked ... take a public stand and say, "Hands off my gas!"
The PUC issued a "Notice of Comment Period" on June 23, 2026 for Xcel as follows:
* Party Initial comment period closes August 19, 2026 at 4:30pm;
* Utility Reply comment period closes September 18, 2026 at 4:30pm;
* Party Reply comment period closes October 21, 2026 at 4:30pm.
Anyone from the public can and should comment. Not just on the details of the plans and reports, but also on the ends, means and costs of the NGIA. One can submit comments here:
* Online: https://mn.gov/puc/get-involved/public-comments/, and follow the instructions.
* Email: consumer.puc@state.mn.us
* U.S. Mail: Consumer Affairs Office, Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, 121 7th Place East, Suite 350, St. Paul MN 55101
* * *
Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/hands-off-my-gas-xcel-is-spending-your-money-to-ban-natural-gas/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Capital Research Center Issues Commentary Entitled 'Enemies of Energy - Heising-Simons Foundation'
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (TNSrpt) -- The Capital Research Center issued the following commentary on Aug. 19, 2026, by Managing Editor and Director of Content Ken Braun:
* * *
Enemies of Energy: Heising-Simons Foundation
Because of the switch to natural gas in electricity production, Americans have seen a sharp reduction in CO2 emissions. But the Heising-Simons Foundation looks at this and sees only a problem.
Editor's note: The following is an excerpt from Enemies of Energy, a research report created for the Capital Research Center. The page for the full report is here: Enemies of Energy.
-
Donor ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (TNSrpt) -- The Capital Research Center issued the following commentary on Aug. 19, 2026, by Managing Editor and Director of Content Ken Braun: * * * Enemies of Energy: Heising-Simons Foundation Because of the switch to natural gas in electricity production, Americans have seen a sharp reduction in CO2 emissions. But the Heising-Simons Foundation looks at this and sees only a problem. Editor's note: The following is an excerpt from Enemies of Energy, a research report created for the Capital Research Center. The page for the full report is here: Enemies of Energy. - Donortype: direct grant maker
According to its IRS filings the Heising-Simons Foundation made $171.7 million in charitable disbursements during 2024 and has made at least $100 million in charitable disbursements every year since 2018. The foundation was created in 2007 as a giving vehicle for private equity billionaire Mark Heising and his wife, Liz Simons.[i]
A lot of the money disbursed has been spent on grants for what Heising-Simons claims are "clean energy" projects. "The goal of the Foundation's Climate and Clean Energy program," according to the website, "is to protect people and the planet from the worst impacts of climate change by helping make energy clean, affordable, safe, and reliable for all." The foundation claims to be accomplishing this goal by staying "focused on four strategic areas," one of which is "Cutting the most potent pollutants, such as methane."[ii]
Translation: they've been wasting money and some of it was literally lost in space.
As described in the first section of this report, natural gas (i.e. methane) is--by a wide margin--the cleanest of all the hydrocarbons we burn for energy:
A 2010 report in Scientific American stated that when natural gas is used to fuel a power plant it "emits about half of the carbon dioxide emissions as conventional coal plants." This assertion is confirmed by multiple reports from the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Agency (EIA). In June 2021 the EIA posted an analysis with this headline: "Electric power sector CO2 emissions drop as generation mix shifts from coal to natural gas."[iii][iv][v]
Blessed with an abundance of natural gas and the technical know-how to produce it cheaply, the United States electricity sector has spent most of the last two decades frantically substituting coal power plants for modern gas turbine generators.
In addition to the economic benefits, this has also produced almost miraculous results for those inclined to worry over American carbon dioxide emissions, such as the benefactors of the Heising-Simons Foundation. The first section of this report explains:
The net annual reduction from the coal-to-gas switch (867 million tonnes) accounted for more than 77 percent of the drop in CO2 emissions in 2024 as compared to 2000.[vi]
To put that number in perspective, in 2024 Germany's total CO2 emissions amounted to only 572.32 million tonnes. Similarly, France's total 2024 CO2 emissions equaled 264.16 million tonnes. And that's not just gas and coal emissions (as in the American example) but gasoline, jet fuel, and everything else that drove the German and French economies in 2024.[vii]
Germany and France are the world's third and seventh largest economies. So, just the American transition from coal to natural gas in electricity production since 2000 has cancelled out the combined annual CO2 emissions from two of the planet's biggest economic engines.
But fighting against this progress has become a main mission of the Heising-Simons Foundation's benefactors.
In February 2020, Mark Heising was elected chair of the board of the Environmental Defense Fund, a position he still held as of April 2026. As covered in the previous section of this report, during Heising's tenure at the top EDF launched (and then lost contact with) an $88 million satellite to track natural gas emissions. EDF claims natural gas is "dangerously powerful" and that their "research and advocacy" has "driven global action on methane for over a decade."[viii][ix][x]
EDF isn't the only major anti-energy NGO or donor to same that Heising-Simons has been close to.
According to the annual filing submitted to the IRS, Heising-Simons provided grants totaling $10.4 million in 2024 to five of the fifteen most influential anti-energy NGO's profiled earlier in this report:[xi]
* Environmental Defense Fund: $5 million
* Natural Resources Defense Council: $3.7 million
* Rocky Mountain Institute: $1 million
* Union of Concerned Scientists: $505,000
* World Resources Institute: $150,000
Additionally, and also in 2024, Heising-Simons provided grants totaling more than $3 million to three of the pass-through donors to anti-energy NGOs profiled later on this list:[xii]
* U.S. Energy Foundation: $1.2 million
* Climateworks Foundation: $950,000
* Windward Fund: $900,000
Cumulative 2024 grants from the Heising-Simons Foundation to both the major anti-energy NGOs and pass-through donors to the movement totaled nearly $13.5 million.[xiii]
* * *
Endnotes
[i] The Heising-Simons Foundation. (EIN: 26-0799587). ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed April 14, 2026. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/260799587
[ii] Programs | Climate and Clean Energy. Heising-Simons Foundation. Accessed April 14, 2026. https://www.hsfoundation.org/programs/climate-clean-energy/
[iii] Kirkland, Joel (ClimateWire). "Natural Gas Could Serve as 'Bridge' Fuel to Low-Carbon Future." Scientific American. June 25, 2010. Accessed January 14, 2026. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/natural-gas-could-serve-as-bridge-fuel-to-low-carbon-future/
[iv] "Environment: Carbon Dioxide Emissions Coefficients." Energy Information Agency | U.S. Department of Energy. September 18, 2024. Accessed January 14, 2026. https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php
[v] "Electric power sector CO2 emissions drop as generation mix shifts from coal to natural gas." Energy Information Agency | U.S. Department of Energy. June 9, 2021. Accessed January 14, 2026. https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=48296#
[vi] Ritchie, Hannah; Pablo Rosado, and Max Roser. "CO2 emissions by fuel." Our World in Data. Accessed January 15, 2026. https://ourworldindata.org/emissions-by-fuel
[vii] Ritchie, Hannah; Pablo Rosado, and Max Roser. "CO2 emissions by fuel." Our World in Data. Accessed January 15, 2026. https://ourworldindata.org/emissions-by-fuel
[viii] "Heising to Become New Chair of Environmental Defense Fund." Heising-Simons Foundation. February 4, 2020. Accessed April 14, 2026. https://www.edf.org/media/heising-become-new-chair-environmental-defense-fund Board of trustees. Heising-Simons Foundation. Accessed April 14, 2026. https://www.edf.org/board-trustees
[ix] Zhong, Raymond. "Methane-Tracking Satellite Is Lost, in a Blow to Climate Efforts." The New York Times. July 2, 2025. Accessed February 3, 2026. https://web.archive.org/web/20250703035055/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/climate/methane-sat-lost.html Simon, Julia. "A new satellite will track climate-warming pollution. Here's why that's a big deal." NPR. March 5, 2024. Accessed February 3, 2026. https://www.npr.org/2024/03/05/1235694992/a-new-satellite-will-track-climate-warming-pollution-heres-why-thats-a-big-deal
[x] "Cutting methane pollution to slow climate change." Environmental Defense Fund. Accessed April 14, 2026. https://www.edf.org/issue/methane
[xi] The Heising Simons Foundation. (EIN: 26-0799587). 2024 IRS Form 990. Accessed April 14, 2026. Https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/260799587/202543219349106499/full
[xii] The Heising Simons Foundation. (EIN: 26-0799587). 2024 IRS Form 990. Accessed April 14, 2026. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/260799587/202543219349106499/full
[xiii] The Heising Simons Foundation. (EIN: 26-0799587). 2024 IRS Form 990. Accessed April 14, 2026. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/260799587/202543219349106499/full
* * *
Ken Braun
As managing editor and director of content of CRC, Ken Braun edits Capital Research magazine. He also conducts investigative research and drafts profiles for InfluenceWatch.org.
* * *
REPORT: https://capitalresearch.org/app/uploads/FINAL-PDF_CRC_EnemiesofEnergy.pdf
Original text here: https://capitalresearch.org/article/enemies-of-energy-heising-simons-foundation/
[Category: ThinkTank]
* * *
Enemies of Energy: Heising-Simons Foundation
Because of the switch to natural gas in electricity production, Americans have seen a sharp reduction in CO2 emissions. But the Heising-Simons Foundation looks at this and sees only a problem.
Editor's note: The following is an excerpt from Enemies of Energy, a research report created for the Capital Research Center. The page for the full report is here: Enemies of Energy.
-
Donor ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (TNSrpt) -- The Capital Research Center issued the following commentary on Aug. 19, 2026, by Managing Editor and Director of Content Ken Braun: * * * Enemies of Energy: Heising-Simons Foundation Because of the switch to natural gas in electricity production, Americans have seen a sharp reduction in CO2 emissions. But the Heising-Simons Foundation looks at this and sees only a problem. Editor's note: The following is an excerpt from Enemies of Energy, a research report created for the Capital Research Center. The page for the full report is here: Enemies of Energy. - Donortype: direct grant maker
According to its IRS filings the Heising-Simons Foundation made $171.7 million in charitable disbursements during 2024 and has made at least $100 million in charitable disbursements every year since 2018. The foundation was created in 2007 as a giving vehicle for private equity billionaire Mark Heising and his wife, Liz Simons.[i]
A lot of the money disbursed has been spent on grants for what Heising-Simons claims are "clean energy" projects. "The goal of the Foundation's Climate and Clean Energy program," according to the website, "is to protect people and the planet from the worst impacts of climate change by helping make energy clean, affordable, safe, and reliable for all." The foundation claims to be accomplishing this goal by staying "focused on four strategic areas," one of which is "Cutting the most potent pollutants, such as methane."[ii]
Translation: they've been wasting money and some of it was literally lost in space.
As described in the first section of this report, natural gas (i.e. methane) is--by a wide margin--the cleanest of all the hydrocarbons we burn for energy:
A 2010 report in Scientific American stated that when natural gas is used to fuel a power plant it "emits about half of the carbon dioxide emissions as conventional coal plants." This assertion is confirmed by multiple reports from the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Agency (EIA). In June 2021 the EIA posted an analysis with this headline: "Electric power sector CO2 emissions drop as generation mix shifts from coal to natural gas."[iii][iv][v]
Blessed with an abundance of natural gas and the technical know-how to produce it cheaply, the United States electricity sector has spent most of the last two decades frantically substituting coal power plants for modern gas turbine generators.
In addition to the economic benefits, this has also produced almost miraculous results for those inclined to worry over American carbon dioxide emissions, such as the benefactors of the Heising-Simons Foundation. The first section of this report explains:
The net annual reduction from the coal-to-gas switch (867 million tonnes) accounted for more than 77 percent of the drop in CO2 emissions in 2024 as compared to 2000.[vi]
To put that number in perspective, in 2024 Germany's total CO2 emissions amounted to only 572.32 million tonnes. Similarly, France's total 2024 CO2 emissions equaled 264.16 million tonnes. And that's not just gas and coal emissions (as in the American example) but gasoline, jet fuel, and everything else that drove the German and French economies in 2024.[vii]
Germany and France are the world's third and seventh largest economies. So, just the American transition from coal to natural gas in electricity production since 2000 has cancelled out the combined annual CO2 emissions from two of the planet's biggest economic engines.
But fighting against this progress has become a main mission of the Heising-Simons Foundation's benefactors.
In February 2020, Mark Heising was elected chair of the board of the Environmental Defense Fund, a position he still held as of April 2026. As covered in the previous section of this report, during Heising's tenure at the top EDF launched (and then lost contact with) an $88 million satellite to track natural gas emissions. EDF claims natural gas is "dangerously powerful" and that their "research and advocacy" has "driven global action on methane for over a decade."[viii][ix][x]
EDF isn't the only major anti-energy NGO or donor to same that Heising-Simons has been close to.
According to the annual filing submitted to the IRS, Heising-Simons provided grants totaling $10.4 million in 2024 to five of the fifteen most influential anti-energy NGO's profiled earlier in this report:[xi]
* Environmental Defense Fund: $5 million
* Natural Resources Defense Council: $3.7 million
* Rocky Mountain Institute: $1 million
* Union of Concerned Scientists: $505,000
* World Resources Institute: $150,000
Additionally, and also in 2024, Heising-Simons provided grants totaling more than $3 million to three of the pass-through donors to anti-energy NGOs profiled later on this list:[xii]
* U.S. Energy Foundation: $1.2 million
* Climateworks Foundation: $950,000
* Windward Fund: $900,000
Cumulative 2024 grants from the Heising-Simons Foundation to both the major anti-energy NGOs and pass-through donors to the movement totaled nearly $13.5 million.[xiii]
* * *
Endnotes
[i] The Heising-Simons Foundation. (EIN: 26-0799587). ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed April 14, 2026. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/260799587
[ii] Programs | Climate and Clean Energy. Heising-Simons Foundation. Accessed April 14, 2026. https://www.hsfoundation.org/programs/climate-clean-energy/
[iii] Kirkland, Joel (ClimateWire). "Natural Gas Could Serve as 'Bridge' Fuel to Low-Carbon Future." Scientific American. June 25, 2010. Accessed January 14, 2026. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/natural-gas-could-serve-as-bridge-fuel-to-low-carbon-future/
[iv] "Environment: Carbon Dioxide Emissions Coefficients." Energy Information Agency | U.S. Department of Energy. September 18, 2024. Accessed January 14, 2026. https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php
[v] "Electric power sector CO2 emissions drop as generation mix shifts from coal to natural gas." Energy Information Agency | U.S. Department of Energy. June 9, 2021. Accessed January 14, 2026. https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=48296#
[vi] Ritchie, Hannah; Pablo Rosado, and Max Roser. "CO2 emissions by fuel." Our World in Data. Accessed January 15, 2026. https://ourworldindata.org/emissions-by-fuel
[vii] Ritchie, Hannah; Pablo Rosado, and Max Roser. "CO2 emissions by fuel." Our World in Data. Accessed January 15, 2026. https://ourworldindata.org/emissions-by-fuel
[viii] "Heising to Become New Chair of Environmental Defense Fund." Heising-Simons Foundation. February 4, 2020. Accessed April 14, 2026. https://www.edf.org/media/heising-become-new-chair-environmental-defense-fund Board of trustees. Heising-Simons Foundation. Accessed April 14, 2026. https://www.edf.org/board-trustees
[ix] Zhong, Raymond. "Methane-Tracking Satellite Is Lost, in a Blow to Climate Efforts." The New York Times. July 2, 2025. Accessed February 3, 2026. https://web.archive.org/web/20250703035055/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/climate/methane-sat-lost.html Simon, Julia. "A new satellite will track climate-warming pollution. Here's why that's a big deal." NPR. March 5, 2024. Accessed February 3, 2026. https://www.npr.org/2024/03/05/1235694992/a-new-satellite-will-track-climate-warming-pollution-heres-why-thats-a-big-deal
[x] "Cutting methane pollution to slow climate change." Environmental Defense Fund. Accessed April 14, 2026. https://www.edf.org/issue/methane
[xi] The Heising Simons Foundation. (EIN: 26-0799587). 2024 IRS Form 990. Accessed April 14, 2026. Https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/260799587/202543219349106499/full
[xii] The Heising Simons Foundation. (EIN: 26-0799587). 2024 IRS Form 990. Accessed April 14, 2026. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/260799587/202543219349106499/full
[xiii] The Heising Simons Foundation. (EIN: 26-0799587). 2024 IRS Form 990. Accessed April 14, 2026. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/260799587/202543219349106499/full
* * *
Ken Braun
As managing editor and director of content of CRC, Ken Braun edits Capital Research magazine. He also conducts investigative research and drafts profiles for InfluenceWatch.org.
* * *
REPORT: https://capitalresearch.org/app/uploads/FINAL-PDF_CRC_EnemiesofEnergy.pdf
Original text here: https://capitalresearch.org/article/enemies-of-energy-heising-simons-foundation/
[Category: ThinkTank]
CSIS Issues Commentary Entitled 'Emperor's Wardrobe Malfunction'
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued the following commentary on Aug. 19, 2026, by William Alan Reinsch, senior adviser and Scholl Chair emeritus with the Economics Program:
* * *
The Emperor's Wardrobe Malfunction
We are 18 months into the administration, and it is now possible to draw some conclusions about how Trump's trade policies are faring with other nations. The short answer is not as bad as you might think, but the important part of the story is the learning curve that has occurred and how Trump's targets have adapted as they have begun to ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued the following commentary on Aug. 19, 2026, by William Alan Reinsch, senior adviser and Scholl Chair emeritus with the Economics Program: * * * The Emperor's Wardrobe Malfunction We are 18 months into the administration, and it is now possible to draw some conclusions about how Trump's trade policies are faring with other nations. The short answer is not as bad as you might think, but the important part of the story is the learning curve that has occurred and how Trump's targets have adapted as they have begun tobetter understand his tactics. Other countries have learned that while the emperor may still have some clothes, he is experiencing serious wardrobe malfunctions.
There was a joke going around during the 2016 presidential campaign that Democrats take Trump literally but not seriously, while Republicans take him seriously but not literally. Of course, now everyone has to take him seriously, but experience suggests the Republicans turned out to be more right than the Democrats. Other countries are learning that lesson as well. What he says matters, but his threats are not always translated into reality. His tendency to back off his threats or scale down his actions has led to the joke of his second term: the TACO--Trump Always Chickens Out. That doesn't happen every time, but it has occurred often enough that other countries have stopped panicking, as they did when the Liberation Day tariffs were announced in April 2025, and have instead developed more refined responses. Similarly, the financial markets have begun to take his comments in stride, and reaction to some of his latest announcements, like the 50 percent tariff on Canadian imports, has been restrained.
Targeted countries for the most part have begun to understand his tactics: Threats are usually designed to create leverage by intimidating the other party, and they are not necessarily intended to be carried out. Often, these threats have been made without serious consideration of collateral damage or the full range of responses in the other country's tool kit. It is a bit like using GPS to plot a route for your travel, and then when you make a wrong turn, waiting while "recalculating" flashes on your screen and the system recommends a different path. The best recent example of that is Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz. A close second is China's export controls on critical minerals in response to Trump's tariffs. Both Iran and China pushed back in ways Trump apparently did not expect, which has forced him to recalculate.
Countries that have not openly pushed back have usually adopted a two-level strategy of surface acquiescence coupled with under-the-table subterfuge or delay. They sign agreements, allowing for Trump victory statements, but the actual text is more often an unenforceable framework than a binding legal document. That leaves plenty of room for reinterpretation and questionable compliance. Countries have sometimes been explicit about that, announcing after the agreement that they had not agreed to what Trump claimed or that they would not be able to comply. Others have conveniently forgotten their commitments and gone about their usual business. A CSIS analysis last year by Victor Cha and Andy Lim explored the loose ends of the agreement with South Korea. Since the agreements, signed or not, are not legally binding or enforceable--and after the Supreme Court's decision last February invalidating the Liberation Day tariffs, new signings have slowed down--the administration's main response to failure or delay is more tariff threats, which simply starts the cycle over again.
This has happened with China, India, and most recently Brazil and Canada. When Trump is unhappy with the other country's response or thinks the negotiations are taking too long, he threatens more tariffs or launches new investigations that lead to more tariffs. In the case of Brazil, he carried out his threats, although with so many exceptions, the impact will be small. With Canada, we will see this week whether he backs off from his latest threat of 50 percent tariffs. CSIS scholars Christopher Gundermann, Hugh Grant-Chapman, and Diego Marroquin Bitar have published an excellent analysis of those tariffs.
Adding to the confusion are the tariff threats that were not credible from the beginning and were quickly forgotten--the most recent two being his threat against Canada for allowing smoke from its wildfires to drift across the U.S. East Coast and his threatening Spain with tariffs over its lack of cooperation with his war with Iran--and actions that end up amounting to much less than they initially appeared. The new 50 percent Canada tariffs, for example, affect less than 5 percent of Canada's imports, and one reliable estimate of the current actual average tariff rate is 11 percent, far less than threatened. Incidents like these have taught other countries that Trump generally uses only one of the tools in his diplomatic toolbox--tariff threats--whether or not they are appropriate or the best choice in each case, and also that he does not often follow through on his more extreme threats.
None of this is particularly surprising. Trump is trying to reorient the trading system to suit his concept of what is good for the United States, and his abrupt changes have created a predictable path: initial panic, followed by whining and complaining, negotiations, and then work-arounds designed to mitigate the effects of his threats and what has been negotiated. The result is a new equilibrium that accommodates some changes, pays lip service to other demands, and attempts to maintain as much of the status quo ante as possible. Trump, meanwhile, seems to tolerate the TACO joke in the belief that even when he backs off, he still ends up better than where he started. Saying the emperor has no clothes goes too far. There clearly have been wardrobe malfunctions along the way, but, as in the fable, other countries are growing adept at pretending while the parade passes by.
* * *
William A. Reinsch is a senior adviser (non-resident) and Scholl Chair emeritus with the Economics Program and Scholl Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. He can be reached at wreinsch7@gmail.com.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.csis.org/analysis/emperors-wardrobe-malfunction
[Category: ThinkTank]
* * *
The Emperor's Wardrobe Malfunction
We are 18 months into the administration, and it is now possible to draw some conclusions about how Trump's trade policies are faring with other nations. The short answer is not as bad as you might think, but the important part of the story is the learning curve that has occurred and how Trump's targets have adapted as they have begun to ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued the following commentary on Aug. 19, 2026, by William Alan Reinsch, senior adviser and Scholl Chair emeritus with the Economics Program: * * * The Emperor's Wardrobe Malfunction We are 18 months into the administration, and it is now possible to draw some conclusions about how Trump's trade policies are faring with other nations. The short answer is not as bad as you might think, but the important part of the story is the learning curve that has occurred and how Trump's targets have adapted as they have begun tobetter understand his tactics. Other countries have learned that while the emperor may still have some clothes, he is experiencing serious wardrobe malfunctions.
There was a joke going around during the 2016 presidential campaign that Democrats take Trump literally but not seriously, while Republicans take him seriously but not literally. Of course, now everyone has to take him seriously, but experience suggests the Republicans turned out to be more right than the Democrats. Other countries are learning that lesson as well. What he says matters, but his threats are not always translated into reality. His tendency to back off his threats or scale down his actions has led to the joke of his second term: the TACO--Trump Always Chickens Out. That doesn't happen every time, but it has occurred often enough that other countries have stopped panicking, as they did when the Liberation Day tariffs were announced in April 2025, and have instead developed more refined responses. Similarly, the financial markets have begun to take his comments in stride, and reaction to some of his latest announcements, like the 50 percent tariff on Canadian imports, has been restrained.
Targeted countries for the most part have begun to understand his tactics: Threats are usually designed to create leverage by intimidating the other party, and they are not necessarily intended to be carried out. Often, these threats have been made without serious consideration of collateral damage or the full range of responses in the other country's tool kit. It is a bit like using GPS to plot a route for your travel, and then when you make a wrong turn, waiting while "recalculating" flashes on your screen and the system recommends a different path. The best recent example of that is Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz. A close second is China's export controls on critical minerals in response to Trump's tariffs. Both Iran and China pushed back in ways Trump apparently did not expect, which has forced him to recalculate.
Countries that have not openly pushed back have usually adopted a two-level strategy of surface acquiescence coupled with under-the-table subterfuge or delay. They sign agreements, allowing for Trump victory statements, but the actual text is more often an unenforceable framework than a binding legal document. That leaves plenty of room for reinterpretation and questionable compliance. Countries have sometimes been explicit about that, announcing after the agreement that they had not agreed to what Trump claimed or that they would not be able to comply. Others have conveniently forgotten their commitments and gone about their usual business. A CSIS analysis last year by Victor Cha and Andy Lim explored the loose ends of the agreement with South Korea. Since the agreements, signed or not, are not legally binding or enforceable--and after the Supreme Court's decision last February invalidating the Liberation Day tariffs, new signings have slowed down--the administration's main response to failure or delay is more tariff threats, which simply starts the cycle over again.
This has happened with China, India, and most recently Brazil and Canada. When Trump is unhappy with the other country's response or thinks the negotiations are taking too long, he threatens more tariffs or launches new investigations that lead to more tariffs. In the case of Brazil, he carried out his threats, although with so many exceptions, the impact will be small. With Canada, we will see this week whether he backs off from his latest threat of 50 percent tariffs. CSIS scholars Christopher Gundermann, Hugh Grant-Chapman, and Diego Marroquin Bitar have published an excellent analysis of those tariffs.
Adding to the confusion are the tariff threats that were not credible from the beginning and were quickly forgotten--the most recent two being his threat against Canada for allowing smoke from its wildfires to drift across the U.S. East Coast and his threatening Spain with tariffs over its lack of cooperation with his war with Iran--and actions that end up amounting to much less than they initially appeared. The new 50 percent Canada tariffs, for example, affect less than 5 percent of Canada's imports, and one reliable estimate of the current actual average tariff rate is 11 percent, far less than threatened. Incidents like these have taught other countries that Trump generally uses only one of the tools in his diplomatic toolbox--tariff threats--whether or not they are appropriate or the best choice in each case, and also that he does not often follow through on his more extreme threats.
None of this is particularly surprising. Trump is trying to reorient the trading system to suit his concept of what is good for the United States, and his abrupt changes have created a predictable path: initial panic, followed by whining and complaining, negotiations, and then work-arounds designed to mitigate the effects of his threats and what has been negotiated. The result is a new equilibrium that accommodates some changes, pays lip service to other demands, and attempts to maintain as much of the status quo ante as possible. Trump, meanwhile, seems to tolerate the TACO joke in the belief that even when he backs off, he still ends up better than where he started. Saying the emperor has no clothes goes too far. There clearly have been wardrobe malfunctions along the way, but, as in the fable, other countries are growing adept at pretending while the parade passes by.
* * *
William A. Reinsch is a senior adviser (non-resident) and Scholl Chair emeritus with the Economics Program and Scholl Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. He can be reached at wreinsch7@gmail.com.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.csis.org/analysis/emperors-wardrobe-malfunction
[Category: ThinkTank]