Natural Resources

Startup Says It Has Found a Hidden Source of Geothermal Energy in Nev.

"A geothermal startup said Thursday that it has hit gold in Nevada — metaphorically speaking. Zanskar, which uses AI to find hidden geothermal resources deep underground, says that it has identified a new commercially viable site for a potential power plant. The discovery, the company claims, is the first of its kind made by the industry in decades."

Source: WIRED, 12/05/2025

Interior Dept Finally Releases High Official’s Financial Disclosure

"After a long delay, the Interior Department’s Office of Government Ethics last week provided Public Domain the financial disclosure of Karen Budd-Falen, a high-ranking Trump appointee at DOI." "Karen Budd-Falen, a self-described “cowboy lawyer," owns ranch operations and real estate rentals. Her family has also had sizable investments in oil companies."

Source: Public Domain, 12/05/2025

"US Congress Repeals Biden-Era Limits On Oil And Gas In Alaska Refuge"

"Congressional lawmakers on Thursday voted to repeal a Biden-era policy that limited the amount of land in an Alaska wildlife refuge that could be leased for oil and gas development. The U.S. Senate voted 49-45 to approve a resolution that revokes the Interior Department's 2024 rule governing energy development on the 1.56-million-acre Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge."

Source: Reuters, 12/05/2025

Orphans and Zombies — Reporting on Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells Across the Country

For more than a century, oil and gas companies have been drilling — and abandoning — wells across the country, leaving hundreds of thousands to potentially leak pollutants into the air, water and soil. Climate and environment reporter Martha Pskowski looks at how funding and regulatory issues are impacting efforts to identify and plug these wells, and offers resources for drilling into their story.

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"New US National Parks Fees For International Visitors Draw Scrutiny"

"Environmentalists and former agency employees warn of increased workloads for park employees at a time when park staffing is already low." "U.S. citizenship will determine how expensive it is to access America’s national parks beginning next year, the Interior Department announced yesterday."

Source: Inside Climate News, 12/01/2025

Tracking Down Orphaned, Possibly Leaking, Oil And Gas Wells In The Parks

"An unknown number of abandoned oil and gas wells dot the National Park System, but the one at Cuyahoga Valley National Park revealed itself with a whistling plume of colorless, odorless, and potentially lethal, methane gas."

Source: National Parks Traveler, 11/25/2025

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