Top Weekly Selections from RealClearInvestigations

The Week in Review at RealClearInvestigations

July 19 to July 25

Podcast & Video Highlights

Hosted by Maggie Miller, the latest episode of The Miller Report on Real Clear Journalism features an enlightening conversation with Dr. Jonathan Lesser and Mitchell Rolling. The pair share insights from their new study from the National Center for Energy Analytics titled “Batteries and the Grid: The Hype, Hope, and Economic Reality”. In a separate episode, RCI senior reporter James Varney talks to Miller about his article detailing the federal government’s venture capitalist-like activities of investing taxpayer dollars in private companies.

Featured Investigation

Climate Funds Under Biden: A Windfall for State Agencies

James Varney of RealClearInvestigations has found that climate legislation during the Biden era has led to an extraordinary surge in federal grants for state energy agencies. The funding that states like Colorado, California, and New York are set to receive has grown more than tenfold compared to historical averages. This increase in funding has triggered a legal battle after attempts by the Trump administration to halt the spending.

Key Findings:

• Colorado’s Energy Office, which usually receives an average of $7 million a year from the Department of Energy, is projected to receive $157.5 million from DOE and $156 million from the EPA in FY2024 alone, plus an additional $60 million after Trump’s election.
• Both the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the California Energy Commission are expected to see similar steep increases — from an annual average of $3–5 million to over $335 million each in FY2024. California was later approved for an additional $630.5 million grant.
• According to an investigator with OpenTheBooks, the priority in Biden-era climate policy often is to quickly distribute money, even if it’s unclear whether the recipients can manage or oversee it responsibly.
• Substantial funding, derived from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, is slated for vaguely outlined purposes like “initial guidance” for future rebate programs and home weatherization efforts. The latter category has previously been flagged for fraud and subpar workmanship.
• Upon taking office, the Trump administration nullified billions in Biden-era energy grants, deeming the funding ideologically driven. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has since steered the department toward expanding traditional energy production.
• In February, a group of 13 Democratic state attorneys general launched a lawsuit to force the release of the approved funds. They argued that the funding cuts were politically driven, unfairly targeted blue states, and would impede states from meeting climate targets.
• Critics, including advocacy group Power The Future, oppose taxpayers in other states subsidizing the climate goals of blue states and call for increased scrutiny of potential grant fraud.

Waste of the Day by Jeremy Portnoy, Open the Books

Trump 2.0 and the Beltway

Other Noteworthy Articles and Series

Iran’s Swift Infrastructure Rebuilding: Satellite Images Say It All

Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal reports that satellite imagery indicates Iran’s speedy reconstruction of infrastructure damaged by the recent U.S. and Israeli bombing campaign. The rebuilt structures range from missile bases deep within mountains to bridges, ports, and production facilities.

According to some Israeli officials, the pace of the progress is alarming. It testifies to Iran’s resilience despite an air campaign involving over 20,000 strikes at the peak of the war. The campaign continues along Iran’s coast to weaken Tehran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz. Satellite imagery from Planet Labs in March showed two tunnel entrances and an access road damaged by airstrikes aimed at blocking access to an Iranian missile base near Kangavar, in western Iran. Within weeks, imagery from Airbus revealed a newly paved road leading to freshly excavated entrances. In another instance, Iranian officials repaired a bridge hit by three Israeli bombs within a few days, surprising Israeli officials and causing them to question the effectiveness of their targeting.

The report also states that despite the extensive damage caused by U.S. and Israeli attacks, Iran faces a massive, costly, and lengthy recovery process. However, the swift work across the country challenges claims by President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that their bombing campaign had inflicted heavy damage.