Josh Lappen
@jlappen1.bsky.social
energy historian | postdoc at Notre Dame, PhD at Oxford | infrastructure, decarbonization, and landscapes | Angeleno | always on the lookout for a good fun fact
views my own, at best
views my own, at best
Pinned
Fossil energy minimum viable scale
Unseen infrastructural threats to safety and decarbonization may arise as fossil energy systems are phased out
www.science.org
New from @gruberte.bsky.social and I in @science.org: The energy transition is at risk, and energy models are missing the threat. Fossil energy networks from oil to coal to gas have minimum viable scales of operation, and those thresholds are closer than we think:
www.science.org/doi/epdf/10....
💡🔌
www.science.org/doi/epdf/10....
💡🔌
Reposted by Josh Lappen
when big tech companies say that AI will save the planet, what kinds of AI are they actually talking about — and what's their proof? i took a look at some great new research from @ketanjoshi.co and talked to other experts about how a lot of this talk is probably bullshit:
Big Tech Says Generative AI Will Save the Planet. It Doesn't Offer Much Proof
A new report finds that of 154 specific claims about how AI will benefit the climate, just a quarter cited academic research. A third included no evidence at all.
www.wired.com
February 18, 2026 at 3:19 PM
when big tech companies say that AI will save the planet, what kinds of AI are they actually talking about — and what's their proof? i took a look at some great new research from @ketanjoshi.co and talked to other experts about how a lot of this talk is probably bullshit:
"wires are expensive - use fewer of them when you can" was one of Thomas Edison's core business observations. Still true!
heatmap.news/electric-veh...
heatmap.news/electric-veh...
Why EV-Makers Are Suddenly Obsessed With Wires
Batteries can only get so small so fast. But there’s more than one way to get weight out of an electric car.
heatmap.news
February 18, 2026 at 11:23 PM
"wires are expensive - use fewer of them when you can" was one of Thomas Edison's core business observations. Still true!
heatmap.news/electric-veh...
heatmap.news/electric-veh...
Long past time for a Federal Archival Corps (or sure, Federal Archival Bureau if you're a government acronym nut) to build local skills and strengthen communities' connections to their history by rescuing, conserving, and handing off endangered archives. This is the fabric of democracy.
“In 2019, as [Gannett] began fully moving operations out of the bldg, the entire collection—by then scattered across the basement—was suddenly in limbo… The Poughkeepsie Public Library stepped in, agreed to pay rent on a dedicated storage unit + took on physical custodianship of the archive…”
The Poughkeepsie Journal Photo Morgue and the Fight to Save Local History
The Poughkeepsie Journal photo morgue holds decades of unpublished images. Artists, scholars, and librarians are fighting to keep it from disappearing.
www.chronogram.com
February 18, 2026 at 5:44 AM
Long past time for a Federal Archival Corps (or sure, Federal Archival Bureau if you're a government acronym nut) to build local skills and strengthen communities' connections to their history by rescuing, conserving, and handing off endangered archives. This is the fabric of democracy.
Reposted by Josh Lappen
Natural gas explosion destroys church in Boonsville, NY, critically injures 5 people including fire chief. Very sad. And a reminder that gas is very dangerous.
cnycentral.com/news/local/r...
cnycentral.com/news/local/r...
Fire chief, four others critically injured in 'catastrophic' explosion at Boonville church
Emergency crews responded to a report of a gas and odor explosion at Abundant Life Church in Boonville, Oneida County, N.Y.
cnycentral.com
February 17, 2026 at 11:08 PM
Natural gas explosion destroys church in Boonsville, NY, critically injures 5 people including fire chief. Very sad. And a reminder that gas is very dangerous.
cnycentral.com/news/local/r...
cnycentral.com/news/local/r...
After the LA fires, thousands of landlords illegally hiked their rents. Laws against post-disastser price gouging are very old, and they've been enforced in LA in the past after earthquakes and other disasters. This time? Lots of "warning letters" and very few cases.
www.latimes.com/california/s...
www.latimes.com/california/s...
Rampant post-fire price gouging went unpunished, report alleges
A new report from the Rent Brigade asserts that there were more than 18,000 potential examples of price-gouging in L.A. last year and minimal enforcement.
www.latimes.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:51 PM
After the LA fires, thousands of landlords illegally hiked their rents. Laws against post-disastser price gouging are very old, and they've been enforced in LA in the past after earthquakes and other disasters. This time? Lots of "warning letters" and very few cases.
www.latimes.com/california/s...
www.latimes.com/california/s...
A lobbyist used AI to falsify 20,000 public comments to tip the scales against reducing deadly air pollution in homes. This has been illegal since at least 2019 - but enforcement would require a prosecutor brave enough to argue that "bot" can mean "AI". Crickets.
www.latimes.com/environment/...
www.latimes.com/environment/...
Southern California air board rejected pollution rules after AI-generated flood of comments
SoCal’s pollution authority scrapped a plan to phase out gas-powered appliances after receiving more than 20,000 emails sent by an AI-powered platform called CiviClick.
www.latimes.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:40 PM
A lobbyist used AI to falsify 20,000 public comments to tip the scales against reducing deadly air pollution in homes. This has been illegal since at least 2019 - but enforcement would require a prosecutor brave enough to argue that "bot" can mean "AI". Crickets.
www.latimes.com/environment/...
www.latimes.com/environment/...
There's enough of this in one newspaper in one state in one day for a thread, so let's do it. Impunity for the wealthy has become such a background condition that it generally goes unremarked. Come find your issue and start agitating!
Restore The Rule of Law in California: A Thread
Restore The Rule of Law in California: A Thread
Great news, but this flagrant lawbreaking is going to get more and more common, and the case history here suggests CA isn't ready. The state paid for this closure, even though it's AllenCo's legal obligation. CA can sue to recover those costs, but afaik hasn't. Why?
www.latimes.com/environment/...
www.latimes.com/environment/...
Notoriously hazardous South L.A. oil wells finally plugged after decades of community pressure
A two-acre Los Angeles oil drill site near the St. Vincent Elementary School in University Park, had been releasing noxious fumes for years. Finally, the wells have been shut down.
www.latimes.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:26 PM
There's enough of this in one newspaper in one state in one day for a thread, so let's do it. Impunity for the wealthy has become such a background condition that it generally goes unremarked. Come find your issue and start agitating!
Restore The Rule of Law in California: A Thread
Restore The Rule of Law in California: A Thread
Reposted by Josh Lappen
the recording of today's episode of THE RIFT is now online, in which @gruberte.bsky.social and @jlappen1.bsky.social deliver a fascinating conversation on their new paper, what getting off of fossil fuels actually entails, and the hard work of energy transition: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...
Episode 27: Managing the Decline of Fossil Fuels with Emily Grubert and Joshua Lappen
Podcast Episode · The Rift · 02/15/2026 · 55m
podcasts.apple.com
February 15, 2026 at 11:32 PM
the recording of today's episode of THE RIFT is now online, in which @gruberte.bsky.social and @jlappen1.bsky.social deliver a fascinating conversation on their new paper, what getting off of fossil fuels actually entails, and the hard work of energy transition: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...
Reposted by Josh Lappen
@californiapuc.bsky.social should never have let gas utilities propose pumping hydrogen into gas pipelines in the first place. Its a costly ineffectual boondoggle that distracts focus from helping communities realize the health and safety benefits of electrification.
www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
Contributor: Blending hydrogen into gas pipelines would enrich utilities and harm Californians
Experiments with natural gas pipelines are only a stalling tactic and profit grab that will prolong pollution. The real solution is to go electric.
www.latimes.com
February 17, 2026 at 5:52 PM
@californiapuc.bsky.social should never have let gas utilities propose pumping hydrogen into gas pipelines in the first place. Its a costly ineffectual boondoggle that distracts focus from helping communities realize the health and safety benefits of electrification.
www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
Reposted by Josh Lappen
HRALTH BOARD: I need a building both large and complicated and not entirely suitable for the use I intend to put it to, which I haven't decided yet
ARCHITECT: [grabbing pen] I have been waiting my whole life for this moment
ARCHITECT: Quick question, how wedded are you to the rain being 'outside'
ARCHITECT: [grabbing pen] I have been waiting my whole life for this moment
ARCHITECT: Quick question, how wedded are you to the rain being 'outside'
February 17, 2026 at 1:29 PM
HRALTH BOARD: I need a building both large and complicated and not entirely suitable for the use I intend to put it to, which I haven't decided yet
ARCHITECT: [grabbing pen] I have been waiting my whole life for this moment
ARCHITECT: Quick question, how wedded are you to the rain being 'outside'
ARCHITECT: [grabbing pen] I have been waiting my whole life for this moment
ARCHITECT: Quick question, how wedded are you to the rain being 'outside'
Great news, but this flagrant lawbreaking is going to get more and more common, and the case history here suggests CA isn't ready. The state paid for this closure, even though it's AllenCo's legal obligation. CA can sue to recover those costs, but afaik hasn't. Why?
www.latimes.com/environment/...
www.latimes.com/environment/...
Notoriously hazardous South L.A. oil wells finally plugged after decades of community pressure
A two-acre Los Angeles oil drill site near the St. Vincent Elementary School in University Park, had been releasing noxious fumes for years. Finally, the wells have been shut down.
www.latimes.com
February 17, 2026 at 12:39 AM
Great news, but this flagrant lawbreaking is going to get more and more common, and the case history here suggests CA isn't ready. The state paid for this closure, even though it's AllenCo's legal obligation. CA can sue to recover those costs, but afaik hasn't. Why?
www.latimes.com/environment/...
www.latimes.com/environment/...
Thanks for reading, Jigar -glad to be in conversation. The core of our concern here is that minimum viable scale means relying on prices to reallocate capital likely can't work past a certain threshold. Market signals work when systems can grow/shrink linearly, and these can't do that for long.
February 16, 2026 at 5:19 PM
Thanks for reading, Jigar -glad to be in conversation. The core of our concern here is that minimum viable scale means relying on prices to reallocate capital likely can't work past a certain threshold. Market signals work when systems can grow/shrink linearly, and these can't do that for long.
Reposted by Josh Lappen
I really need these headlines to stop being like IT’S ILLEGAL TO REGULATE GHGS NOW instead of what’s actually going on, which is that we’re no longer required to consider them in scope of a 56 year old law that didn’t contemplate climate change as an issue
February 14, 2026 at 2:38 AM
I really need these headlines to stop being like IT’S ILLEGAL TO REGULATE GHGS NOW instead of what’s actually going on, which is that we’re no longer required to consider them in scope of a 56 year old law that didn’t contemplate climate change as an issue
haha honestly I think you'll love it, but maybe not in a way that's anger-free
February 13, 2026 at 9:26 PM
haha honestly I think you'll love it, but maybe not in a way that's anger-free
Agreed on both fronts! For historical data I'd search Commerce, Census, and Ag first, then utility publications second. Also could be a lead on this sort of thing in Ronald Tobey's work...
February 13, 2026 at 9:21 PM
Agreed on both fronts! For historical data I'd search Commerce, Census, and Ag first, then utility publications second. Also could be a lead on this sort of thing in Ronald Tobey's work...
Reposted by Josh Lappen
“I don't see any plan, any strategy, any end game,” says Pat Parenteau, a professor of environmental law at the University of Vermont. “I don't see anything from this administration, just fuck everything up as much as you can. You can print that.”
The Trump administration has revoked the key rule allowing the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases. What's next? A big, stupid mess, reports @mollytaft.com:
The Fight Over US Climate Rules Is Just Beginning
As the EPA moves to roll back the endangerment finding, which allows it to regulate greenhouse gases, experts predict uncertainty for business and a protracted legal fight.
www.wired.com
February 12, 2026 at 7:29 PM
“I don't see any plan, any strategy, any end game,” says Pat Parenteau, a professor of environmental law at the University of Vermont. “I don't see anything from this administration, just fuck everything up as much as you can. You can print that.”
Reposted by Josh Lappen
The end of privately run gas stations? New Science paper by @jlappen1.bsky.social & Emily Grubert lays out a future in which “electric transportation is becoming the market leader, but gasoline still has a share, albeit a declining one”: @dangearino.bsky.social insideclimatenews.org/news/0502202...
Looking Ahead to When Gas Stations Vanish - Inside Climate News
Leaders should plan for declining demand that will undermine the viability of fossil fuel businesses. New research says it could happen sooner than we think.
insideclimatenews.org
February 11, 2026 at 5:11 PM
The end of privately run gas stations? New Science paper by @jlappen1.bsky.social & Emily Grubert lays out a future in which “electric transportation is becoming the market leader, but gasoline still has a share, albeit a declining one”: @dangearino.bsky.social insideclimatenews.org/news/0502202...
Yes - as the article describes!
February 10, 2026 at 3:11 AM
Yes - as the article describes!
Reposted by Josh Lappen
The first and only thing he should be known for and remembered for. It should be the only thing he's ever asked about.
This is on Musk and he should be held accountable.
HORRIFYING -
Dismantling USAID & cancelling >80% of aid caused ~750,000 deaths by mid-2025
🧸Most were children
⌛️ Many died within the first year
😰 Preventable deaths were mainly from:
- HIV, TB, malaria
- Maternal & fetal deaths
- Malnutrition
news.westernu.ca/2026/01/u-s-...
Dismantling USAID & cancelling >80% of aid caused ~750,000 deaths by mid-2025
🧸Most were children
⌛️ Many died within the first year
😰 Preventable deaths were mainly from:
- HIV, TB, malaria
- Maternal & fetal deaths
- Malnutrition
news.westernu.ca/2026/01/u-s-...
February 10, 2026 at 2:35 AM
The first and only thing he should be known for and remembered for. It should be the only thing he's ever asked about.
The rare skill of Remembering That the Enemy of Your Enemy Does Not in Fact Necessarily Have To Be Your Friend - a skill almost unheard of on this website! - gets more important every day
"worst person you know" guy is so busy these days
Exxon is dropping law firm Paul Weiss, whose chair just resigned after his ties to Epstein were exposed, from representing the company in at least four climate lawsuits.
The firm also cut a deal with the Trump administration last year: www.exxonknews.org/p/exxons-law...
The firm also cut a deal with the Trump administration last year: www.exxonknews.org/p/exxons-law...
February 10, 2026 at 12:56 AM
The rare skill of Remembering That the Enemy of Your Enemy Does Not in Fact Necessarily Have To Be Your Friend - a skill almost unheard of on this website! - gets more important every day
Reposted by Josh Lappen
We need to stop referring to these people as centrist Democrats. They are advancing a right-wing agenda and should be referred to as such.
NEW: The “centrist” Abundance think tank pushing Democrats toward deregulation is run by a registered corporate lobbyist for OpenAI, Larry Ellison’s Oracle, and a crypto think tank.
February 9, 2026 at 6:32 PM
We need to stop referring to these people as centrist Democrats. They are advancing a right-wing agenda and should be referred to as such.
One agenda item for my dream comprehensive government-run legal code repository (we could call it a Government Printing Office, or something like that?):
Use goddamn tabs in the goddamn codes so people don't go insane trying to track how provisions nest!
Use goddamn tabs in the goddamn codes so people don't go insane trying to track how provisions nest!
February 9, 2026 at 11:08 PM
One agenda item for my dream comprehensive government-run legal code repository (we could call it a Government Printing Office, or something like that?):
Use goddamn tabs in the goddamn codes so people don't go insane trying to track how provisions nest!
Use goddamn tabs in the goddamn codes so people don't go insane trying to track how provisions nest!
I've been wondering whether one path forward is state policy encouraging the re-emergence of freight short lines, especially near the ports.
February 9, 2026 at 10:03 PM
I've been wondering whether one path forward is state policy encouraging the re-emergence of freight short lines, especially near the ports.