Phil McKenna
@mckennapr.bsky.social
@insideclimatenews.org reporter. He/Him phil.mckenna@insideclimatenews.org
Reposted by Phil McKenna
Colorado Mesa University is the OG Thermal Network, blazing a trail for much of what I now work on. @mckennapr.bsky.social has the story.
This is how the clean energy transition starts - folks trying good ideas before knowing for absolutely certain they work!
insideclimatenews.org/news/0702202...
This is how the clean energy transition starts - folks trying good ideas before knowing for absolutely certain they work!
insideclimatenews.org/news/0702202...
A Groundbreaking Geothermal Heating and Cooling Network Saves This Colorado College Money and Water - Inside Climate News
When a former oil and gas developer partnered with Colorado Mesa University on geothermal, the school saved millions and set a new standard for energy-efficient buildings.
insideclimatenews.org
February 10, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Colorado Mesa University is the OG Thermal Network, blazing a trail for much of what I now work on. @mckennapr.bsky.social has the story.
This is how the clean energy transition starts - folks trying good ideas before knowing for absolutely certain they work!
insideclimatenews.org/news/0702202...
This is how the clean energy transition starts - folks trying good ideas before knowing for absolutely certain they work!
insideclimatenews.org/news/0702202...
An executive order President Trump plans to announce Wednesday will order the Defense Department to buy coal power, something climate and security experts say will put the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage. My latest for @insideclimatenews.org insideclimatenews.org/news/1002202...
Trump Will Order Defense Department to Buy Coal Power - Inside Climate News
Climate and security experts say the plan is outdated and could place the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage.
insideclimatenews.org
February 10, 2026 at 10:28 PM
An executive order President Trump plans to announce Wednesday will order the Defense Department to buy coal power, something climate and security experts say will put the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage. My latest for @insideclimatenews.org insideclimatenews.org/news/1002202...
Reposted by Phil McKenna
"Since its geothermal buildout began in 2008, [Colorado Mesa University] has saved more than $15 million in energy costs, money it has passed on to students through lower tuition and more scholarship funding," reports @mckennapr.bsky.social: insideclimatenews.org/news/0702202... 🔌💡
A Groundbreaking Geothermal Heating and Cooling Network Saves This Colorado College Money and Water - Inside Climate News
When a former oil and gas developer partnered with Colorado Mesa University on geothermal, the school saved millions and set a new standard for energy-efficient buildings.
insideclimatenews.org
February 7, 2026 at 11:37 PM
"Since its geothermal buildout began in 2008, [Colorado Mesa University] has saved more than $15 million in energy costs, money it has passed on to students through lower tuition and more scholarship funding," reports @mckennapr.bsky.social: insideclimatenews.org/news/0702202... 🔌💡
My latest, for @insideclimatenews.org. "The best kept secret in western Colorado”: A geothermal heating and cooling network saves Colorado Mesa University millions of dollars on energy bills, and millions of gallons of Colorado River water. insideclimatenews.org/news/0702202...
A Groundbreaking Geothermal Heating and Cooling Network Saves This Colorado College Money and Water - Inside Climate News
When a former oil and gas developer partnered with Colorado Mesa University on geothermal, the school saved millions and set a new standard for energy-efficient buildings.
insideclimatenews.org
February 7, 2026 at 1:59 PM
My latest, for @insideclimatenews.org. "The best kept secret in western Colorado”: A geothermal heating and cooling network saves Colorado Mesa University millions of dollars on energy bills, and millions of gallons of Colorado River water. insideclimatenews.org/news/0702202...
Reposted by Phil McKenna
MethaneSAT has released its first analysis of methane emissions from oil and gas basins globally, in the year before the satellite lost contact. @mckennapr.bsky.social and I dug into the findings for @insideclimatenews.org
insideclimatenews.org/news/0602202...
insideclimatenews.org/news/0602202...
MethaneSAT Releases First Global Assessment of Oil and Gas Climate Pollution - Inside Climate News
Nearly a year after the Environmental Defense Fund lost contact with an $88 million satellite, data from the spacecraft reveal higher-than-expected methane emissions from the oil and gas industry.
insideclimatenews.org
February 6, 2026 at 4:51 PM
MethaneSAT has released its first analysis of methane emissions from oil and gas basins globally, in the year before the satellite lost contact. @mckennapr.bsky.social and I dug into the findings for @insideclimatenews.org
insideclimatenews.org/news/0602202...
insideclimatenews.org/news/0602202...
Great to be back on @livingonearthradio.bsky.social talking all things geothermal heating and cooling, including some of my recent reporting in the Midwest and what to keep an eye on in 2026. www.loe.org/shows/segmen...
Living on Earth: Hot Prospects for Geothermal Energy
As geothermal heating and cooling slowly spreads in the U.S., some communities and utilities are looking to grow small pilot projects into much larger networks of pipes and heat pumps that extract and...
www.loe.org
January 31, 2026 at 1:17 PM
Great to be back on @livingonearthradio.bsky.social talking all things geothermal heating and cooling, including some of my recent reporting in the Midwest and what to keep an eye on in 2026. www.loe.org/shows/segmen...
Reposted by Phil McKenna
Venezuela’s oil reserves, the largest in the world, are also among the most carbon and methane intensive to produce, refine, and use. Additionally, to maintain current production output will require more than $50 billion in new energy infrastructure investment.
By @mckennapr.bsky.social...
By @mckennapr.bsky.social...
‘The Dirtiest, Worst Oil’ Is in Venezuela - Inside Climate News
The country’s “extra heavy” oil packs some of the highest associated greenhouse gas emissions of any crude oil.
buff.ly
January 10, 2026 at 1:31 PM
Venezuela’s oil reserves, the largest in the world, are also among the most carbon and methane intensive to produce, refine, and use. Additionally, to maintain current production output will require more than $50 billion in new energy infrastructure investment.
By @mckennapr.bsky.social...
By @mckennapr.bsky.social...
My latest: “The Dirtiest, Worst Oil;” Venezuela’s oil reserves are not only the world’s largest, they also have some of the highest associated greenhouse gas emissions. insideclimatenews.org/news/0701202...
‘The Dirtiest, Worst Oil’ Is in Venezuela - Inside Climate News
The country’s “extra heavy” oil packs some of the highest associated greenhouse gas emissions of any crude oil.
insideclimatenews.org
January 8, 2026 at 1:27 PM
My latest: “The Dirtiest, Worst Oil;” Venezuela’s oil reserves are not only the world’s largest, they also have some of the highest associated greenhouse gas emissions. insideclimatenews.org/news/0701202...
My latest: A common anesthetic is also a climate super pollutant that is helping to cook the planet. A growing number of hospitals and countries are dropping the drug. insideclimatenews.org/news/0501202...
Health Care Providers Are Dropping a Common Anesthesia Drug That’s Also a Climate Super Pollutant - Inside Climate News
Limiting use of desflurane helps hospitals reduce their greenhouse gas emissions; the European Union now prohibits its use during most procedures.
insideclimatenews.org
January 7, 2026 at 2:24 PM
My latest: A common anesthetic is also a climate super pollutant that is helping to cook the planet. A growing number of hospitals and countries are dropping the drug. insideclimatenews.org/news/0501202...
Reposted by Phil McKenna
Desflurane is a common anesthetic used in operating rooms worldwide. It’s also a climate super pollutant. The Yale New Haven Health System changed that and now relies primarily on sevoflurane--and saves $1.2 million a year. Read more w/ @mckennapr.bsky.social insideclimatenews.org/news/0501202...
Health Care Providers Are Dropping a Common Anesthesia Drug That’s Also a Climate Super Pollutant - Inside Climate News
Limiting use of desflurane helps hospitals reduce their greenhouse gas emissions; the European Union now prohibits its use during most procedures.
insideclimatenews.org
January 5, 2026 at 12:32 PM
Desflurane is a common anesthetic used in operating rooms worldwide. It’s also a climate super pollutant. The Yale New Haven Health System changed that and now relies primarily on sevoflurane--and saves $1.2 million a year. Read more w/ @mckennapr.bsky.social insideclimatenews.org/news/0501202...
Geothermal energy will provide 80% of the heating and cooling needs for Northeastern's new hockey arena. The system will also harvest waste heat from ice making to warm the rest of the building. 🔥 & ❄️ news.northeastern.edu/2025/12/16/s...
New complex will be fossil fuel free and use rainwater for ice rink
The complex replacing Matthews arena is being built to meet ‘aggressive’ standards for sustainability and energy efficiency.
news.northeastern.edu
December 17, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Geothermal energy will provide 80% of the heating and cooling needs for Northeastern's new hockey arena. The system will also harvest waste heat from ice making to warm the rest of the building. 🔥 & ❄️ news.northeastern.edu/2025/12/16/s...
My latest: More than half of Americans’ nitrogen dioxide exposure can come from gas stoves, depending on how often they cook, a new study concludes insideclimatenews.org/news/1012202...
Gas Stoves Account For More Than Half of Some Americans’ Exposure to a Known Toxin, New Research Concludes - Inside Climate News
The common kitchen appliance plays an outsized role in exposure to nitrogen dioxide, a toxic air pollutant.
insideclimatenews.org
December 10, 2025 at 7:08 PM
My latest: More than half of Americans’ nitrogen dioxide exposure can come from gas stoves, depending on how often they cook, a new study concludes insideclimatenews.org/news/1012202...
Reposted by Phil McKenna
We’re building the future today!
@mckennapr.bsky.social reports on HEET’s partnership to expand the geothermal heating and cooling system in Framingham, MA, driving down unit costs and building out the utility business model while keeping customers comfy.
Thermal nerds, your time is now!
@mckennapr.bsky.social reports on HEET’s partnership to expand the geothermal heating and cooling system in Framingham, MA, driving down unit costs and building out the utility business model while keeping customers comfy.
Thermal nerds, your time is now!
My latest, for @insideclimatenews.org & @bostonglobe.com;
A first-in-the-nation clean energy project will soon double in size as the Trump administration moves forward with a Biden-era grant for geothermal www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/03/s...
A first-in-the-nation clean energy project will soon double in size as the Trump administration moves forward with a Biden-era grant for geothermal www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/03/s...
Rare win for renewable energy: Trump administration funds expansion of geothermal network in Framingham - The Boston Globe
A first-in-the-nation heating and cooling network in Framingham is set to double in size as the Trump administration continues support for geothermal energy, despite cutting billions for other clean e...
www.bostonglobe.com
December 4, 2025 at 3:36 PM
We’re building the future today!
@mckennapr.bsky.social reports on HEET’s partnership to expand the geothermal heating and cooling system in Framingham, MA, driving down unit costs and building out the utility business model while keeping customers comfy.
Thermal nerds, your time is now!
@mckennapr.bsky.social reports on HEET’s partnership to expand the geothermal heating and cooling system in Framingham, MA, driving down unit costs and building out the utility business model while keeping customers comfy.
Thermal nerds, your time is now!
My latest, for @insideclimatenews.org & @bostonglobe.com;
A first-in-the-nation clean energy project will soon double in size as the Trump administration moves forward with a Biden-era grant for geothermal www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/03/s...
A first-in-the-nation clean energy project will soon double in size as the Trump administration moves forward with a Biden-era grant for geothermal www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/03/s...
Rare win for renewable energy: Trump administration funds expansion of geothermal network in Framingham - The Boston Globe
A first-in-the-nation heating and cooling network in Framingham is set to double in size as the Trump administration continues support for geothermal energy, despite cutting billions for other clean e...
www.bostonglobe.com
December 4, 2025 at 3:26 PM
My latest, for @insideclimatenews.org & @bostonglobe.com;
A first-in-the-nation clean energy project will soon double in size as the Trump administration moves forward with a Biden-era grant for geothermal www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/03/s...
A first-in-the-nation clean energy project will soon double in size as the Trump administration moves forward with a Biden-era grant for geothermal www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/03/s...
Reposted by Phil McKenna
"A first-in-the-nation heating and cooling network in Framingham, Mass., is set to double in size as the Trump administration continues support for geothermal energy, despite cutting billions for other clean energy projects." insideclimatenews.org/news/0312202... by @mckennapr.bsky.social 🔌💡
Rare Win for Renewable Energy: Trump Administration Funds Geothermal Network Expansion - Inside Climate News
A first-in-the-nation heating and cooling network in Massachusetts is set to double in size.
insideclimatenews.org
December 3, 2025 at 8:54 PM
"A first-in-the-nation heating and cooling network in Framingham, Mass., is set to double in size as the Trump administration continues support for geothermal energy, despite cutting billions for other clean energy projects." insideclimatenews.org/news/0312202... by @mckennapr.bsky.social 🔌💡
My latest: A first-in-the-nation heating and cooling network in Framingham, Mass., is set to double in size as the Trump administration continues geothermal support despite cutting billions for other clean energy projects insideclimatenews.org/news/0312202...
Rare Win for Renewable Energy: Trump Administration Funds Geothermal Network Expansion - Inside Climate News
A first-in-the-nation heating and cooling network in Massachusetts is set to double in size.
insideclimatenews.org
December 3, 2025 at 5:17 PM
My latest: A first-in-the-nation heating and cooling network in Framingham, Mass., is set to double in size as the Trump administration continues geothermal support despite cutting billions for other clean energy projects insideclimatenews.org/news/0312202...
Reposted by Phil McKenna
Have you heard about the LED of heating and cooling? In St Paul, MN they installed one of the first large-scale aquifer thermal power systems in the US. Very proud of the work we did at the State's green bank to get this project financed. insideclimatenews.org/news/1511202... @mckennapr.bsky.social
Decades After the U.S. Government Conducted Research Beneath This City, a Promising Clean Energy Technology Returns to Its Roots - Inside Climate News
Researchers drilling under a college campus in the 1980s paved the way for an ambitious new project in the Twin Cities.
insideclimatenews.org
November 19, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Have you heard about the LED of heating and cooling? In St Paul, MN they installed one of the first large-scale aquifer thermal power systems in the US. Very proud of the work we did at the State's green bank to get this project financed. insideclimatenews.org/news/1511202... @mckennapr.bsky.social
My latest: emissions of a key climate super pollutant continue to climb despite a Global Methane Pledge to reduce them, a UN report concludes insideclimatenews.org/news/2111202...
International Effort to Curb Emissions of a Climate Super Pollutant Falls Short, UN Report Reveals - Inside Climate News
Methane emissions continue to climb despite a pledge by countries to curb climate pollution.
insideclimatenews.org
November 24, 2025 at 7:07 PM
My latest: emissions of a key climate super pollutant continue to climb despite a Global Methane Pledge to reduce them, a UN report concludes insideclimatenews.org/news/2111202...
Reposted by Phil McKenna
Seasonal Underground #Energy Storage in Twin Cities: Old Technology Revived
@mckennapr.bsky.social reports for @insideclimatenews.org
insideclimatenews.org/news/1511202...
@mckennapr.bsky.social reports for @insideclimatenews.org
insideclimatenews.org/news/1511202...
Decades After the U.S. Government Conducted Research Beneath This City, a Promising Clean Energy Technology Returns to Its Roots - Inside Climate News
Researchers drilling under a college campus in the 1980s paved the way for an ambitious new project in the Twin Cities.
insideclimatenews.org
November 18, 2025 at 4:21 AM
Seasonal Underground #Energy Storage in Twin Cities: Old Technology Revived
@mckennapr.bsky.social reports for @insideclimatenews.org
insideclimatenews.org/news/1511202...
@mckennapr.bsky.social reports for @insideclimatenews.org
insideclimatenews.org/news/1511202...
Aquifer thermal energy storage, the “LED” of heating and cooling, is getting a second look in St. Paul, Minnesota decades after hosting initial tests of the promising clean tech. My latest, for @insideclimatenews.org insideclimatenews.org/news/1511202...
Decades After the U.S. Government Conducted Research Beneath This City, a Promising Clean Energy Technology Returns to Its Roots - Inside Climate News
Researchers drilling under a college campus in the 1980s paved the way for an ambitious new project in the Twin Cities.
insideclimatenews.org
November 17, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Aquifer thermal energy storage, the “LED” of heating and cooling, is getting a second look in St. Paul, Minnesota decades after hosting initial tests of the promising clean tech. My latest, for @insideclimatenews.org insideclimatenews.org/news/1511202...
My latest: Decades ago the U.S. Department of Energy tested clean tech that promised to slash the country’s energy use. Forty-five years later, aquifer thermal energy heating and cooling is coming home to St. Paul, Minnesota. insideclimatenews.org/news/1511202... @insideclimatenews.org
Decades After the U.S. Government Conducted Research Beneath This City, a Promising Clean Energy Technology Returns to Its Roots - Inside Climate News
Researchers drilling under a college campus in the 1980s paved the way for an ambitious new project in the Twin Cities.
insideclimatenews.org
November 15, 2025 at 1:18 PM
My latest: Decades ago the U.S. Department of Energy tested clean tech that promised to slash the country’s energy use. Forty-five years later, aquifer thermal energy heating and cooling is coming home to St. Paul, Minnesota. insideclimatenews.org/news/1511202... @insideclimatenews.org
“The 2030s are going to be a tough time for Boston.” apps.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/metr... @erinmdouglas23.bsky.social — and @cehumphries.bsky.social — on "sunny-day flooding" in Boston and ongoing failures to address it. #WhenTheFloodsCome
Morrissey Blvd. floods multiple times a year. It's a symptom of a statewide problem.
The Dorchester parkway, one of Boston’s starkest examples of climate impacts, is inundated multiple times a year.
apps.bostonglobe.com
November 2, 2025 at 6:31 PM
“The 2030s are going to be a tough time for Boston.” apps.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/metr... @erinmdouglas23.bsky.social — and @cehumphries.bsky.social — on "sunny-day flooding" in Boston and ongoing failures to address it. #WhenTheFloodsCome
“They do protect people and infrastructure — until they don’t." apps.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/metr... Great reporting by @shankman.bsky.social on a potential looming disaster posed by aging levies and climate-change-fueled storms in Massachusetts. #WhenTheFloodsComeHome
What are levees doing to protect Chicopee? What happens if they fail?
Far from the rising seas that threaten the coast, people living behind inland levees are facing a climate-fueled risk that is often overlooked, but which could soon bring disaster to their doorstep.
apps.bostonglobe.com
November 1, 2025 at 6:06 PM
“They do protect people and infrastructure — until they don’t." apps.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/metr... Great reporting by @shankman.bsky.social on a potential looming disaster posed by aging levies and climate-change-fueled storms in Massachusetts. #WhenTheFloodsComeHome
Climate change fuels more destructive and rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones, as a Category 5 hurricane makes landfall in Jamaica insideclimatenews.org/news/2810202...
‘Catastrophic’ Hurricane Hits Jamaica as Risk of Climate Change-Fueled Tropical Storms Rises - Inside Climate News
Environmental advocates call for fossil fuel companies to pay for damages as climate change fuels more destructive hurricanes.
insideclimatenews.org
October 29, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Climate change fuels more destructive and rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones, as a Category 5 hurricane makes landfall in Jamaica insideclimatenews.org/news/2810202...
My latest; A Category 5 hurricane slams into Jamaica as climate change fuels stronger storms and environmental advocates call for fossil fuel companies to pay for damages insideclimatenews.org/news/2810202... @insideclimatenews.org
‘Catastrophic’ Hurricane Hits Jamaica as Risk of Climate Change-Fueled Tropical Storms Rises - Inside Climate News
Environmental advocates call for fossil fuel companies to pay for damages as climate change fuels more destructive hurricanes.
insideclimatenews.org
October 28, 2025 at 10:12 PM
My latest; A Category 5 hurricane slams into Jamaica as climate change fuels stronger storms and environmental advocates call for fossil fuel companies to pay for damages insideclimatenews.org/news/2810202... @insideclimatenews.org