Amanda Drennen
@amandacd.bsky.social
Pitt and NYU Law alum, beagle parent, amateur historian, professional energy lawyer, Go Birds.
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
Over 40% of corn grown in Indiana is used to make ethanol that cars burn. One acre of corn yields about 16,500 vehicle-miles per year of ethanol, which sounds high until you realize that one acre of solar yields about 2,700,000 vehicle-miles per year: 16,000% more driving for a given plot of land.
October 9, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Over 40% of corn grown in Indiana is used to make ethanol that cars burn. One acre of corn yields about 16,500 vehicle-miles per year of ethanol, which sounds high until you realize that one acre of solar yields about 2,700,000 vehicle-miles per year: 16,000% more driving for a given plot of land.
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
“Eggs were the symbol of inflation in the last election. Now, as electricity bills spike, they are becoming a symbol for consumer frustration in 2026.
Eighty million Americans are struggling to pay, four in five feel powerless, and politicians are scrambling for someone to blame."
Eighty million Americans are struggling to pay, four in five feel powerless, and politicians are scrambling for someone to blame."
September 21, 2025 at 6:58 PM
“Eggs were the symbol of inflation in the last election. Now, as electricity bills spike, they are becoming a symbol for consumer frustration in 2026.
Eighty million Americans are struggling to pay, four in five feel powerless, and politicians are scrambling for someone to blame."
Eighty million Americans are struggling to pay, four in five feel powerless, and politicians are scrambling for someone to blame."
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
You know who else scored 41 points on a Bill Belichick coached team in a nationally televised game?
Go Birds
Go Birds
September 2, 2025 at 2:40 AM
You know who else scored 41 points on a Bill Belichick coached team in a nationally televised game?
Go Birds
Go Birds
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
Each year, air pollution from US oil and gas kills an estimated 91,000 Americans, making it the 8th most common cause of US death, and afflicts ~210,000 US kids with asthma. Pollution-related illnesses disproportionately affect Black and Asian communities.
The health burden and racial-ethnic disparities of air pollution from the major oil and gas lifecycle stages in the United States
Largest total population health burden is from O&G end-use, but greatest relative disparities are linked to downstream activities.
www.science.org
August 27, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Each year, air pollution from US oil and gas kills an estimated 91,000 Americans, making it the 8th most common cause of US death, and afflicts ~210,000 US kids with asthma. Pollution-related illnesses disproportionately affect Black and Asian communities.
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
According to a new report: "The U.S. Department of Energy’s efforts to prevent large fossil-fuel power plants from retiring could cost ratepayers about $3.1 billion a year in 2028."
$3.1B annual cost estimated for fossil fuel plants DOE won’t allow to retire
One coal plant owner told the SEC it spent $29 million in the first 38 days of an Energy Department order to keep it online.
www.utilitydive.com
August 24, 2025 at 7:22 PM
According to a new report: "The U.S. Department of Energy’s efforts to prevent large fossil-fuel power plants from retiring could cost ratepayers about $3.1 billion a year in 2028."
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
It’s pretty simple:
- AI is driving electricity demand up
- The Trump Administration is restricting new electricity supply from being built
- When demand goes up and supply goes down, you pay more for electricity.
- AI is driving electricity demand up
- The Trump Administration is restricting new electricity supply from being built
- When demand goes up and supply goes down, you pay more for electricity.
Breaking News: The Trump administration ordered construction to stop on a $4 billion wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island that has already mostly been built.
Trump Administration Orders Work Halted on Wind Farm That Is Nearly Built
The order to stop construction on Revolution Wind off the coast of Rhode Island is part of a campaign against renewable energy.
nyti.ms
August 23, 2025 at 1:27 AM
It’s pretty simple:
- AI is driving electricity demand up
- The Trump Administration is restricting new electricity supply from being built
- When demand goes up and supply goes down, you pay more for electricity.
- AI is driving electricity demand up
- The Trump Administration is restricting new electricity supply from being built
- When demand goes up and supply goes down, you pay more for electricity.
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
I'll say it a thousand times -- any account of the past that only celebrates the good parts of a nation without reckoning with the bad is not what we call "history"
It is propaganda, pure and simple.
It is propaganda, pure and simple.
You can't teach U.S. history without "divisive" narratives. Slavery wasn't "unifying." The Japanese incarceration wasn't "unifying." The anti-immigrant Operation Wetback (real name) wasn't "unifying."
It's history's job to tell the truth, not cover up past racism to pave the way for future racism.
It's history's job to tell the truth, not cover up past racism to pave the way for future racism.
White House Announces Comprehensive Review of Smithsonian Exhibitions
www.nytimes.com
August 12, 2025 at 10:29 PM
I'll say it a thousand times -- any account of the past that only celebrates the good parts of a nation without reckoning with the bad is not what we call "history"
It is propaganda, pure and simple.
It is propaganda, pure and simple.
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
Just going to reiterate that in 2016 Trump inherited the lowest murder rate of any president in 50 years. He set reality aside, gave his “American Carnage” inaugural address, and was then the first president in 30 years to leave office with a higher murder rate than when he started.
...Voters really, really care about controlling immigration and crime. They just do. And if voters don’t think Democrats will take those issues seriously, they elect a garbage human like Trump who will seize the opportunity to expand his own power.
August 12, 2025 at 12:16 AM
Just going to reiterate that in 2016 Trump inherited the lowest murder rate of any president in 50 years. He set reality aside, gave his “American Carnage” inaugural address, and was then the first president in 30 years to leave office with a higher murder rate than when he started.
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
“But growing evidence suggests that the electricity bills of some Americans are rising to subsidize the massive energy needs of Big Tech…”
As electric bills rise, evidence mounts that data centers share blame. States feel pressure to act
Amid rising electric bills, states are under pressure to insulate regular household and business ratepayers from the costs of feeding Big Tech’s energy-hungry data centers.
apnews.com
August 10, 2025 at 9:01 PM
“But growing evidence suggests that the electricity bills of some Americans are rising to subsidize the massive energy needs of Big Tech…”
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
It’s hard to find a trend in the electricity system right now that *doesn’t* point to near-term rate hikes if not a broad affordability crisis. That’s a serious problem for climate policy, but also the American economy writ large. I wrote about it: heatmap.news/politics/ele...
July 23, 2025 at 11:30 PM
It’s hard to find a trend in the electricity system right now that *doesn’t* point to near-term rate hikes if not a broad affordability crisis. That’s a serious problem for climate policy, but also the American economy writ large. I wrote about it: heatmap.news/politics/ele...
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
Household energy bills in some Republican-leaning states could rise by more than $600 every year, analysis of the so-called "big, beautiful bill" finds.
Trump promised to lower energy costs – his tax bill will raise them for people in red states the most
www.theguardian.com
July 14, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Household energy bills in some Republican-leaning states could rise by more than $600 every year, analysis of the so-called "big, beautiful bill" finds.
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
This is a staggering amount of money. It’s bigger than the Department of Transportation spending on all infrastructure. It’s bigger than all of the federal R&D done for both the military and all federal science agencies. Disgusting.
Where we are as a country:
"The funding in the bill will make ICE the largest jailer in the world, with $200 billion at their disposal."
newrepublic.com/article/1975...
"The funding in the bill will make ICE the largest jailer in the world, with $200 billion at their disposal."
newrepublic.com/article/1975...
The Grand Opening of an American Concentration Camp
The Republicans are proudly calling it “Alligator Alcatraz.” Let’s call it what it is.
newrepublic.com
July 2, 2025 at 12:21 PM
This is a staggering amount of money. It’s bigger than the Department of Transportation spending on all infrastructure. It’s bigger than all of the federal R&D done for both the military and all federal science agencies. Disgusting.
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
One of my great theories of history is that in 1865 and 1945, the winners of certain wars didn’t do the right thing and we are continuing to reap the consequences of that.
Florida Republicans are now selling concentration camp merch.
Absolutely vile and indefensibly repugnant.
Absolutely vile and indefensibly repugnant.
June 29, 2025 at 10:04 PM
One of my great theories of history is that in 1865 and 1945, the winners of certain wars didn’t do the right thing and we are continuing to reap the consequences of that.
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
This is their idea of a “free” market: Big government taxing clean and cheap sources of energy out of existence.
Call your representatives and senators and ask them why they want to destroy a booming American industry, raise your electricity bills, and add more pollution to our air and water.
Call your representatives and senators and ask them why they want to destroy a booming American industry, raise your electricity bills, and add more pollution to our air and water.
June 29, 2025 at 6:41 PM
This is their idea of a “free” market: Big government taxing clean and cheap sources of energy out of existence.
Call your representatives and senators and ask them why they want to destroy a booming American industry, raise your electricity bills, and add more pollution to our air and water.
Call your representatives and senators and ask them why they want to destroy a booming American industry, raise your electricity bills, and add more pollution to our air and water.
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
Trump said you can measure a presidency by the wars you avoid, and for once he was right. Saturday's Iran bombing was the exclamation point on his abject failure
Trump is copying dictators from Mussolini to Putin in seeking glory through pointless war. My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/dona...
Trump is copying dictators from Mussolini to Putin in seeking glory through pointless war. My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/dona...
A mad king’s pointless war is where Donald Trump was always heading
There is no legal or moral justification for Donald Trump's bomb strike on Iran, just the ego of an increasingly delusional president.
www.inquirer.com
June 22, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Trump said you can measure a presidency by the wars you avoid, and for once he was right. Saturday's Iran bombing was the exclamation point on his abject failure
Trump is copying dictators from Mussolini to Putin in seeking glory through pointless war. My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/dona...
Trump is copying dictators from Mussolini to Putin in seeking glory through pointless war. My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/dona...
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
it’s even more demoralizing when the history you’re repeating is history you were around for the first time
June 22, 2025 at 1:44 AM
it’s even more demoralizing when the history you’re repeating is history you were around for the first time
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
COMMENTARY: It takes a great country to admit its mistakes. The Trump administration's new signs at Colorado's National Historic Sites reflect weakness and insecurity.
June 20, 2025 at 1:50 AM
COMMENTARY: It takes a great country to admit its mistakes. The Trump administration's new signs at Colorado's National Historic Sites reflect weakness and insecurity.
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
This year the American Society of Civil Engineers put out a report card and for the first time since 1998, America had no D- categories in infrastructure. We finally spent four years investing in local communities, building new manufacturing, making our lives easier. No more, we have lost momentum.
2025 Infrastructure Report Card | ASCE's 2025 Infrastructure Report Card
infrastructurereportcard.org
June 16, 2025 at 12:01 PM
This year the American Society of Civil Engineers put out a report card and for the first time since 1998, America had no D- categories in infrastructure. We finally spent four years investing in local communities, building new manufacturing, making our lives easier. No more, we have lost momentum.
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
“A deranged maniac impersonated a police officer and killed lawmakers but if you’re an immigrant be sure you immediately comply with plain clothes people who won’t identify themselves telling you to get in a van”, what a fuckin country
June 14, 2025 at 4:33 PM
“A deranged maniac impersonated a police officer and killed lawmakers but if you’re an immigrant be sure you immediately comply with plain clothes people who won’t identify themselves telling you to get in a van”, what a fuckin country
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
not enough said about how, by turning the national government against states on the basis of ordinary political disagreement, trump is undermining the idea that the union is worthwhile. www.cnn.com/2025/06/06/p...
Trump preparing large-scale cancellation of federal funding for California, sources say | CNN Politics
The Trump administration is preparing to cancel a large swath of federal funding to California, an effort which could begin as soon as Friday, according to multiple sources.
www.cnn.com
June 6, 2025 at 9:40 PM
not enough said about how, by turning the national government against states on the basis of ordinary political disagreement, trump is undermining the idea that the union is worthwhile. www.cnn.com/2025/06/06/p...
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
“The group estimated that reducing the operating budget by $900 million, as the Trump administration wants to do, would require closing 350 of the 433 parks, monuments, historic sites and other locations overseen by the Park Service… we would be witnessing the dismantling of a century-old system”
Opinion | Is This the Beginning of the End of America’s National Parks?
www.nytimes.com
June 2, 2025 at 1:32 AM
“The group estimated that reducing the operating budget by $900 million, as the Trump administration wants to do, would require closing 350 of the 433 parks, monuments, historic sites and other locations overseen by the Park Service… we would be witnessing the dismantling of a century-old system”
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
Seven County (NEPA) decision, with a helpful concurrence explaining the relationship between the agency’s organic decision making statute and the scope of required NEPA review:
www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...
www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...
www.supremecourt.gov
May 29, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Seven County (NEPA) decision, with a helpful concurrence explaining the relationship between the agency’s organic decision making statute and the scope of required NEPA review:
www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...
www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
The country is about to trade away global leadership on clean energy and advanced technology and health science and literal food for hungry kids, for what, a tax cut for some super rich folks? This deal sucks.
May 22, 2025 at 1:54 AM
The country is about to trade away global leadership on clean energy and advanced technology and health science and literal food for hungry kids, for what, a tax cut for some super rich folks? This deal sucks.
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
The latest Republican plan is killing all clean energy projects *60 days* after their terrible law is enacted. Hard to believe, but the bill got worse... If it passes the Senate, it will jack up energy bills across the country and put hundreds of thousands of people out of work.
May 22, 2025 at 2:01 AM
The latest Republican plan is killing all clean energy projects *60 days* after their terrible law is enacted. Hard to believe, but the bill got worse... If it passes the Senate, it will jack up energy bills across the country and put hundreds of thousands of people out of work.
Reposted by Amanda Drennen
JUST IN: Pittsburgh voters have approved a ballot that bans the city from privatizing the local water and sewers system.
The measure passed by a very large margin.
This was one of my guide of the main races to watch today: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...
The measure passed by a very large margin.
This was one of my guide of the main races to watch today: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...
May 21, 2025 at 2:43 AM
JUST IN: Pittsburgh voters have approved a ballot that bans the city from privatizing the local water and sewers system.
The measure passed by a very large margin.
This was one of my guide of the main races to watch today: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...
The measure passed by a very large margin.
This was one of my guide of the main races to watch today: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...