Itai Vardi
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vardiitai.bsky.social
Itai Vardi
@vardiitai.bsky.social
Research manager with climate watchdog group the Energy and Policy Institute @energyandpolicy.bsky.social, keeping an eye on fossil fuel and utility interests. Tips? DM is open for Signal #
Pinned
Hey! I finally made the move here.
Reposted by Itai Vardi
Inside a plan to use AI to amplify doubts about the dangers of pollutants

- Risk analyst Tony Cox’s work has been backed by the US chemical lobby, and some health experts are alarmed

Story by @dharna.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/technology/n...
Inside a plan to use AI to amplify doubts about the dangers of pollutants
Risk analyst Tony Cox’s work has been backed by the chemical lobby, and some health experts are alarmed
www.theguardian.com
June 27, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Reposted by Itai Vardi
New: Trump officials planning to shutter well-known Energy Star program as part of larger EPA staff reorg. The program has been going since 1992 and its “the most widely recognized symbol for energy efficiency in America,” per its website. www.cnn.com/2025/05/06/c...
Trump admin plans to shut down money-saving Energy Star program soon, sources say | CNN
The Trump administration is preparing to eliminate two key Environmental Protection Agency divisions, including the Energy Star program.
www.cnn.com
May 6, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Reposted by Itai Vardi
"It's clear that he does work in the electric supplier space," @vardiitai.bsky.social told @ctmirror.org. "That's a clear conflict for him." Read the full story here: ctmirror.org/2025/03/05/p...
Senator seeking PURA nomination owns business probed by PURA
A company owned by state Sen. John Fonfara was probed by PURA last year to determine whether it needed a license to operate.
ctmirror.org
March 6, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Reposted by Itai Vardi
😳 Staff at CT's PURA once said that the guy now being considered for a Commissioner seat, who once ran a competitive retail supplier, “should not be permitted to engage with the electric supplier market or electric utility customers in any capacity in the future.” energyandpolicy.org/ct-lawmaker-...
CT Lawmaker Eyeing PURA Seat Owes Struggling Ratepayer Over $1 Million
CT Lawmaker
energyandpolicy.org
March 4, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Reposted by Itai Vardi
That quote is pretty 👀 but the whole article by @vardiitai.bsky.social is worth reading. Long-time CT legislator basically ran a scofflaw electricity supplier is now being seriously discussed to be a utility commissioner.
😳 Staff at CT's PURA once said that the guy now being considered for a Commissioner seat, who once ran a competitive retail supplier, “should not be permitted to engage with the electric supplier market or electric utility customers in any capacity in the future.” energyandpolicy.org/ct-lawmaker-...
CT Lawmaker Eyeing PURA Seat Owes Struggling Ratepayer Over $1 Million
CT Lawmaker
energyandpolicy.org
March 4, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Reposted by Itai Vardi
NEW from @vardiitai.bsky.social: CT state senator John Fonfara used to run an electric supply company that still owes over $1.1M to customers who are struggling to pay their bills. He is now a candidate for commissioner on the state's utility regulatory board. energyandpolicy.org/ct-lawmaker-...
CT Lawmaker Eyeing PURA Seat Owes Struggling Ratepayer Over $1 Million
CT Lawmaker
energyandpolicy.org
March 4, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Reposted by Itai Vardi
From @akielly.bsky.social: fossil fuel industries in the US, UK & Australia are leading campaigns to block electrification policies in buildings. A new report by @influencemap.bsky.social found laws restricting natural gas have faced major pushback from industry. grist.org/buildings/th...
The fossil fuel industry is trying to keep buildings hooked on gas. Here’s how.
Around the globe, oil and gas companies use similar strategies to fight building electrification, according to a new report.
grist.org
February 27, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Reposted by Itai Vardi
The thing people should know about this headline, which is the culmination of a year's long effort by Connecticut's investor-owned utilities to smear and unseat their hard-nosed regulator, is what happened to their stock price the moment after it dropped.
February 13, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Reposted by Itai Vardi
“This is the worst legislation like this that I’ve ever seen,” said Daniel Tait, director of the Energy and Policy Institute, a watchdog group that tracks and reviews utility legislation nationwide.

I meant it. Follow along for some of the worst provisions. 🧵

www.arkansasonline.com/news/2025/fe...
Proposed legislation would allow state utilities to bypass PSC scrutiny for big projects | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - Arkansas' Best News Source
www.arkansasonline.com
February 7, 2025 at 2:55 PM
ICYMI this scoop by @maxinejoselow.bsky.social @washingtonpost.com: A fossil fuel funded group is quietly behind the Energy Poverty Awareness Center, which claims to support minorities while pushing gas and fighting electrification www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
This group says natural gas bans hurt minorities. It has gas industry ties.
The Energy Poverty Awareness Center has ties to a group that is largely funded by fossil fuel firms, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 17, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Reposted by Itai Vardi
big scoop: i got my hands on a draft executive order ending offshore wind sent to the trump transition team

not only would it stop permits but includes a stop construction order and potentially rfk jr studying the health impacts of living near wind turbines

heatmap.news/plus/the-fig...
Scoop: The Draft Order that Offshore Wind Opponents Sent to Trump
If even only a few of these ideas are enacted, it would be a harbinger of doom for wind energy in America.
heatmap.news
January 15, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Hey! I finally made the move here.
January 15, 2025 at 10:54 PM