Meet the GOP leaders in charge of critical House environmental committees
The US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.
Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Following the midterm elections in November, President Joe Biden faces a GOP-controlled House of Representatives largely opposed to the administration’s climate change and clean energy policies and efforts to curb the country’s dependence on fossil fuel production.
Although Republicans have a slim majority in the House, newly GOP-led committees have started to launch oversight of the administration’s climate agenda and have unveiled legislation aimed to maintain or increase fossil fuel production.
It’s unlikely that Republicans will advance major legislation to the president’s desk, but they will conduct oversight hearings on climate and energy legislation and attempt to redirect funding for climate programs under the historic Inflation Reduction Act.
Meet the three Republicans who are now leading key House environmental and climate committees:
Bruce Westerman, chair of House Committee on Natural Resources
Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., speaks during a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center on the Save Our Sequoias Act, that aims to protect the trees from wildfires on Thursday, June 23, 2022.
Tom Williams | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
House Republicans selected Westerman to lead the committee that oversees the Interior Department and the Forest Service and plays a role in dictating policy on issues like mineral resources, wildlife conservation, mining and irrigation.
Westerman, a representative for Arkansas’s fourth congressional district, has a background in engineering and is a licensed forester. He’s argued the country should focus on advancing technology such as nuclear power and carbon sequestration to address climate change, rather than aggressively limiting the country’s fossil fuel production. He’s also introduced legislation to plant 1 trillion trees globally by 2050 in order to pull carbon out of the atmosphere.
As the Natural Resources Committee chair, Westerman said he would focus on conducting oversight of the Interior Department’s proposed five-year plan for new offshore oil and gas leases in federal waters. The proposal would block all new drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans within U.S. waters but allow some lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and the south coast of Alaska.
“We’re going to be using a lot of oil and gas for the foreseeable future,” Westerman said in a phone interview with CNBC. “Under this administration, they have attacked U.S. production on federal land. That is bad policy, it’s not following the law, and we plan to have oversight.”
Westerman also said he’s open to working with West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a conservative Democrat, on bipartisan permitting reforms for the country’s energy projects. Such legislation includes Westerman’s Building U.S. Infrastructure through Limited Delays and Efficient Reviews (BUILDER) Act, which aims to speed up the review process for energy projects under the National Environmental Policy Act.
“I’ve spoken to Manchin a couple of times — he is willing to work on common sense solutions,” Westerman said.
While the Natural Resources Committee is one of the most influential panels for environmental and climate policy, the GOP’s agenda will likely be limited by the Biden administration and the Democratic Senate.
Domestic critical mineral production could be an area where Democrats and Republicans might work together. Westerman has called for expanding mining to collect minerals necessary for electric vehicles and other clean energy sources, like lithium, copper, cobalt and nickel, arguing that doing so will boost U.S. energy security and limit the country’s dependence on Chinese supply chains.
But Westerman has also emphasized that the U.S. is focusing too much on EV production as a climate solution and has opposed curbing fossil fuel development, both of which are key components of the Biden administration’s climate agenda.
“We need a realistic approach to energy and the environment to address climate issues,” he said. “I want to focus on policies and programs that actually work.”
Cathy McMorris Rodgers, chair of House Committee on Energy and Commerce
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) during a House Energy and Commerce Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill on April 2, 2019 in Washington, DC.
Zach Gibson | Getty Images
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who represents the fifth district of Washington state, is leading the committee at the center of GOP plans to pass energy legislation and conduct oversight of the president’s climate agenda.
Rodgers, who opposed the president’s Inflation Reduction Act, has argued that Democrats are moving forward with the clean energy transition too quickly, making the country more reliant on China for technology like solar panels and EV batteries.
She’s introduced legislation that would limit the drawdown of petroleum in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve until the Energy Department develops a plan to increase the percentage of federal lands leased for oil and gas production.
As the Energy and Commerce Committee chair, Rodgers has supported oversight plans that involve investigating climate spending under the IRA as well as legislative plans focused on streamlining permitting to modernize energy infrastructure and promoting carbon capture, nuclear power, natural gas and hydropower.
For instance, Rogers has highlighted concerns over a Department of Energy loan program aimed to advance clean energy technology not yet funded by the private sector. The program will be expanded under the IRA.
“The Energy and Commerce Committee is at the center of solving the most important issues facing hardworking Americans – lowering costs, promoting free speech, and preserving free markets,” Rodgers said in a statement.
Earlier this month, the committee reviewed 17 energy bills, including those that would boost mining and oil and gas drilling, curb taxes on the fossil fuel industry and roll back climate provisions under the IRA.
The actions include repealing the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, a $27 billion dollar program designed to finance energy saving projects, as well as eliminating the IRA’s Methane Emission Reduction Program, which imposes a federal fee on methane emissions from the oil and gas sector.
It’s unlikely, however, that Republicans will have success changing or repealing climate programs under the IRA, since the president has the authority to veto congressional efforts to change climate spending provisions.
Frank Lucas, chair of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee
Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, is interviewed by CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images in his Rayburn Building office on Thursday, January 26, 2023.
Tom Williams | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
Rep. Frank Lucas, a fifth-generation Oklahoman who operates a farm and cattle ranch, is the new chair of the committee that has jurisdiction over key federal scientific research and development as well as authority over research activities at agencies like the Department of Energy, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Weather Service and the EPA.
Lucas has said the committee would focus on issues including securing the supply chain for advanced technologies, renewing U.S. leadership in space and aeronautics and researching ways to make domestic energy cleaner.
“We’ll be focusing on promoting innovative technologies to facilitate our clean energy transition,” Lucas told CNBC. “Our goal is to make American energy cleaner, more affordable and more reliable. So every energy source and technology pathway is on the table in our effort to reduce emissions.”
Lucas has introduced legislation that would make the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — the agency that forecasts weather, monitors storms and researches climate change impacts — an independent agency rather than a part of the Commerce Department. The bill would require Democrats’ support to pass.
Lucas said the committee would also conduct “robust oversight” of the spending being distributed to advance the country’s clean energy sector.
“We’ll focus on helping fossil fuels become cleaner and more efficient now, investing in battery storage and other tools to make renewable sources like wind and solar energy more reliable and supporting advanced technologies for nuclear and hydrogen,” Lucas said.
The previous chair of the committee, the now-retired Lamar Smith, R-Texas, had repeatedly questioned the science of climate change and accused federal researchers of manipulating climate research.
In contrast, Lucas has acknowledged the threat of disasters like drought and heatwaves that are growing worse with climate change, but has resisted the idea of curbing fossil fuel production to address the problem.
What seemed like a too-good-to-be-true opportunity in micromobility has turned into a cautionary tale. The Lightning Shared Scooter Company (LSSC) lured investors with promises of leasing scooters in Asia, offering hefty daily returns to Western investors – often average folks instead of seasoned investors. But now regulators and watchdogs warn it was all a well‑orchestrated scam, leaving victims robbed of millions.
The pitch: Easy money, powered by scooters?
From the start, LSSC presented itself as a legitimate shared-scooter rental company with high demand and even higher returns. Investors were told they’d lease scooters, watch them get deployed in bustling Asian cities, and collect reliable daily pay‑outs. The company sold a dream of passive income from a booming market of micromobility. But in reality, it was all smoke and mirrors.
In theory, as the e-scooters were rented and ridden, the investors would earn money from those scooters. In practice, fake revenue stacked up in the app but couldn’t actually be withdrawn. Making matters worse, the scam relied on its victims also roping in friends, family, or other potential “investors”, functioning much like a pyramid scheme.
To appear legitimate, the company circulated an official-looking SEC certificate, though NBC News reported that upon inspection, the document was riddled with typos, grammatical errors, and other flaws that any due diligence process should have caught.
Countless Americans fell for it, along with the company’s shiny marketing materials and supposed celebrity endorsements. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), LSSC’s victims often invested anywhere between $1,000 to a staggering $55,000. And this devastation wasn’t isolated; claims span at least 17 US states.
With mounting complaints piling up, the BBB has issued public warnings to anyone who might be approached by LSSC or similar schemes masquerading as shared-mobility ventures.
The scooter industry has been both glorified and maligned in recent years, from legitimate startups redefining urban transit to watchdogs cracking down on mismanagement and faulty batteries. What’s particularly concerning here is that LSSC weaponized well-known industry tropes: scooter popularity, micromobility returns, and a “global venture” to build credibility.
Ultimately, the Lightning Shared Scooter fiasco reads like a modern-day cautionary fable for investors: brand new names, global promises, and passive-income allure can be the perfect ingredients for fraud.
Micromobility is a bright, evolving industry, and one worth supporting, innovating, and investing in. But as this shadowy tale shows, even in our electric future, scams still require old-fashioned skepticism. So if you’re ever asked to “invest in scooters” – especially in far-off markets – pause, ask tough questions, and remember: not every opportunity is what it seems. And if a “business opportunity” requires signing up your friends and family, run for the hills. Or better yet, scoot there!
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The Anthbot Genie 3000 brings automated mowing tech to your backyard without the need for old-fashioned perimeter wires. It has GPS-grade precision and AI-powered vision, and I got to check out how well it works. With a mix of impressive strengths and a few growing pains, it’s a compelling entrant in the smart‑lawn space worth a closer look.
Setup and specs
There are a few models in the lineup, ranging from $699 to $1,399. I was testing the larger battery version since my parents have some land, and the extra battery makes quicker work of larger plots.
Unboxing the Genie, you’ll find the mower, charging base, RTK GPS station with pole (the mushroom-looking thing), power cables, spare blades, tools, and a quick‑start guide. Unlike some electronics I’ve set up, the quick start guide was actually really well laid out and useful.
The three models in the Genie line:
- 600 – up to ~600 m² (0.22 acres)
- 1000 – up to ~2,000 m² (0.49 acres)
- 3000 – up to ~3,600 m² (0.89 acres)
The 3000 bumps up the battery to 10 Ah, but they all share the same core specs: a 20 cm (7.9 “) cutting width, adjustable electric deck height (30–70 mm or 1.25 to 2.75 inches), IPX6 waterproofing, and the ability to handle steep slopes, though my Florida testing didn’t exactly put the hill-climbing claims to the test.
Navigation and mapping
This is where the Genie shines. The combo of full‑band RTK GPS plus four AI‑driven cameras enables wire‑free navigation. That means no boundary cables, freeing the mower from the biggest problem with old-fashioned alternatives. Instead, GPS-based boundaries set the limits and your mower is free to do its thing without worrying about a boundary wire breaking one day and your mower making a run for the county line.
Mowing occurs in mostly clean, straight lines, avoiding the chaotic randomness older robot mowers often exhibited. It did seem to have a few areas where it missed on the first run, though it actually went back and got them (mostly), and that got better on subsequent mowing sessions.
Obstacle avoidance is solid. Within its 300° camera field, it claims to detect upwards of 1,000 common objects, sidestepping everything from garden hoses to pets. For me, the occasional potted plant or other obstruction in the yard was pretty easy for the robot to spot.
There are even headlights that seemed quite bright at night (and the very quiet electric mowing meant that it doesn’t disturb anyone when mowing at night).
App and smart features
The Genie app is used for setup and lets you define many different mowing zones, draw no‑go zones, tweak cutting height, schedule operations, and monitor battery and progress live, even when you’re away. During setup, I did find that I had to move the mower closer to my router for it to successfully update its firmware, but afterwards it was fine just stealing some signal that leaked out the walls of the house. I guess for the bigger download, it wanted the stronger signal closer to the router.
There are also anti‑theft features, including device‑binding to your Wi‑Fi and account, and a PIN lock so that someone else can’t just take and use your robot. That may be a concern if you live in an area with lots of neighbors, but out in the boonies, I don’t think anyone is looking for robo-mowers.
Performance and real-world use
The first thing that impressed me about the Genie is how quiet it is. They say it runs at about 58–66 dB, whisper-quiet under normal conditions. You can literally hear the individual grass blades being cut – something I’ve never heard before in all my gasoline-powered mowing years.
The battery seems to last for around 450 to 500 m2 of mowing, or around 3-4 hours, depending on how thick the grass is in that section. Then it returns home to recharge and starts up again where it left off. The mowing width might seem hilariously narrow, just 7.9 inches. But since you’re not actually the one mowing, it doesn’t really matter. My robotic vacuum also has a very narrow vacuum width, but I’m not the one walking around vacuuming, so what do I care? The passes all seem straight and good-looking, so you still get the nice lawn stripes look, though they’re a bit narrower.
The robot performs quite well, and it fulfills my goal which was to make it easier on my 70-year-old parents. It’s not perfect at edging, but if my dad can do 3 minutes of cleaning up along the fence line once in a while instead of an hour of lawn mowing, that’s a major improvement for him.
I don’t know how long these little razor-style blades will last, though they’re pretty cheap and easy to swap out. And I do wish the company made the cable longer between the RTK mushroom and the mower’s base station, so you can get the RTK out a bit further if you need it, but I found a spot that seemed to work for optimal signal for me.
I would say that the Genie 3000 is great for anyone who wants an easy setup process and wire-free operation. There’s no boundary wire to install or to check for breaks. It just works (as long as you have a clear view to the sky for the satellites). But if you’re trying to mow several acres, this little guy probably isn’t the one for you. Anything up to around 3/4 of an acre is where it will shine.
Now I just need to find something that can handle several acres in the pasture behind the backyard…
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A new review of US Energy Information Administration (EIA) data by the SUN DAY Campaign reveals that solar delivered almost 9% of US electricity in the first half of 2025. Wind and solar combined produced just over one-fifth of the country’s electricity, while renewables as a whole hit nearly 28%.
Solar’s record-breaking growth
EIA’s latest monthly Electric Power Monthly report (with data through June 30, 2025) confirms that solar kept its streak as the fastest-growing major source of US electricity. In June 2025 alone, solar soared. Utility-scale solar power plants cranked out 30.1% more electricity than in June 2024, while rooftop and other small-scale solar systems grew by 10.5%. Combined, solar generation jumped 25% year-over-year and made up 10.2% of US electricity that month.
Looking at the first six months of 2025, utility-scale solar expanded by 37.6%, and small-scale systems rose 10.7%. Together, they grew nearly one-third (29.7%) compared to the same period in 2024. That meant solar provided 8.7% of all US electricity in January-June, up from 6.9% the year before.
That’s a milestone: Solar is now producing almost 45% more electricity than hydropower (6.0%), and it’s generating more than hydropower, biomass, and geothermal combined.
Wind is still a front-runner
Wind turbines supplied 11.6% of US electricity in the first half of 2025 — a 2.4% boost compared to the same time in 2024. Wind’s output was almost double hydropower’s contribution.
Wind + solar are beating coal and nuclear
Together, wind and solar accounted for 20.3% of total US electricity in the first half of 2025, up from 18.6% last year. That’s a bigger share than coal or nuclear. In fact, wind and solar generated 25% more electricity than coal and 15.6% more than nuclear over the same period.
Renewables overall are surging
All renewable sources combined – wind, solar, hydropower, biomass, and geothermal – generated 27.7% of US electricity from January through June 2025, up from 26.1% a year ago. Their output grew three times faster than total US electricity generation overall (9.2% vs. 3.0%). Renewables are now second only to natural gas, whose generation actually dropped 3.7% in the first half of the year.
Ken Bossong, executive director of the SUN DAY Campaign, added that this growth happened before the passage of the Trump/Republican “megabill,” which could slow future renewable expansion. “Nonetheless, EIA notes that US developers expect half of new electric generating capacity to come from solar in 2025 and another 13% from wind.”
Read more: EIA: Solar outproduced wind for the first time ever in May
The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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