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The Biden administration has finalized a plan to expand solar on 31 million acres of federal lands in 11 western states.

More federal lands for solar

The proposed updated Western Solar Plan is a roadmap for Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) governance of solar energy proposals and projects on public lands.

It bumps up the acreage from the 22 million acres it recommended in January, and this plan adds five additional states – Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming – to the six states – Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah – analyzed in the original plan.

It would make the public lands available for potential solar development, putting solar farms closer to transmission lines or on previously disturbed lands and avoiding protected lands, sensitive cultural resources, and important wildlife habitats.

This announcement is part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, which the White House is working to accelerate ahead of the November election. The Investing in America agenda is a government initiative focused on boosting the US economy by investing in infrastructure, clean energy, and job creation.

BLM surpassed its goal of permitting more than 25 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy projects on public lands earlier in 2024. It’s permitted 29 GW of projects on public lands – enough to power over 12 million homes. The Biden administration set the goal to achieve 100% clean electricity on the US grid by 2035.

Ben Norris, vice president of regulatory affairs at the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) said in response to the BLM developments: 

While we’re still reviewing the details, we’re pleased to see that BLM listened to much of the solar industry’s feedback and added 11 million acres to its original proposal.

While this is a step in the right direction, fossil fuels have access to over 80 million acres of public land, 2.5 times the amount of public land available for solar.

One of the fastest ways to decarbonize our grid is to greenlight well-planned clean energy development on federal lands, and the improvements to this environmental review document will certainly help.

Electrek’s Take

The Biden administration is racing to catalyze all the clean energy projects it can between now and the November election, and the latest iteration of the Western Solar Plan is a big step. It’s designed to alleviate the permitting bottleneck of solar development on public lands while preserving protected lands and habitats. Plus, a lot more land, of course.

White House deputy chief of staff Natalie Quillian said in an interview [via Reuters]: “We’ve been really pushing ourselves to use our executive authority wherever possible to improve the federal permitting process.”

Proposed projects will still undergo site-specific environmental review and public comment, as they always should, but this is welcome news for spurring US renewables growth because we’re still not going fast enough.

Read more: The US just beat its goal to permit 25 GW of clean energy by 2025


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The new Kia EV6 GT is a 650 hp powerhouse and it’s even more affordable

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The new Kia EV6 GT is a 650 hp powerhouse and it's even more affordable

The new EV6 GT is the fastest Kia vehicle to date, packing nearly 650 horsepower. It’s quicker than a Ferrari and less than half the cost. Kia’s first electric sports car just got a big upgrade with added power, style, in-car tech, and more “GT” than ever before. And somehow, it’s even cheaper than the outgoing model in the UK.

Meet the new Kia EV6 GT, an affordable electric sports car

In 2021, Kia introduced the EV6 GT, its most powerful production vehicle ever made, boasting 576 hp. With a significant mid-life refresh, the new model takes it to the next level.

Powered by a dual-motor AWD powertrain, the new Kia EV6 GT is now capable of producing up to 650 hp (+11% from the outgoing model) and 770 Nm (+4%) max torque.

The added power is good for a 0 to 62 mph sprint in just 3.5 seconds. It’s also equipped with a new 84 kWh battery pack, 8.5% bigger than the previous EV6 GT, providing a WLTP range of up to 279 miles.

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With 800V ultra-rapid charging capabilities, the Kia EV6 refresh can recharge from 10% to 80% in as little as 18 minutes, even with the bigger battery.

Kia-new-EV6-GT
The new Kia EV6 GT (Source: Kia UK)

Kia added a few fun features, including an enhanced GT Mode, which “unleashes the full, untapped potential of the EV6” with max power and torque at the push of a button. A dedicated neon button on the steering wheel activates the new dedicated drive mode.

The new model features the popular Virtual Gear Shift, a first for a Kia vehicle. Borrowed from the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N, the feature simulates the feeling and sounds of a six-speed paddle-operated transmission.

Kia-new-EV6-GT
The new Kia EV6 GT interior (Source: Kia UK)

Kia refined the interior with “a significant overhaul,” including new materials and its next-gen infotainment system.

The new Kia connected car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC) infotainment system features dual 12.3″ navigation and driver display screens in a curved panoramic setup.

Kia-new-EV6-GT-UK
Kia EV6 GT refresh interior (Source: Kia UK)

Kia opened orders for the EV6 GT refresh in the UK on Wednesday, June 18, starting at £59,985 ($80,500), a £2,690 ($3,500) price reduction from the previous model. Deliveries in the UK will begin over the next few days.

The new EV6 GT was first launched in Korea last November, starting at 72.2 million won ($50,000). According to a Kia official, the upgraded model “will become a new standard that will change the paradigm of high-performance electric vehicles.”

The 2025 EV6 GT starts at $63,800 in the US, with up to 641 hp. That’s nearly half the cost of the Porsche Taycan 4S, which starts at $119,400. It also has a built-in NACS port, allowing you to recharge at Tesla Superchargers.

Looking to test out Kia’s electric sports car for yourself? We’ve got you covered. You can use our link to find 2025 Kia EV6 GT models in your area (trusted affiliate link).

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Pro-Israel hackers destroy $90 million in Iran crypto exchange breach, analytics firm says

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Pro-Israel hackers destroy  million in Iran crypto exchange breach, analytics firm says

Dado Ruvic | Reuters

Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Nobitex, was hacked for more than $90 million Wednesday, according to blockchain analytics firm Elliptic.

The funds were drained from platform wallets into addresses bearing anti-government messages explicitly referencing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, pointing to a politically motivated cyberattack, Elliptic said.

Pro-Israel hacking group Gonjeshke Darande, or “Predatory Sparrow,” claimed responsibility for the attack and said it would release the exchange’s source code. Elliptic said the exchange was offline at the time of its post.

Predatory Sparrow also claimed credit for a separate cyberattack on Iran’s state-owned Bank Sepah this week.

Fighting erupted between Israel and Iran on Friday and the countries have continued to trade missile fire. Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened the U.S. with “irreparable damage” Wednesday in response to President Donald Trump’s demand that the country surrender.

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Though the stolen assets have not been conclusively attributed to the group, Elliptic said the funds were sent to cryptographic addresses the hackers likely cannot control — suggesting the money was intentionally destroyed as a symbolic act rather than stolen for profit.

Elliptic’s research linked the exchange to the IRGC, a powerful branch of the military designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, United Kingdom, European Union and Canada.

Past investigations have connected the platform to sanctioned IRGC-linked ransomware operatives and individuals close to Khamenei.

Blockchain data also shows activity between the Nobitex exchange and wallets associated with Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Houthis.

Elliptic said it’s continuing to monitor virtual asset flows tied to Iranian entities and has updated its compliance tools to reflect emerging threats in the region’s crypto ecosystem.

Former Mossad analyst: The ideal outcome of the conflict should be an Iran with no nuclear program

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U.S. Steel ceases trading on the NYSE as Japan’s Nippon finalizes takeover

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U.S. Steel ceases trading on the NYSE as Japan's Nippon finalizes takeover

Rolls of steel are seen before the US president speaks during a rally at US Steel – Irvin Works in the Pittsburgh suburb of West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, on May 30, 2025.

Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images

U.S. Steel shares stopped trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday after Japan’s Nippon Steel completed its acquisition of the iconic American industrial name.

President Donald Trump has insisted for weeks that the companies would form a “partnership” in which U.S. Steel would remain American owned.

But the New York Stock Exchange notified the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday that U.S. Steel’s shares would be removed from listing, after the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Steel North America.

U.S. Steel shares stopped trading at 8:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday after Nippon completed its acquisition, according to a notice from the NYSE. The delisting will be effective on June 30, NYSE said.

Trump opposed Nippon’s bid to acquire U.S. Steel in the runup to the 2024 presidential, but he changed his mind after he took office. Trump ordered a new review of the deal in April after former President Joe Biden had blocked Nippon’s acquisition in January, citing national security concerns.

Trump announced a “partnership” between U.S. and Nippon in a May 23 post on his social media platform Truth Social, causing confusion among investors and union members about whether the structure of the original deal had changed somehow.

U.S. Steel and Nippon started adopting the president’s “partnership” language, though they never backed off from the terms of the original December 2023 merger agreement in their filings with SEC. U.S. Steel will continue to operate under its name though it will be subsidiary of Nippon.

Golden share

Trump did compel U.S. Steel and Nippon to sign a national security agreement with the U.S. government as condition for him clearing the deal.

The U.S. president will wield a “golden share” under the terms of the agreement. U.S. Steel said Wednesday that the golden share gives the president veto power over the following decisions:

  • Changing U.S. Steel’s name or moving its headquarters from Pittsburgh
  • Moving U.S. Steel outside the U.S.
  • Moving production or jobs outside the U.S.
  • Some decisions regarding the closure or idling of U.S. Steel’s domestic manufacturing facilities, trade, labor, and sourcing outside the U.S.
  • Reductions in capital investments under the national security agreement.
  • Material acquisitions of competing businesses in the U.S.

A majority of U.S. Steel’s board members and its CEO will be U.S. citizens, according to the terms of the national security agreement. Nippon also agreed that U.S. Steel will remain incorporated in the U.S.

Nippon will invest $11 billion in U.S. Steel by 2028, including $1 billion in initial spending on a greenfield project that will be completed after 2028, according to the agreement.

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