Clean Energy Tax Credit Cutoff Drives Project Rush With Prices Set To Soar

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Clean Energy Tax Credit Cutoff Drives Project Rush With Prices Set To Soar (Maria)

The author writes, “U.S. solar developers have secured federal subsidies for a wave ​of projects large enough to nearly double current capacity, rushing to beat a July 4 deadline that could send renewable power costs sharply ‌higher. The projections reflect the loss of valuable renewable energy tax credits worth at least 30% of project costs, a change that threatens to raise U.S. energy prices amid surging demand driven by artificial intelligence.” 

The War on Iran Has Made the Rich Even Richer (Dana)

From Jacobin: “Over 50% of the profits from recent oil supply shocks went to the top 1% of Americans. The bottom half received just 1%. The Iran war likely triggered another massive transfer to the very richest.” 

The ‘Papers, Please’ Era of the Internet Will Decimate Your Privacy (Bethany)

The author writes, “Imagine your favorite team just scored an incredible, last-second goal at the World Cup. So you log online to celebrate with other fans. But, using data it’s already collected on you, the social media platform you like to post on wrongly guesses that you’re under 16 so it forces you to go to a third-party verification app and provide images of your face or your government-issued ID. You don’t really know much about the verification app, what country it’s based out of, what happens with your information, and whether you’re protected from hackers or data breaches. You’re not happy about it, but you hand over a photo of your passport and hope it doesn’t come back to haunt you.”

WA’s Rich Are Leaving? Another Tax on Wealth Smashes Records (Reader Steve)

The author writes, “That conundrum that keeps happening with the rich is happening again. They are said to be leaving this state. Yet collections for a tax on wealth have smashed records — again. For all the attention on this subject, Washington state has only one new wealth-related levy up and running (a new income tax is still two years away). But the capital gains tax debuted in 2023. It taxes not extreme wealth but profits made from selling assets, mostly stocks (real estate sales are excluded).”

Poll: Americans Believe They Aren’t Being Taught Enough About Democracy (Al)

From NBC News: “A new NBC News poll shows that Americans remain committed to the nation’s founding ideals — but widely feel that schools are not adequately teaching what’s needed to sustain them.” 

Are Crows Really Our Friends? (Laura)

From Audubon: “When my family and I visited my sister Annie in California last summer, I was excited to see her new house — but more excited to meet a neighbor she’d told me a lot about. Despite being a frequent visitor, the neighbor didn’t make an appearance at first; maybe he was spooked by my clamorous kids. A couple of days later, though, I came face-to-beak with Sal in a narrow side yard. Looking above the succulents and wildflowers, Sal met my gaze with an air of appraisal so frank that, coming from a person, it would have been rude. Then the glossy black American Crow flew away. Annie first met Sal in early 2024, soon after she and her partner, Jack, moved into their house. She was removing old landscaping fabric when a crow landed on the fence and looked at her curiously. She pointed to where the lifted tarp had exposed fresh soil and was intrigued when the bird swooped down and grabbed a worm. ‘It seemed like Sal understood,’ she says.”