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The US Sets Record Energy Production in 2025

William Attardi on May 14, 2026

Total energy production in the United States increased to a new record of 107 quadrillion British thermal units (quads) in 2025, a 3.4% increase from the previous record set in 2024, according to new data in the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest Monthly Energy Review. Total production was driven by record-high production in natural gas, crude oil, natural gas plant liquids (NGPLs), and renewables. This was the fourth consecutive year in which the United States set a record for total energy production. Coal accounted for 10% of domestic energy production in 2025. The US Sets Record Energy Production in 2025 – tEDmag

U.S. Reaches Trade Deal with Europe

William Attardi on July 27, 2025

The European Union and the United States agreed on Sunday to a broad-brush trade deal that sets a 15 percent tariff on most goods, including cars. In addition:

  • The European Union had agreed to purchase $750 billion of American energy
  • EU to increase its investment in the United States by more than $600 billion above current levels.
  • EU would buy military equipment
  • No tariffs would be imposed on some goods.

The agreement will “rebalance, but enable trade on both sides,” Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission said. The European Union last year accounted for nearly $610 billion of the $3.3 trillion in goods imported by the United States.

U.S. Reaches Trade Deal With Europe – The New York Times

U.S. and Israel Pledge to Work Together to Unleash AI Innovation

William Attardi on July 16, 2025

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)  highlights the transformative potential of AI to improve the security and resilience of America and Israel’s energy systems. The two countries further announced their intent to pursue cooperation in areas including analyzing the impact of rising energy demand due to data centers, opportunities for grid optimization, enhanced AI-enabled cybersecurity tools, sharing best practices on the use of AI in energy infrastructure, and the launching of bilateral pilot projects. U.S. and Israel Pledge to Work Together to Unleash AI Innovation – electrifiED

Energy Secretary Announces Updated NEPA Procedures

William Attardi on July 3, 2025

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced new updates to the Department’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) procedures. As part of a government-wide effort to restore common sense to permitting, DOE published an interim final rule rescinding all NEPA regulations and published new NEPA guidance procedures for the Department of Energy. The Council on Environmental Quality coordinated a historic, interagency effort to simplify NEPA compliance, lower construction costs, eliminate years-long delays, and ensure environmental reviews can no longer be used to stall American energy production and infrastructure development. This action fulfils President Trump’s Executive Order 14154, Unleashing American Energy, and implements reforms enacted by Congress under the 2023 BUILDER Act.  These reforms will enable the deployment of more efficient technologies and the better environmental outcomes that they provide.  Energy Secretary Announces Updated NEPA Procedures – electrifiED

US, Saudi Arabia Agree on Energy & Critical Mineral Deals

William Attardi on May 19, 2025

The MOU also highlights the intent to collaborate in various fields including petroleum refining and refined products trading, electricity generation technologies and energy storage systems, and artificial intelligence projects to accelerate deployment of energy-driven innovations. The two sides also outlined areas for cooperation on civil nuclear energy, including safety, security, and nonproliferation programs; vocational training and workforce development; U.S. Generation III+ advanced large reactor technologies and small modular reactors; uranium exploration, mining, and milling; and safe and secure nuclear waste disposal.  The signings coincided with President Trump’s announcement that he secured a $600 billion investment commitment from Saudi Arabia.  US, Saudi Arabia Agree on Energy & Critical Mineral Deals – electrifiED

Energy Department Proposes to Cut 47 Rules in ‘Largest Deregulatory Effort in History’ by Rachel Frazin

William Attardi on May 13, 2025

 The Energy Department plans to ax a long list of efficiency regulations, including those pertaining to stoves, ovens, showerheads, clothes washers, dishwashers and microwaves. The rules also apply to a smattering of other policies ranging for guidelines under which the department buys oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to nondiscrimination requirements for grant recipients. Energy Department proposes to cut 47 rules in ‘largest deregulatory effort in history’

Schneider Electric to Invest Over $700 Million in the U.S.

William Attardi on March 26, 2025

 The company’s investments support the country’s focus on bolstering the nation’s energy infrastructure to power AI growth, boost domestic manufacturing, and strengthen energy security. The investment is the largest planned single capital expenditure commitment by Schneider Electric in its 135+ year history. It includes manufacturing expansions and job growth, reflecting the company’s robust customer demand for solutions to increase energy efficiency, scale industrial automation, and deliver a more reliable grid. Coupled with previous investments in 2023 and 2024 to strengthen its North American supply chain, Schneider Electric’s latest U.S. planned investment will surpass $1 billion so far this decade. This new planned investment is expected to create over 1,000 new jobs and help Schneider Electric continue to play a leading role in shaping a more innovative, affordable, and energy-efficient future in the U.S. Schneider Electric to Invest Over $700 Million in the U.S. – tEDmag 

GE Vernova Outlines $600M US Expansion

William Attardi on January 31, 2025

GE Vernova Inc. outlined a capital investment program for U.S. manufacturing and development operations totaling close to $600 million through 2027. It projected the investments would address issues involving energy affordability, national security, and manufacturing growth, and would prompt the creation of more than 1,500 new jobs. GE Vernova, which is the former General Electric portfolio of businesses that manufacture industrial and alternative energy systems, pegged the new U.S. investments as part of its broader, $9-billion global capital investment and research program. Among the planned U.S. investments:

  • Greenville, SC ($160 million)
  • Niskayuna, NY ($100 million)
  • Parsippany, NJ, Bangor, ME, Schenectady, NY ($50 million each)
  • Clearwater, FL, Charleroi, PA ($20 million each)
  • Also Pensacola, Grand Forks, Amarillo, Wilmington, Pittsburgh

Energy Giant Outlines $600M US Expansion | GE Vernova | American Machinist

Remembering the Solemn Purpose of Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States observed on the last Monday in May to honor and mourn U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces. The holiday traces its roots to the years immediately following the American Civil War (1861–1865), which caused massive casualties—roughly 620,000 soldiers dead, about 2% of the U.S. population at the time. Communities across the North and South began spontaneously decorating the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers, wreaths, and flags, a practice that gave rise to the original name: Decoration Day. On May 5, 1868, Major General John A. Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)—a powerful Union veterans’ organization—issued General Order No. 11. This proclaimed May 30, 1868, as a nationwide “Decoration Day” to honor those who died in the Civil War. After World War I, the holiday expanded to honor all American service members who died in any war, not just the Civil War.  In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act to create more three-day weekends for federal employees. This moved Memorial Day to the last Monday in May, effective in 1971, when it was also officially named “Memorial Day.” As one 1868 quote put it: “That Nation which respects and honors its dead, shall ever be respected and honored itself.”