DOE awards $1.2 million in geothermal grant phase 

The Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Division of the Department of Energy is preparing to award $1.2 million to eight organizations in Phase 2 of a plan to accelerate training and subsequent hiring for more geothermal heat pump work. 

A three-phase award is creating regional partnerships to create jobs in shallow drilling and geothermal heat exchange systems. In this phase, eight teams will receive $150,000 each to create workforce development programs that then will be launched in a final phase of the program. More on the program and the organizations taking part can be found on the DOE’s website. 

“A strong, skilled workforce is essential to increasing the use of geothermal energy,” said Curt Coccodrilli, the acting assistant secretary for the Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office. “By meeting the need for workers trained in shallow drilling, this prize is helping to advance President Trump's America First Energy Agenda and expand the range of affordable options available to American consumers.”

Ohio’s doubt in data centers rise

The Buckeye State has become one of the top places in the nation for data center development, which has seen a spur in business with every industry responsible for constructing and maintaining them. 

At least that’s the thought, but some experts suggest that development isn’t matching the projections that are causing utility costs to rise for consumers. Because utilities typically base their projections on future demand, a report from Canary Media, says that forecasts have skyrocketed due to the early anticipation of data center projects.

“We have watched projected demand become the justification for enormous spending, record capacity costs, and increasingly urgent claims about grid reliability,” Brad Belden, board chair of the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association Energy Group, said at its annual energy conference on Aug. 27, according to the report. “‘Reliability’ cannot become the magic word that ends every conversation about cost.”

With 100 data centers already up and running in the state, and 150 more expected, here’s what experts are saying and how it could affect other states. 

EPA awards first Good Samaritan clean up

The Environmental Protection Agency just released its first-ever grant given to a local company to remediate environmental waste caused by mining. The remediation permit was given to Washington-based Trout Unlimited to clean up the Bodie Mine site in Okanogan County, Washington. 

It’s the first of 15 pilot projects under a program to clean up mine tailings and other contamination at abandoned hard rock mines that can flow into nearby waterways. In this particular case, according to an EPA release, Trout will clean up mine tailings that threaten running into a nearby creek, in addition to a rebuild of a streambank to prevent erosion and restore the creek’s natural habitat. 

“Hard rock abandoned mines are a scourge on the landscape,” said Chris Wood, president and CEO of Trout Unlimited. “No one is required to clean them up, so every day they release their toxic brew of zinc, cadmium, lead, and arsenic into our drinking water and trout streams… [hopefully these efforts] lead many more states and communities, non-profits, and yes, even mining companies, to lend a hand and make our waters more fishable and swimmable for our kids.”