Articles by Jonathan H. Harsch

Partially offsetting today’s low commodity prices, there’s good news for farmers and the U.S. economy: By 2030, the U.S. could triple its use of “readily available non-food biomass resources from our nation’s farms, forests, and waste streams” to produce “transportation fuels, electricity, commercial products, and high-value chemicals.”

New private investment funds financed by the Farm Credit System and rigorously vetted by USDA are capturing some of the equity capital that typically ignores rural America.

The good news is that "the U.S. economy is less dependent on oil than it was in the early 2000s", but "additional research is needed."

Democrats and Republicans once again are battling over whether to open Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (AMWR) to oil and gas drilling, and money, the environment, and the GOP’s tax cut bill are at the heart of the matter.

Comprehensive energy legislation is ready for House floor consideration, but strong opposition from Democrats and environmental groups could make passage difficult in the Senate.

Large-scale wind and solar power is now providing low-cost, long-term fixed-price electricity for major corporations like Amazon and Google.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2017 - The Energy Department’s proposal that directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to require regional transmission organizations to “establish just and reasonable rates for wholesale electricity sales” for power plants that show “reliability and resiliency attributes” is stirring up a hornet’s nest.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2017 - Iowa’s Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and the state’s two senators, Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, pushed hard to get President Trump to honor his campaign promises to defend the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2017 – “Since it is not a question of ‘if’ but a question of ‘when’ the power grid will face significant physical and cyber threats, resiliency should be a priority for our electricity system.”