Federal Energy Department Fails Grading on Climate Report Evaluation
The U.S. Department of Energy has released a controversial report titled "A Critical Review of Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on the U.S. Climate," written by the Climate Working Group (CWG) and published in late July 2025. The report, which was done in conjunction with the EPA's plan to jettison the 2009 Endangerment Finding, the legal basis for U.S. climate regulations, has been met with criticism from climate researchers.
The report, led by John Christy, with contributions from Judith Curry, Roy Spencer, Steven Koonin, and Ross McKitrick, suggests that the climate-warping effects of carbon dioxide and other pollutants may not be as big a problem as commonly believed. It further concludes that aggressive mitigation strategies may be misdirected. However, scores of leading climate researchers have criticised the report as being "misleading or fundamentally incorrect."
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has pushed for policies that increase fossil fuel production, including within the Environmental Protection Agency. In contrast, Xcel Energy, an energy company that operates in some of the sunniest and windiest parts of the country, is developing wind and solar generation facilities to meet growing energy demand in regions with high solar and wind potential. Wind energy is the largest form of carbon-free energy in Xcel Energy's portfolio, and in the absence of tax credits, renewable generation remains Xcel Energy's lowest cost of new generation.
Xcel Energy's portfolio primarily consists of a diverse mix of renewables, nuclear, and natural gas. The company has secured 19 combustion turbine slots with Siemens and GE for future natural gas generation. High-capacity energy needs from data centers and other drivers are expected to push more gas onto the system.
The United States is the only advanced economy that is an outlier in its lack of agreement on the need to shift to renewable and carbon-free energy sources as rapidly as possible to slow greenhouse gas emissions. This stance has been criticised by the United Nations, which is pushing countries for new climate targets this month. The rollback of nearly all federal incentives for clean energy enacted by President Joe Biden by the Trump administration further complicates the situation.
Despite the controversy surrounding the Energy Department report, the cost of building a gas-fired power plant remains approximately $2,000 per kilowatt. As the world grapples with the challenges of climate change, the debate over the role of fossil fuels and renewable energy in the energy transition continues.
