{
  "id": 3951429,
  "title": "Here’s One Federal Clean Power Program Trump Hasn’t Destroyed Yet",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/heres-one-federal-clean-power-program-trump-hasnt-destroyed-yet",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-28T11:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mother Jones",
    "slug": "mother-jones",
    "url": "https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/08/arpa-e-clean-power-energy-fusion-geothermal-storage-innovation-high-risk-high-reward/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The United States has historically lagged behind other nations in tackling climate change, but it has maintained a program called the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy, or ARPA-E. This program, which has disbursed over $4 billion over the past 15 years, funds innovative clean energy technology. ARPA-E aims to help energy inventors overcome the \"valley of death\" that separates experiments from large-scale commercialization. A landmark report from the National Academies of Science found that ARPA-E's investments have generated over $20 billion in additional funding and more than 1,400 patents. The report also highlighted that around 40% of ARPA-E grants lead to a \"crowding in\" effect, where other companies jump in to replicate successful technologies.\n\nThe report, requested by Congress, recommends that Congress expand ARPA-E's funding significantly and shift its focus from renewables and electric vehicles to harder energy problems. The Trump administration has demonstrated its partial support for this shift, having previously attempted to defund ARPA-E and reduce climate grants. While President Biden's administration has increased ARPA-E's funding, the Department of Energy continues to support experimental technologies such as long-duration energy storage, fusion reactors, and mining for critical minerals. The report authors argue that ARPA-E should now focus on the most challenging climate problems, including nuclear fusion and carbon-free methods for producing steel and cement, which contribute to around 8% of global emissions.",
  "summary": "This story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The United States has never been one of the most ambitious countries when it comes to tackling climate change, but it has long maintained a program that funds innovative clean energy technology. This program is known as the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy, […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}