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A vast lithium resource lies beneath southern Arkansas, northern Louisiana, and northeast Texas. The Smackover Formation contains lithium-rich brines across the region, creating an opportunity for the Ark-La-Tex to develop a new domestic lithium industry. The timing is significant because the region has long depended on oil and gas production, while declining drilling activity has created pressure to find new sources of investment and economic growth. Lithium will not replace the region's traditional energy industries overnight, but developing this resource could bring new investment, jobs, and industrial activity to rural communities and small towns across the Ark-La-Tex. cornwallalliance.org/the-ark…

Energy access remains one of Africa’s central development challenges. Chris Wright, speaking at the Powering Africa Summit, argued that energy policy should focus on expanding human opportunity rather than imposing a single energy model on every country. That debate has practical consequences for households across the continent. Reliable electricity can support hospitals, schools, factories, businesses, transportation, and communications. Natural gas can also provide cooking fuel that replaces traditional fuels associated with household air pollution. Africa possesses substantial hydrocarbon resources, but turning those resources into widespread prosperity requires investment in pipelines, power plants, transmission networks, distribution systems, and local industries. The energy debate ultimately intersects with the development question: how can African nations expand reliable energy access while building economies that support rising living standards? cornwallalliance.org/washing…

The Ark-La-Tex lithium industry is still in its infancy, but its potential extends beyond producing another mineral. Developing extraction, processing, and manufacturing could connect the region to a growing American critical-minerals supply chain while creating new opportunities for communities that have long depended on oil and gas. cornwallalliance.org/the-ark…

The developing world deserves the opportunity to pursue the same prosperity that abundant energy helped create across the industrialized world. Instead of imposing restrictions that keep poorer nations from expanding electricity access, modern agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, and infrastructure, policymakers should recognize affordable and reliable energy as a foundation of human flourishing rather than treating energy consumption itself as something societies should be ashamed of. cornwallalliance.org/the-cli…

Developing nations are not simply seeking slightly higher electricity consumption, because billions of people still need dramatic improvements in infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, and living standards. Those transformations require enormous amounts of reliable energy, making affordability and availability far more important than forcing poorer countries into predetermined energy choices. cornwallalliance.org/hoping-…

Lithium is no longer just a niche industrial mineral. It is used in batteries for electric vehicles, grid storage, and electronics, while also serving applications in aerospace, defense, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, and metal production. Yet the United States still relies on imports for more than half of its lithium consumption. China also controls an estimated 70–80% of the global electric-vehicle lithium-ion battery market, making the development of domestic lithium resources increasingly important for American supply chains. The United States has lithium resources of its own. Developing those resources could reduce dependence on foreign suppliers while strengthening domestic mining, processing, and manufacturing. cornwallalliance.org/the-ark…

Escaping the climate policy trap requires more than communicating the existing agenda more effectively. Policymakers should publish full system costs, benefits, trade-offs, and uncertainties while allowing competing scientific and energy scenarios to receive serious consideration. Most importantly, policies should have clear criteria for revision when reality contradicts their assumptions. Good policy must remain open to correction. cornwallalliance.org/the-cli…

Lake Mead supplies irrigation and municipal water, supporting roughly 30 million people, while the surrounding water system supports agriculture across more than 5 million acres. Meanwhile, Hoover Dam and Glen Canyon Dam provide electricity for millions. Falling reservoirs threaten both water supplies and power generation. cornwallalliance.org/western…

California provides an important example of what can happen when energy policy prioritizes climate objectives while reducing reliance on established energy sources. The article argues that policies restricting oil production, refineries, natural gas, nuclear power, coal, and even some hydroelectric generation have contributed to higher electricity and gasoline costs, raising serious questions about whether energy systems can remain affordable while governments pursue increasingly ambitious climate mandates. cornwallalliance.org/the-cli…

New York created its Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission to streamline the approval of major renewable-energy projects, but critics argue that the process can diminish the influence of local governments and residents. That creates a fundamental question for rural communities: What happens when the people who live on the land oppose a project that state officials consider necessary for meeting energy goals? A transition to renewable energy does not eliminate the need for public participation, environmental review, or consideration of local consequences.cornwallalliance.org/new-yor…

Glen Canyon Dam normally produces about 5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, serving roughly 5 million people across six states. Lake Powell now sits only about 30 feet above the level where generating power could become restricted. The West’s water crisis is becoming an energy crisis. cornwallalliance.org/western…

The modern campaign against livestock increasingly relies upon claims that methane emissions require dramatic reductions in meat and dairy consumption. Yet a 2026 paper by William Happer, W. A. van Wijngaarden, and colleagues argues that eliminating all cattle would produce only about 0.04°C of calculated temperature reduction, illustrating the scale of the claimed climate benefit. cornwallalliance.org/the-chr…

Arkansas is already moving ahead with efforts to develop its emerging lithium industry. The state has established lithium regulations within its existing oil-and-gas brine framework, while the Arkansas Lithium Technology Accelerator is supporting companies working on lithium extraction, battery technology, and recycling. cornwallalliance.org/the-ark…

A solar installation can occupy thousands of acres, which means its environmental footprint cannot be measured only by the emissions associated with the electricity it produces. The proposed Fort Edward project would occupy land within a state-recognized grassland and bird sanctuary that provides habitat for grassland birds and wintering raptors. Among the species found there are the short-eared owl and northern harrier, along with reptiles and amphibians identified as conservation concerns. Renewable energy projects still require environmental scrutiny when they transform wildlife habitat on this scale. cornwallalliance.org/new-yor…

Humanity has become far more resilient to natural disasters over the past century. According to Our World in Data, death rates from disasters have fallen by more than 90%, even as the global population has grown dramatically. Prosperity, infrastructure, early-warning systems, technology, and reliable energy have helped societies adapt to hazards. cornwallalliance.org/the-cli…

The benefits of additional atmospheric CO2 extend beyond forests because elevated CO2 can increase productivity in important agricultural crops. Research cited in the article reports substantial increases in yields for wheat, rice, and soybeans under elevated CO2, while commercial greenhouse operators deliberately increase CO2 concentrations because plants grow more productively under those conditions. cornwallalliance.org/climate…

The Ark-La-Tex already has decades of experience in oil and gas production and brine extraction. As drilling activity has declined in parts of the region, lithium could provide another source of investment, jobs, and economic activity, particularly for rural communities and small towns. cornwallalliance.org/the-ark…