America’s Solar Buildout Has a Security Blind Spot

Panels, Chinese-linked inverters, rush interconnections, and what Iran-linked water cyberattacks teach ratepayers, utilities, and data-center investors This is the introduction for the Energy News Beat Research Desk on The Energy News Beat Substack.   We are providing deeper dives for paid subscribers on Energy Topics, and this was requested by a paid subscriber. Bottom line up […]

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President Trump Signs Executive Order Waiving Key Russian Sanctions and Tariffs Under the Graham Act, Helping Keep Oil Flowing

On October 16, 2026, President Donald Trump signed an executive order implementing the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 while simultaneously waiving most of its new sanctions, restrictions, and duties. The move, taken under the Act’s national-interest waiver authority (Section 115), came just days before the measures were set to take […]

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Oil Prices Slide as US Weighs Easing Sanctions on Shadow Fleet: Implications for Tanker Rates, Delivered Crude Costs, and Diesel Crack Spreads

Oil prices fell about 2% on October 15, 2026, after reports that the Trump administration is considering easing sanctions on vessels in the so-called “shadow fleet.” Brent crude futures dropped about $2.28 (2.2%) to around $103.78 a barrel, while WTI fell about $1.34 (1.4%) to roughly $93.75, reversing prior gains. The move reflected hopes that […]

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Chinese Refiners to Slow Inventory Drawdowns as Imports Pick Up: What It Means for the Oil Market

Chinese refiners are set to slow the pace of inventory drawdowns this month as crude imports recover, according to Energy Aspects. More overseas crude is expected to arrive from November, allowing China to preserve its substantial stockpile buffer against further supply disruptions. Analyst Jianan Sun of Energy Aspects noted that recent purchases of Iraqi and […]

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Trump’s Grid Security Order Could Backfire on America’s AI Boom

President Donald Trump’s August 26, 2026, Executive Order 14421, “Declaring a National Emergency to Secure the United States Bulk-Power System,” aims to protect the U.S. electric grid from foreign supply-chain and cybersecurity risks. The order cites digital backdoors, malicious remote access, and supply disruptions as threats magnified by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence data […]

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Net Zero and Green Energy Is Entirely Reliant on Hardware from a Different Mindset: Pollution Shifted, Industry Hollowed Out

Peter Clack (@PeterDClack) recently put the central contradiction of the Western Net Zero project in plain terms: the green transition is now almost entirely dependent on hardware manufactured by the same industrial giant the West hoped to displace or outcompete. In a post that cuts to the heart of energy density, industrial policy, and geopolitical […]

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