Extreme Temperature Diary- Saturday October 18th, 2025/Main Topic: The Government Is Shut Down. But Not for Fossil Fuels. – Guy On Climate
Dear Diary. Today let’s address the fact that the U.S. government is shut down due to an impasse between Democrats, who want to keep about $900 billion worth of health care money in the budget, and Republicans who are stripping this away from the budget in their “big beautiful bill” that gives that money to the rich in the form of tax cuts. I’m obviously on the side of Democrats not only because of their stance on dealing with climate change, but because morally “we the people” need to take care of each other through help from our collective taxes. It looks like this shutdown will be record long because both sides are digging in their heels with compromise looking unlikely anytime soon.
In any case, one would think that the government shutdown would also shutdown people employed by the federal government to aid with fossil fuel extraction. Not so unfortunately. Here are more details from the New York Times:
The Government Is Shut Down. But Not for Fossil Fuels. – The New York Times
The Government Is Shut Down. But Not for Fossil Fuels.Federal workers who issue permits for oil, gas and mining operations are on the job, along with those working to repeal pollution limits. While other federal employees have been furloughed, this week the Interior Department prepared to open more than 250,000 acres of land in Wyoming and Nebraska to oil drilling. Credit…Kristina Barker for The New York Times
 By Lisa Friedman
Reporting from Washington
Oct. 17, 2025
More than 700,000 federal employees have been sidelined and thousands more are at risk of being fired as the government shutdown drags on.
But the workers responsible for carrying out the president’s plans for more fossil fuels and less wind and solar power are still hard at work. Some are approving permits for companies that want to extract metals, coal, oil and gas from public lands and federal waters. Others are rolling back limits on the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving climate change.
On Thursday the Bureau of Land Management approved the expansion of a copper mine on public land in Utah. Earlier this week the Interior Department prepared to open more than 250,000 acres of land in Wyoming and Nebraska to oil drilling, and held a coal lease sale for access to Montana’s Powder River Basin. And at the Environmental Protection Agency, employees are finalizing a plan to allow more mercury emissions from coal plants, according to two people familiar with the work underway.
Charlotte Taylor, a spokeswoman for the Interior Department, said the agency was doing what was necessary in light of President Trump’s declaration in January of a national energy emergency.
“Work related to permitting, leasing and other essential energy operations is continuing as excepted work to help strengthen the nation’s energy security, maintain reliable supplies and protect American consumers from disruption,” Ms. Taylor said.
Most experts say that there is no national energy emergency, pointing to record amounts of oil and gas that is being produced in the United States. Electricity demand, however, is on the rise, driven largely by the explosion of data centers as well as population growth and the rise of artificial intelligence applications. At the same time, the Trump administration has been trying to slow or stop the expansion of renewable energy that could add to the nation’s electricity supply.
“If this is truly about keeping the lights on, then why suppress the cleanest and cheapest energy that’s coming online?” said Alexandra Adams, chief policy advocacy officer for the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group.
The continuation of work on fossil fuel projects during the shutdown is both legal and appropriate, said Rachel Cauley, a spokeswoman for the Office of Management and Budget.
“Approving energy development is no different than keeping open national parks — it can be done to the extent funds are available and at some point money will run out,” Ms. Cauley said. She blamed Democrats for the shutdown, which she said has forced Mr. Trump “to pick and choose which programs to fund with the dwindling dollars that remain carried over from last year.”
But environmental advocates and others accused the Trump administration of deploying the government shutdown selectively to assist favored industries and political supporters.
Oil and gas industry interests spent nearly $75 million to help elect Mr. Trump in 2024.
 A largely quiet Capitol Hill last week during the government shutdown. Credit…Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times
 Around 700,000 federal employees are on furlough as the shutdown continues. Credit…Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times
Mr. Trump “is showing us exactly who and what matters to him, which is industry executives and his political allies,” said Stephanie Kurose, deputy director of government affairs at the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group.
At the Energy Department, nearly 200 employees were told last week that their jobs were being eliminated. At the same time, department employees approved a plan to improve electric transmission lines across Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma and West Virginia.
Most Environmental Protection Agency employees have been working through the shutdown. Union officials believe the agency has been able to do that by tapping into appropriated funds that have carried over from the previous funding period, but E.P.A. officials have declined to answer questions about what money they are using or how long it will last.
Employees working on weakening or repealing regulations that the Trump administration has called burdensome to oil, gas and coal companies have been told to press on, according to two E.P.A. officials who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to discuss agency work. One regulation nearing completion would loosen power plant limits on emissions of mercury, a neurotoxin that impairs brain development, the two officials said.
Brigit Hirsch, a spokeswoman for the E.P.A., said in a statement that the agency is continuing to fulfill legal obligations, meet emergency response and work on administration priorities.
“We are unwavering in our commitment to our mission of providing clean air, clean land, and clean water for all Americans,” she said. “Moreover, we’ll continue to dismantle the Biden Administration’s wasteful and costly agenda.”
And the Interior Department has furloughed about half of its 58,600 employees but exempted those who permit fossil fuel and mining projects on public lands and in federal waters. On Thursday it announced it had approved an expansion of the copper mining operations at the Lisbon Valley Copper Mine in San Juan County, Utah.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which oversees offshore energy development, “will cease all renewable energy activities” during the shutdown, according to a copy of the bureau’s plan. But its plan calls for using carry-over funds to keep employees working on “priority conventional energy projects,” including offshore drilling permits and a five-year plan for selling drilling leases along the outer continental shelf.
Oil industry representatives called the work being done throughout the shutdown critical.
“It’s essential that critical permitting and regulatory functions remain active to avoid unnecessary delays to energy projects that help keep energy affordable, strengthen reliability, and support jobs and government revenue,” said Bethany Williams, a spokeswoman for the American Petroleum Institute, which represents oil companies.
 A shovel loads coal into a dump truck at the Spring Creek Mine in southern Montana, operated by the Navajo Transitional Energy Co. Credit…Kevin Moloney for The New York Times
Kevin Book, managing director of ClearView Energy Partners, a Washington-based research firm, said the Trump administration’s shutdown agenda was simply “illustrative of different presidential priorities.” The Biden administration’s contingency plans for a government shutdown would have allowed Treasury Department employees to continue working on renewable energy, he noted.
More on Energy Supplies Under the Trump Administration:
 In Georgia, Trump’s Cuts to Solar Projects Hit Some of His Voters
Oct. 11, 2025
 Renewable Energy Is Booming Despite Trump’s Efforts to Slow It
Oct. 14, 2025
 Carbon Dioxide Levels Jumped by a Record Amount, U.N. Says
Oct. 16, 2025
Lisa Friedman is a Times reporter who writes about how governments are addressing climate change and the effects of those policies on communities.
Here are more “ETs” recorded from around the planet the last couple of days, their consequences, and some extreme temperature outlooks, as well as any extreme precipitation reports:
Months of continous record heat and this is the result...
Extremely abonormally warm water off the SE coast of China.
This warm water will keep islands like Taiwan, the Ryukyu etc ...abnormally warm for weeks to come. — Extreme Temperatures Around the World (@extremetemps.bsky.social) 2025-10-18T15:40:54.580Z
Record again at the Yoron Island, JAPAN
Today 33.0C is the October hottest day in history.
Summer heat in the Okinawa Prefecture might continue for several weeks into November with July-like temperatures, never seen before in October.
Truly Historic — Extreme Temperatures Around the World (@extremetemps.bsky.social) 2025-10-18T07:49:33.297Z
CHINA HEAT WAVE
While a cold front is advancing,the heat is being squeezed south of the Yangtze River
Minimums locally >28C and maxes >35C
35.5C at Fuzhou is its 75th day >35C of the year and latest for any Chinese provincial capital:Historic
Tomorrow local record warm nights
Map:Weatherman Xinxin — Extreme Temperatures Around the World (@extremetemps.bsky.social) 2025-10-18T10:03:25.139Z
SOUTHEAST ASIA RECORD HEAT
Record heat never ends in THAILAND and INDONESIA
New October records:
THAILAND
35.0 Huai Pong
High Minimums:
27.5 Prachin Buri
26.7 Aranya Prathet
INDONESIA
High Minimum:27.7 Surabaya Juanda
Records have been falling in Southeast Asia since March 2023, every day. — Extreme Temperatures Around the World (@extremetemps.bsky.social) 2025-10-18T17:14:02.726Z
Hottest day of the season today as a record heatwave builds in WA with up to 44.3c at Telfer, 0.2c above its 2002 record POR 51yrs
Warburton 43.6c, 0.5c above 2009 record POR 36yr
Red Rocks Pt 42.7c, 0.4c above 2013 record POR 21yr
Just a taste of what's coming...
Text and map: Cameron H (X) — Extreme Temperatures Around the World (@extremetemps.bsky.social) 2025-10-18T12:53:54.457Z
My most recent video…
How our Darkening (Lower Albedo) Earth is Accelerating Climate Mayhem
youtu.be/o3PDZZJioaU?...
#climate #ClimateCrisis #ClimateCrisis #ClimateAction #weather #sunlight #albedo #globalwarming #ecosphere #oceans #clouds #atmosphere #humanity — Paul Beckwith (@paulhbeckwith.bsky.social) 2025-10-15T23:47:25.352Z
#Spain's blackout.
New report from expert panel of European grid operators finds voltage surge caused the massive outage.
"Contradicts the numerous claims that overreliance on #renewables was the cause. That is clearly not true."
www.npr.org/2025/10/08/n... — Dr Paul Dorfman (@drpauldorfman.bsky.social) 2025-10-18T07:53:14.858Z
A Dangerous Leap; The Tipping Point Creeps; #NoKings + #ClimateAction Hits the Street; #Hurricane Blockade; Datacenters & Your Electric Bill; Toke Talk; #Rosebank Opposed; Asian ASEAN #Renewable Plan; #NoKings These stories and more on @climateguyw.bsky.social Today:
guyonclimate.com/2025/10/17/e... — Silicon Valley North - Citizens Climate Lobby (@cclsvn.bsky.social) 2025-10-18T02:20:28.752Z
Corals are disappearing, pushing Earth to its first major ‘tipping point’
A new report says Earth has reached a dire milestone with the widespread death of warm-water coral reefs. But it's not too late to save what remains.
grist.org/oceans/coral...
#Coral #Ocean #Environment #Climate #Science — Grist (@grist.org) 2025-10-16T19:15:16.352Z
alaska national guard transporting evacuees in western alaska to safe, warm shelters outside of the region — CeeJay Johnson-Yellow Hawk (@adriftalchemist.bsky.social) 2025-10-16T02:00:31.623Z
This is why I work in climate. We've already lost many battles but if we lose the proverbial war, this is what a large % of our coastal towns will look like - forever.
God help these poor people.
#climatechange #climate — Zoe Samuel (@zoesamuel.bsky.social) 2025-10-17T03:56:10.913Z
Workers are getting the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage ready for Kipnuk and Kwigillingok evacuees. Thanks you American Red Cross of Alaska and UAA! — CeeJay Johnson-Yellow Hawk (@adriftalchemist.bsky.social) 2025-10-16T03:20:52.596Z
Global Warning: Ep 2 Against the tide.
How do we adapt to what is coming?
The nice people at Al Jazeera have made this series free to watch. I hope you all share it widely.
#Climate #ClimateCrisis #PublicServiceBroadcasting
📺 👉 www.aljazeera.com/video/featur... — Philip Boucher-Hayes (@philipb-h.bsky.social) 2025-10-18T08:27:04.980Z
(Free) book on orchestrated #climate obstruction out of the fossil fuel sector by the leading international researchers in the field, out of Brown University’s CSSN (Climate Social Science Network). #Auspol #NZpol
Download here:
url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/lBHyCQnMOq... — Lucy Hamilton (@lucyham.bsky.social) 2025-10-16T21:50:26.523Z
"This course is designed for individuals passionate about addressing the #ClimateCrisis... this course emphasizes the need for systemic climate action to build a better world. It’s about creating a future, where climate action can lead to positive change& a fairer society"
#MOOC #ESD #Sustainability — Dr. Aaron Thierry (@thierryaaron.bsky.social) 2025-10-17T04:14:57.422Z
An absurdist theater artist prepares New Yorkers for climate disasters.
"Sometimes a one-page pamphlet translated into two languages isn’t the best way for people to receive information, but a song about go-bags played on the synth is."
grist.org/culture/an-a...
#NY #NewYork #Art #Artist #Climate — Grist (@grist.org) 2025-10-18T11:25:05.558Z
🚨 Launched: State of Wildfires Report 2024-25
The Americas felt the harsh reality of what it means to live on a more fire-prone planet, with extreme #wildfire episodes made 2-3 times more likely by #climate change.
🔥 Full details via our brand new website: stateofwildfires.com/latest-report/ — Matt Jones (@mattwjones.bsky.social) 2025-10-16T06:36:49.204Z
Watch this! A wall of impenetrable wind shear across the SE builds/ intensifies even further south, suppressing our Caribbean system, squeezing it into a corner. This is likely a saving grace for FL. System will be flattened & forced west or east, unless it’s able to wait out long enough. — Jeff Berardelli (@weatherprof.bsky.social) 2025-10-18T12:17:56.927Z
Autumn brings rapid environmental transition to the Arctic as snow cover and sea ice extent rapidly increase. An overview of where that process is at this year in the latest post from the Alaska and Arctic Climate Newsletter. #Arctic #Climate #SeaIce #snow
alaskaclimate.substack.com/p/mid-octobe... — Rick Thoman (@alaskawx.bsky.social) 2025-10-18T18:16:08.954Z
75 years ago today, Category 4 Hurricane #King made landfall directly on #Miami. No major (Cat3+) hurricane has gotten closer to Miami since then. The next closest was Andrew in 1992, and the center of that hurricane passed about 20 miles to the south and brought Category 2 winds to the city.
[1/3] — Brian McNoldy (@bmcnoldy.bsky.social) 2025-10-18T11:21:29.191Z
Energy clubs offer chance to reduce electricity bills by up to 30%
Energy Local, a non-profit, creates a way for customers to team up with green projects to get a better deal
www.theguardian.com/money/2025/o... — Dr Paul Dorfman (@drpauldorfman.bsky.social) 2025-10-18T18:10:37.521Z
As data centers upend electric grids, the largest operator in the US is facing down a revolt from state officials.
A coalition of 11 governors has threatened to withdraw from grid operator PJM.
grist.org/climate-ener...
#Climate #BosPoli #AI #Data #Electricity #Utilities — Grist (@grist.org) 2025-10-16T12:50:40.276Z
#Iran announces official end to 10-year-old nuclear agreement
Tehran terminates 2015 deal under which sanctions were lifted in return for curbs on country’s #nuclear programme
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o... — Dr Paul Dorfman (@drpauldorfman.bsky.social) 2025-10-18T18:28:37.363Z
Cheap, bipartisan tool could help the US meet increasing energy demand from #AI datacenters while also easing soaring power bills for households, preventing deadly blackouts and helping the #climate.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025... — Dr Paul Dorfman (@drpauldorfman.bsky.social) 2025-10-18T07:55:29.486Z
US – Scana Nuclear Collapse.
Red flags and mounting problems with the construction of two nuclear reactors led to jail time for its chief executive and pushed Westinghouse #nuclear into bankruptcy.
www.ft.com/content/f9fc... — Dr Paul Dorfman (@drpauldorfman.bsky.social) 2025-10-18T07:48:45.473Z
The parking lot at Disneyland #Paris went #solar. 67,000 #solarpanels will make it one of the largest solar canopies in Europe. Time to give every parking lot a #solarpower upgrade.
We have the solutions. Implement them. #ActOnClimate
#climateAction #climate #endfossilfuels — Mike Hudema (@mikehudema.bsky.social) 2025-10-18T18:07:45.921Z
Americans Raced to Buy Any EV They Could Last Month — Except for the Cybertruck #Climate — Climate Tracker (@climate.skyfleet.blue) 2025-10-16T10:48:23.748Z
LA Times: California made it through another summer without a Flex Alert. Thank batteries, experts say
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-10-17/california-made-it-through-another-summer-without-a-flex-alert
#solar #climate #climateemergency #grid #power — AI6YR Ben (@ai6yr.m.ai6yr.org.ap.brid.gy) 2025-10-17T15:43:05.000Z
Did you know trees can talk to eachother? What do you imagine they would say about us? We need to keep forests standing.
Nature is Amazing. Protect it in all its forms. #ActOnClimate
#ClimateEmergency #Climate #Nature #Forests #GreenNewDeal #biodiversity — Mike Hudema (@mikehudema.bsky.social) 2025-10-16T04:15:22.471Z
— Morgan J Freeman (@mjfree.bsky.social) 2025-10-18T02:11:30.547Z
|
