This Week in Cleantech (10/05/2026) - Inside the Senate's bipartisan permitting reform package

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This Week in Cleantech is a weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in clean energy and climate featuring Paul Gerke of Factor This and Tigercomm’s Mike Casey.

This week's episode features special guest Jillian Goodman from Heatmap, who breaks down the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act, a new permitting reform package meant to lower energy costs and make it easier to build infrastructure.

This week’s “Cleantecher of the Week” is James Worden, founder of Worden Marine. James has been building solar-powered vehicles since the 1980s, starting with a wood-and-cardboard solar go-kart that won the Massachusetts state science fair. He went on to help start MIT's Solar Electric Vehicle Team and co-founded Solectria with his late wife, Anita. Now he's taking that vision to the water. His startup's TruSolar20 boat, named Anita in her honor, can run all day on six solar panels at about eight miles an hour, and a bigger version built for ferries and river tours is on the way. Congratulations, James!

This Week in Cleantech — October 5, 2026

1. Why Won’t the Clean Energy Industry Play Dirty? — Washington Monthly
2. Trump Sharply Scales Back Fuel Economy Rules for New Cars — The New York Times
3. Fix it or trash it? How to decide how long to keep your car and home appliances. — The Washington Post
4. Plug Power Inks Electrolyzer Deal for Denmark Jet Fuel Project — Bloomberg
5. The Senate’s Big Bipartisan Permitting Deal, Explained — Heatmap News

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