The federal government could shut down over $1.6 billion in cuts to clean-energy programs. Most of the proposed cuts come from a fuel efficiency program, but House Republicans also targeted the loan program that backed Solyndra, the dysfunction solar company that’s cast dispersion over the rest of the industry. Congress didn’t need Solyndra to give it an excuse to slash funding for the clean-energy industry, though. This latest hit only underlines the government’s lack of enthusiasm for any energy project involving the words “clean” or “renewable.”
Take, for example, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. Inspired by the innovation-driving, internet-creating Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, ARPA-E invests in game-changing energy technology, like electric-vehicle batteries that could lower the cost of driving from St. Louis to Chicago to less than $5. Independent organizations, both liberal and conservative, have recommended the agency receive funding on the order of $1 billion. Yet the Obama administration’s funding proposals have come in far lower than that, and Congress has low-balled the agency further. In March, Arun Majumdar, who heads ARPA-E, requested $650 million for the 2012 fiscal year. The House’s version of the energy appropriations bill allocated $180 million to the organization.
That’s not the type of funding the federal government gives to projects it actually cares about. “What was DARPA’s first appropriated budget in 1962? It was $246 million in 1962 dollars,” Majumdar, the head of ARPA-E said at a recent PopTech event. In inflation-adjusted dollars, that’s about $1.8 billion, or 10 times the current allocation.
“We are in some difficult times,” Majumdar said. “We will make the best use of the dollars we are appropriated.”
But federal funding for renewable energy is so scant that the industry is receiving less government support than oil and gas did during the Depression, when funding levels for that industry reached their nadir, according to a new study (PDF).
The study by DBL Investors, a venture capital firm that invests in clean tech, shows that governmental grumpiness about funding energy projects is a new phenomenon. The authors compared government subsidies for nuclear, oil and gas, and renewables over the first 15 years in which those industries received federal support. In inflation-adjusted dollars, oil and gas received about four times as much money as renewables, while nuclear energy received about eight times as much, according to the company’s research.
If renewable energy is to succeed, the federal government needs to support it, not slash its funding at every opportunity. But the government isn’t the only sector at fault. The American Energy Innovation Council, a group of business leaders that includes Bill Gates and Norman Augustine, the former CEO of Lockheed Martin, argues that the private sector doesn’t pour the money it should into research and development for technologies that could bring enormous gains to society as a whole. In part, they say, firms under-invest in energy because “it is difficult for any individual firm to monetize all the benefits of these types of investments” — once one group of researchers makes a leap forward, they can’t keep a tight enough hold on the technology to reap the financial windfall that should be coming their way.
But for the country as whole, investment in energy have always paid off. As the AEIC puts it, “Supporting innovation is an investment, not a cost.”
After a successful career as an artist, 80-year-old Alice Williams decided to transition into the role of social media influencer. What attracted a massive following wasn’t simply this second creative life shared on Instagram, but rather what happened when she posted that her PR packages had arrived.
In a now-viral video highlighted by People, the job of carrying these packages inside belongs to her husband. The sweet spectacle of an elderly man lumbering arms full toward home has resonated with people in a way that’s hard to ignore.
“POV my wife became an influencer at 80 years old and now I have to get the PR packages”
As the music from No Doubt’s “Just a Girl” carries the scene, the title on the video reads, “POV my wife became an influencer at 80 years old and now I have to get the PR packages.”
The husband, Don Williams, with his arms stacked with boxes and moving carefully but confidently, walks up the driveway like it’s just another regular day. No performance. No spectacle. Just a smile on a warm face during a beautiful afternoon.
His ho-hum attitude and the video’s casualness seem to have tapped into something instantly relatable. He’s just a husband being of service to his wife.
People online didn’t react to the packages. They reacted to him. Viewers were excited and hoped to have that kind of partnership, too. They also seemed impressed by how fit and natural he appeared. He was just helping out. No complaints. Here are some of those comments:
“So many things I love about this post; the love, the companionship, the nature, the house, the peace, and the supreme shirts”
“Seriously this proves ANY AGE. YOU ARE NEVER LATE”
“KING”
“Oh my heavens, what a sweet man you have! Does he happen to have an older brother, I’m 93 1/2”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better video in my life”
“I think exercising keeps him happy & alive. We need his legs strong!”
“Where am I supposed to find a man like this???”
“Obsessed with this!!!”
“so cuteeee”
“This is the life! Pops is getting those steps in and getting a little strength training in.”
There’s more to the story than just a viral moment
This story doesn’t end after one viral moment. In a follow-up post, the couple opened the PR packages together. The at-home unboxing became less about the products and more about the playful rhythm between two people enjoying each other’s company.
The appeal of these videos really isn’t about influencer culture. These moments aren’t resonating simply because an older man carries boxes or because we see a kind gesture. Most people aren’t looking for perfect love. Having something that holds up as life changes, that’s valuable.
As Alice Williams opens a new chapter in her life, the relationship doesn’t pause for reinvention. It simply adjusts to it.
Interestingly, many healthy relationships feature the woman taking a leadership role or at least having the final say. In a GOOD story about happy marriages, versions of the same four-word advice kept coming up: “Listen to your wife,” “Whatever she says goes,” “She is the boss,” and “Do what she says.” When asked how these men became so wise, one replied, “Over time.”
The sweet Instagram post resonated with many, even though it wasn’t that unusual. Similar videos of couples reuniting, partners sharing small gestures of care, or long-married sweethearts showing affection often reach millions of views.
In each case, it’s probably less about what’s happening on screen. Sure, we all love a feel-good snapshot. However, it’s more about the belief that love can be slow and steady, and that fun adventure can happen without reinventing the wheel. The Williamses offer us all a glimpse of the casually possible. Things are simply good.
Anyone interested in becoming a teacher in today’s environment does so under a warning label. With lower pay, political pressure, community standards, lack of necessary funding, and general safety concerns, this profession is in crisis. Seasoned educators are completely burned out.
As more teachers share on social media that they’re tired of the system and ready to leave education, something unexpected is also happening. Despite every statistic adding up to a profession better avoided, Gen Z graduates are choosing to teach anyway.
Young educator in the classroom. Photo credit Canva
A generation shaped by isolation, Gen Z chooses connection
Teach for America (TFA), one of the larger teacher pipelines in the country, brings in thousands of new educators every year. In 2025, over 2,300 college graduates from 600 colleges and universities have joined up.
In January 2026, The Guardian wrote that despite a nationwide decline in teachers, a significant number of Gen Z graduates are entering the classroom. A generation that faced the social isolation created during COVID lockdown looks to make connections and give back. “Teaching is a job where they can find that,” said Whitney Petersmetyer, TFA’s chief growth and program officer. She believes the generation is “craving human connection and experiences that feel real.”
Petersmetyer adds that Gen Z is, “responding to the opportunity for purpose and responsibility at a time where many entry jobs feel uncertain or disconnected from impact.”
In a global 2024 survey by Deloitte, a massive sample of 23,000 respondents from 44 countries was surveyed on financial insecurity, rapidly evolving technology, and career choices. Results showed 9 out of 10 Gen Zers believed purpose was the key to job satisfaction. Almost 50% of job opportunities were rejected because they failed to meet their personal values.
Gen Z actively wants work that has a positive social impact, acknowledges environmental values, and follows ethical concerns. In 2023, Forbes reported that Gen Z is fueled by purpose perhaps more than any previous generation. They prioritize values over salary.
Many Gen Zers have been rethinking what work should really provide. They want income, yet personal fulfillment and a life balance remain crucial. Business Insiderreports this generation is less willing to accept work that feels transactional or leaves them feeling empty.
Teaching is still one of the most challenging jobs in the country. The work is complex, emotional, and highly demanding. A 2024 report in EdWeek found that teachers earn lower pay and experience more stress than workers in other professions. A 2024 report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed the teaching profession in decline due to low wages and reduced freedom in the classroom.
In2024, the RAND Corporation also conducted a survey that found 53% of teachers report being burned out. Over half of the educators faced frequent job-related stress and declining well-being.
Gen Z knows the challenges. They’ve seen the uncomfortable headlines. Despite everything, they’re still coming to teach.
“My philosophy is focused much more on being a good human at this age,” said 23-year-old educator Van De Vijver. The third-grade math teacher in Fairfax, Virginia, added, “If they leave my classroom as someone who is willing to help others, who keeps an open mind and is caring, as long as they also don’t get zeros on everything, then I feel like I have done a good job teaching.”
Whether these incoming, motivated, young teachers decide to stay will likely depend on their personal motivations and the experiences they encounter as educators. Despite burnout in a strained profession, they’re choosing a job that offers them connection and meaning. Even if the path ahead is uncertain, Gen Z brings new energy and ideas into the classroom.
Across Appalachia, rust-colored water seeps from abandoned coal mines, staining rocks orange and coating stream beds with metals. These acidic discharges, known as acid mine drainage, are among the region’s most persistent environmental problems. They disrupt aquatic life, corrode pipes and can contaminate drinking water for decades.
However, hidden in that orange drainage are valuable metals known as rare earth elements that are vital for many technologies the U.S. relies on, including smartphones, wind turbines and military jets. In fact, studies have found that the concentrations of rare earths in acid mine waste can be comparable to the amount in ores mined to extract rare earths.
Scientists estimate that more than 13,700 miles (22,000 kilometers) of U.S. streams, predominantly in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, are contaminated with acid mine discharge.
We and our colleagues at West Virginia University have been working on ways to turn the acid waste in those bright orange creeks into a reliable domestic source for rare earths while also cleaning the water.
Experiments show extraction can work. If states can also sort out who owns that mine waste, the environmental cost of mining might help power a clean energy future.
Rare earths face a supply chain risk
Rare earth elements are a group of 17 metals, also classified as critical minerals, that are considered vital to the nation’s economy or security.
MP Materials’ Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine and Processing Facility, in California near the Nevada border, is one of the few rare earth mines in the U.S. Tmy350/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
China controls about 70% of global rare earth production and nearly all refining capacity. This near monopoly gives the Chinese government the power to influence prices, export policies and access to rare earth elements. China has used that power in trade disputes as recently as 2025.
The United States, which currently imports about 80% of the rare earth elements it uses, sees China’s control over these critical minerals as a risk and has made locating domestic sources a national priority.
The U.S. Geological Survey has been mapping locations for potential rare earth mining, shown in pink. But it takes years to explore a locations and then get a mine up and running. USGS
Although the U.S. Geological Survey has been mapping potential locations for extracting rare earth elements, getting from exploration to production takes years. That’s why unconventional sources, like extracting rare earth elements from acid mine waste, are drawing interest.
Turning a mine waste problem into a solution
Acid mine drainage forms when sulfide minerals, such as pyrite, are exposed to air during mining. This creates sulfuric acid, which then dissolves heavy metals such as copper, lead and mercury from surrounding rock. The metals end up in groundwater and creeks, where iron in the mix gives the water an orange color.
Expensive treatment systems can neutralize the acid, with the dissolved metals settling into an orange sludge in treatment ponds.
For decades, that sludge was treated as hazardous waste and hauled to landfills. But scientists at West Virginia University and the National Energy Technology Laboratory have found that it contains concentrations of rare earth elements comparable to those found in mined ores. These elements are also easier to extract from acid mine waste because the acidic water has already released them from the surrounding rock.
Acid mine drainage flowing into Decker’s Creek in Morgantown, West Virginia, in 2024. Helene Nguemgaing
Experiments have shown how the metals can be extracted: Researchers collected sludge, separated out rare earth elements using water-safe chemistry, and then returned the cleaner water to nearby streams.
It is like mining without digging, turning something harmful into a useful resource. If scaled up, this process could lower cleanup costs, create local jobs and strengthen America’s supply of materials needed for renewable energy and high-tech manufacturing.
But there’s a problem: Who owns the recovered minerals?
The ownership question
Traditional mining law covers minerals underground, not those extracted from water naturally running off abandoned mine sites.
Nonprofit watershed groups that treat mine waste to clean up the water often receive public funding meant solely for environmental cleanup. If these groups start selling recovered rare earth elements, they could generate revenue for more stream cleanup projects, but they might also risk violating grant terms or nonprofit rules.
To better understand the policy challenges, we surveyed mine water treatment operators across Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The majority of treatment systems were under landowner agreements in which the operators had no permanent property rights. Most operators said “ownership uncertainty” was one of the biggest barriers to investment in the recovery of rare earth elements, projects that can cost millions of dollars.
Not surprisingly, water treatment operators who owned the land where treatment was taking place were much more likely to be interested in rare earth element extraction.
Map of acid mine drainage sites in West Virginia. Created by Helene Nguemgaing, based on data from West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, West Virginia Office of GIS Coordination, and U.S. Geological Survey
West Virginia took steps in 2022 to boost rare earth recovery, innovation and cleanup of acid mine drainage. A new law gives ownership of recovered rare earth elements to whoever extracts them. So far, the law has not been applied to large-scale projects.
Across the border, Pennsylvania’s Environmental Good Samaritan Act protects volunteers who treat mine water from liability but says nothing about ownership.
Map of acid mine drainage sites in Pennsylvania. Created by Helene Nguemgaing, based on data from Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access
This difference matters. Clear rules like West Virginia’s provide greater certainty, while the lack of guidance in Pennsylvania can leave companies and nonprofits hesitant about undertaking expensive recovery projects. Among the treatment operators we surveyed, interest in rare earth element extraction was twice as high in West Virginia than in Pennsylvania.
The economics of waste to value
Recovering rare earth elements from mine water won’t replace conventional mining. The quantities available at drainage sites are far smaller than those produced by large mines, even though the concentration can be just as high, and the technology to extract them from mine waste is still developing.
Still, the use of mine waste offers a promising way to supplement the supply of rare earth elements with a domestic source and help offset environmental costs while cleaning up polluted streams.
Early studies suggest that recovering rare earth elements using technologies being developed today could be profitable, particularly when the projects also recover additional critical materials, such as cobalt and manganese, which are used in industrial processes and batteries. Extraction methods are improving, too, making the process safer, cleaner and cheaper.
Treating acid mine drainage and extracting its valuable rare earth elements offers a way to transform pollution into prosperity. Creating policies that clarify ownership, investing in research and supporting responsible recovery could ensure that Appalachian communities benefit from this new chapter, one in which cleanup and clean energy advance together.
