Ella Nilsen - Climate Reporter
Ella Nilsen
Climate Reporter
Ella Nilsen is a CNN reporter covering climate.
Latest
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Trump’s attempts to kill offshore wind aren’t workingFeb 2, 2026A federal judge on Monday dealt a fifth blow to the Trump administration’s attempts to kill the offshore wind farms under construction up and down the east coast. -
Trump claims blue states have less-reliable, more expensive electricity. Here’s the realityFeb 2, 2026In recent months, the Trump administration has framed high energy costs as a problem impacting only blue states. But the truth is electricity prices are rising nationwide and experts say some Trump policies could hoist them further still. -
Big tech is increasingly promising to pay for spiking power costs. But there’s not much to enforce itJan 22, 2026As an electricity crunch drives bills higher around the country, big tech companies building power-hungry data centers are increasingly offering to pay for more of the energy they consume, so everyday people don’t get stuck with the bill. But while these companies can make commitments, there are few regulations to ensure those promises are kept. -
Why the East Coast wants more of Trump’s least-favorite energy sourceJan 14, 2026President Trump is trying to shut down offshore wind projects. But several East Coast states are fighting back, seeking a source of power that can get them through cold winters and growing electric demand. -
Trump wants to own Venezuela’s oil, but its largest oil customer is speeding toward clean energyJan 8, 2026Energy experts say the US and China are diverging on the energy transition, with China sprinting far ahead on renewables and EVs, while the US doubles down on drilling oil at home and abroad. -
Trump officials scramble to sell skeptical lawmakers, oil execs on Venezuela planJan 8, 2026Trump administration officials on Wednesday began outlining a makeshift strategy for taking indefinite control of Venezuela’s oil sales, as they race to maintain stability within the nation after overthrowing its leader. -
Trump moves to pull US out of bedrock global climate treaty, becoming first country to do soJan 8, 2026The Trump administration is pulling the United States out of the bedrock treaty that underpins international cooperation on climate change, along with dozens of other global bodies. -
![Craig Station, near Craig, Colo, one of the largest coal-fired power plants in the West, burns coal mined from leased Bureau of Land Management to generate electricity for several states, including Colorado. Its oldest portion, Unit 1, is being shuttered as of Dec. 31, 2025, under a deal designed to improve air quality in the Rocky Mountains, including at Rocky Mountain National Park, where pollution emitted by the plant is reducing visibility. This photo was taken in November 2016. [Via MerlinFTP Drop]
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The Trump administration just ordered another retiring coal plant to stay open. It could cost ratepayers millionsDec 31, 2025The Trump administration ordered an aging coal-fired power plant in Colorado to stay open on Tuesday, a day before it was set to retire. -
Trump suspends all large offshore wind farms under construction, threatening thousands of jobs and cheaper energyDec 22, 2025In the latest blow for the US offshore wind industry, the Trump administration announced Monday it is suspending the federal leases for all large offshore wind projects currently under construction, citing unspecified national security risks. The move could have huge impacts on already-rising electricity costs. -
An electricity crunch is driving high bills in these states. It’s not getting better anytime soonDec 22, 2025Residents in mid-Atlantic states like Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania who have spent the last few years plagued by high electricity bills just got some bad news: Relief is not on the way. There’s just not enough electricity to meet rising demand. -
Trump’s social media business is merging with a nuclear fusion companyDec 18, 2025President Donald Trump’s social media and crypto company is making a huge bet on a far different industry – nuclear fusion, a potentially lucrative albeit commercially unproven energy technology that could help power a suddenly electricity-starved economy. -
Voters are mad about utility bills. Republicans are blaming some in their own partyDec 17, 2025A group of moderate Republicans have warned for months that their party’s plan to eliminate clean energy tax credits would contribute to utility bills skyrocketing. -
EPA websites now downplay link between humans and climate changeDec 11, 2025The Environmental Protection Agency has altered and removed information from its web site that connected climate change to the burning of fossil fuels. -
How Trump’s AI push, energy prices and angry neighbors are colliding in the Arizona desertDec 10, 2025The city of Chandler has spent years wrestling with the question of whether to build more data centers, just like other communities around the country. -
The secret behind your skyrocketing energy costsDec 4, 2025Americans nationwide are getting sticker shock when they open their electricity bills. But the driver of those higher prices isn’t necessarily the cost of electricity, itself. Instead, aging grids and new demand are racking up fees for replacing and updating infrastructure. -
The real estate industry is pressuring Zillow and other sites to nix extreme weather risk data buyers have come to rely onDec 2, 2025Zillow, the nation’s largest real estate listing website, has removed extreme weather risk data meant to help buyers figure out if the biggest purchase of their life is particularly susceptible to floods, high winds or wildfires. Now, other major real estate listing websites are facing pressure to do the same.
About
Ella covers climate-related policy from the White House, Congress, and agencies.
She joined CNN from Vox where she covered the White House and the Biden administration’s climate and infrastructure plan.
She also covered Congress and the 2018 and 2020 elections. Prior to Vox, she reported on Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump in the 2016 primary at the Concord Monitor.
