Good morning! We’ve got a whole bunch of analysis today on how Republicans’ “Big, Beautiful Bill” could spell big trouble for solar and wind development, home energy bills, and more — and how some Senate Republicans are trying to change that.
From us at Canary, Michael Grunwald argues that Biden-era climate-smart agriculture initiatives weren’t perfect, but they were better than nothing. And Jeff St. John breaks down how Massachusetts is tackling the crucial question of who will pay for power grid upgrades.
Also, we wanted to flag a correction to an article that ran Monday: Our piece initially said PG&E had restarted its Moss Landing battery, but we learned later that the utility actually halted the restart after discovering an issue. It’s now deferred until a later date.
President Trump signs an order increasing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to 50%, raising criticism from top exporters Canada and Mexico. (Axios)
Studies find a federal repeal of Biden-era clean energy tax credits could increase the average family’s power bills by as much as $400 per year as rising electricity demand pushes up the price of natural gas. (New York Times)
The House’s budget bill would hit solar and wind development particularly hard by quickly ending clean energy tax credits and barring projects from using minerals and key components from China, Russia, and other “foreign entities of concern.” (E&E News)
The Solar Energy Industries Association finds the GOP budget bill could kill as many as 330,000 jobs in the solar and storage sectors by 2030. (Utility Dive)
Senate Republicans propose changes to the budget bill that would preserve some clean energy incentives, including U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who hopes to possibly extend wind power tax credits. (E&E News, Radio Iowa)
OVERSIGHT
Analysts say President Trump’s new FERC nominee Laura Swett is likely to champion gas infrastructure and fossil fuel projects. (E&E News)
The U.S. EPA says it has lost at least 700 of its 17,000-plus career staffers this year due to firings and resignations, and more departures could be coming as the agency processes early retirement requests. (The Hill)
STATE ACTION
Texas wind, solar, and battery advocates move from defending against now-failed state legislation to lobbying Congress against repealing Biden-era clean energy incentives that have supercharged the booming sector. (Houston Chronicle, Utility Dive)
Illinois lawmakers and clean energy lobbyists vow to bring back an energy omnibus bill that failed to pass over the weekend with anticipated agreement over incentives for battery storage to relieve grid strain. (Inside Climate News)
NUCLEAR
Facebook parent company Meta strikes a 20-year deal with Baltimore-based Constellation Energy to buy 1.1 GW of nuclear energy to help power its artificial intelligence computing needs. (Inside Climate News)
OFFSHORE WIND
A group of anti-wind activists and fishermen sue to reinstate the federal stop-work order on the 54-turbine Empire Wind development off Long Island, arguing the federal government acted illegally in allowing work to resume and that the project will damage fisheries and the marine environment. (E&E News)
SOLAR
A 435 MW Indiana solar project that came online earlier this year was the largest U.S. solar installation to begin operations in the first quarter, according to a clean energy trade group. (PV Magazine)
COAL
Coal companies across West Virginia and southwestern Virginia lay off miners, raising questions about the industry’s future as coal prices drop 27% from last year despite state legislation and Trump’s executive orders to boost it. (WVVA)
Observers say the Trump administration’s fossil fuel-friendly policies may help keep the Colstrip coal plant operating longer, but are unlikely to lead to an industry resurgence. (Montana Public Radio)
FINANCE
The Texas comptroller removes BlackRock Inc. from a list of financial firms that allegedly “boycott” the fossil fuel industry and from which state public agencies were required to divest after it withdraws from clean energy initiatives. (Texas Tribune)
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