Plus: a networked geothermal status report, and can tariffs clean up steel?

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13 February 2025 • Sponsored by

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Good morning! One networked geothermal project in Massachusetts may have been canceled, but another is still going strong and looking to expand. Sarah Shemkus has the latest on how the clean heat strategy is moving forward in the Northeast and beyond.

 

Plus, EPA head Lee Zeldin is targeting the Biden administration’s groundbreaking green bank, and a steel industry leader suggests tariffs could help manufacturing electrify and decarbonize. And, scroll all the way down to see where IRA funding has ended up.

Kathryn Krawczyk

NEW FROM CANARY MEDIA

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Networked geothermal advocates optimistic despite Massachusetts setback →

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From Grist: Colorado and Connecticut lowered utility bills by reining in lobbying →

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Canary Media Weekly: Trump’s clean energy attacks put manufacturing projects at risk →

TODAY'S TOP NEWS

POLITICS

  • U.S. EPA head Lee Zeldin looks to retract $20 billion that the Biden administration put toward a federal green bank meant to encourage investment in solar installations, heat pumps, and other clean energy technologies. (Washington Post)
  • Trump names an oil and gas industry advocate to lead the Bureau of Land Management, which oversees energy production on public lands, and other fossil fuel industry insiders to EPA, DOE, and Interior Department posts. (The Guardian, The Hill)
  • Trump’s efforts to claw back clean energy funding will likely spur legal clashes over whether the federal government is contractually obligated to pay up. (Heatmap)
  • Senate Republicans advance a budget bill they say they’ll use to repeal the EPA’s methane fee, and also strike down Democrat’s amendments to add climate and renewable energy provisions. (E&E News)
  • Senate Republicans want to push the International Energy Agency to reverse its prediction that global oil demand will peak around 2030. (E&E News)

INDUSTRY

A U.S. steel industry advocate cheers Trump’s 25% tariff on imports set to go into effect in a month, saying tariffs during the last Trump administration spurred $20 billion in investment to “modernize and decarbonize and electrify” the industry. (E&E News)

GRID

  • A new report finds 38 states took policy action last year involving virtual power plants and distributed energy aggregations, and additional state and utility programs are expected this year. (Utility Dive)
  • Federal regulators approve a plan by grid operator PJM to address looming electricity shortages by fast-tracking approval for up to 50 power plants, though climate advocates say the approach will favor gas-fired facilities. (Associated Press)
  • Records show Southern California Edison knew in advance of the deadly Los Angeles-area wildfires that an emergency power shutdown could overload some transmission lines, increasing the risk of sparking a blaze. (Los Angeles Times)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

A State Department document reveals a federal plan to buy $400 million of armored Tesla vehicles, though the reference was changed to “armored electric vehicles” after reports circulated last night about the proposal. (NPR)

WIND

Dominion Energy executives say they expect the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project to be completed and operational next year, despite efforts by the Trump administration to halt wind energy projects. (E&E News, subscription)

MORE NEWS: Midwest | Southeast | Northeast | West

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On stage: Conversations with clean energy experts, including Rep. Sean Casten of the U.S. Congress, Naomi Davis of Blacks in Green, Kara Demirjian Huss of TCCI Manufacturing, A.J. Patton of 548 Enterprises, David Roberts of Volts, Angela Tovar of the city of Chicago and more to be announced!

 

Off stage: Drink, eat, and socialize with clean energy leaders, investors, inventors, public leaders, and advocates.

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Last word

Wondering exactly where Inflation Reduction Act and bipartisan infrastructure law funding went? Grist has a new interactive map that details where spending for electric school buses, environmental remediation, and tons of other projects ended up. You can even search by zip code to see what’s happening in your neighborhood.

Grist map

Canary Media is an independent, nonprofit newsroom covering the transition to clean energy and solutions to the climate crisis. Donate to support us.

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