Happy Friday! New England is finally at the end of a cold, snowy winter that saw electricity prices soar. A growing number of state officials are looking to cut clean energy programs in an attempt to tame those prices. But as advocates tell Sarah Shemkus in today’s top story, those programs will actually end up saving customers money in the long run.
Next up, Dan McCarthy charts the 28 states that got more of their energy from renewables than coal last year. Plus, we’ve got news on a first-of-its-kind grid interconnection and more federal energy rollbacks.
FERC approves a proposal from the Southwest Power Pool to bring seven entities based in the West into its RTO, which will make it the first grid operator to provide transmission services across the Eastern and Western Interconnections. (E&E News)
Utilities invested a record $8.8 billion in energy efficiency in 2023, with the majority going to electricity projects, a new ACEEE report finds. (Utility Dive)
FEDERAL FUNDING
The U.S. Energy Department is preparing to withdraw potentially billions of dollars in Inflation Reduction Act funding for various clean energy projects including hydrogen hubs, carbon capture demonstrations, and long-duration storage. (E&E News)
Six cities join a lawsuit against Trump over the administration’s practice of revoking access to funds already appropriated by Congress. (New Haven Independent)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
Illinois, Massachusetts, and other Democrat-led states are pushing forward with EV charger construction projects despite uncertainties surrounding federal funding. (Heatmap)
MINING
President Trump signs an executive order tapping into his emergency powers to boost mining and production of uranium, copper, and other energy-critical materials. (E&E News)
CARBON CAPTURE
Three European companies announce plans for a direct air carbon capture facility in Texas that would be powered by a wind farm. (E&E News)
BIOFUELS
U.S. biofuel producers scale back production to minimize losses in the face of policy uncertainty and tariff threats from the Trump administration. (Reuters)
COMMENTARY
Collaboration between labor unions and energy companies is essential to making sure there’s a workforce ready to build a more resilient and far-reaching power grid, a utility executive and a labor leader write. (Utility Dive)
ATTENTION CHICAGO: UPCOMING EVENT
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 Lisa Clemmons Stott of the Illinois Department of Commerce.
Off stage: Drink, eat, and socialize with clean energy leaders, investors, inventors, public leaders, and advocates.
🗓️March 27, 2025, 2:00 - 7:00p.m. CDT
📍 mHUB • 1623 West Fulton Street Chicago, IL 60612
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