Good morning! The Trump administration is 0-2 in its efforts to halt under-construction offshore wind projects — and that streak may continue. A federal judge said the Interior Department stopped Revolution Wind without any “factual findings,” suggesting the federal government may have trouble convincing other judges to go along with its anti-wind crusade. Clare Fieseler has the story.
Next up, Maria Gallucci takes a deep dive into the glass industry, which is slowly moving to replace its fossil fuel-powered furnaces with electric alternatives. And Alison F. Takemura dives into a totally different clean heat source: heat pumps, which now have a blueprint for wide-scale deployment.
President Trump calls climate change a “con job” and tells countries to ditch the “green energy scam” in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly. (Associated Press)
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) calls for abandoning the Biden administration’s “tepid tone” on climate change and instead highlighting “fraudulent” climate denial and the “dark money fossil-fuel influence operation.” (Axios)
Climate researchers from Harvard University and think tank Resources for the Future are recreating a task force that Trump dissolved to continue examining climate change’s financial risks. (E&E News)
The U.S. Energy Department has lost thousands of full-time and contract employees via layoffs and departures under Trump, leaving it with too few staff to disburse funds even for nuclear and fossil fuel programs. (Latitude Media)
EMISSIONS
Republican attorneys general press the Trump administration to rescind the U.S. EPA’s 2009 endangerment finding that says greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare, which provided the legal underpinning for federal regulations. (Kentucky Lantern)
Internal EPA notes show the agency is rushing to overturn the endangerment finding without a required impact analysis or a proper review of public comments. (E&E News)
GRID
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin calls for regional grid operator PJM to reopen its process for nominating board members to give its member states more say. (Reuters, Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Midwest Republican and Democratic governors push back on five GOP-led states’ claims that MISO’s $22 billion transmission plan effectively subsidizes clean energy goals, and say it would provide major benefits to ratepayers. (Minnesota Reformer)
SOLAR
The EPA’s cancellation of the Solar for All program terminated funding for Southeast community solar projects that would’ve saved residents $400 or more each year, among dozens of other projects. (Latitude Media)
Solar company Blue Ridge Power, a subsidiary of Pine Gate Renewables, announces it will lay off 517 workers in North Carolina and end its business due to the Republican rollback of clean energy subsidies. (Business North Carolina)
WIND
The Trump administration’s offshore wind crusade targets projects that will power nearly 5 million homes and create an anticipated 9,000 jobs. (The Guardian)
Following news of this week’s Revolution Wind ruling, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont says he is working closely with the Trump administration on an “all the above” strategy for New England’s energy future. (CT Mirror)
TRANSPORTATION
Records show Tesla last year successfully pressured Nevada regulators to drop proposed rules that would have affected the firm’s battery production operations at its Gigafactory east of Reno. (Nevada Independent)
Analysts say it’s a great time to buy a used EV, as sinking prices don’t match their strong value proposition. (Grist)
A New York startup begins operating its first production system turning carbon dioxide into sustainable aviation fuel, with plans to commercialize next year. (E&E News)
BATTERIES
Law firm Troutman Pepper Locke expects battery storage to grow in the U.S. now that impacts from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and tariffs are becoming more clear. (Utility Dive)
FOSSIL FUELS
Energy Secretary Chris Wright directs the National Petroleum Council to craft a policy analysis that will point out gas infrastructure bottlenecks and other ways to boost gas-powered electricity generation. (E&E News)
A new report finds West Texas, which produces about 40% of U.S. crude oil, lacks adequate infrastructure to convert oil and gas into electricity that can power the growing data center sector. (Texas Tribune)
DATA CENTERS
OpenAI and Oracle announce five new Stargate data center sites in Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, and a to-be-determined Midwest location. (Associated Press)
NUCLEAR
California firm Oklo breaks ground on its Aurora sodium-cooled fast nuclear reactor at the Idaho National Laboratories. (Idaho Business Review)
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