Good morning! In the wake of a disaster, hard-hit communities often find themselves with a surprising problem: an excess of donations. In North Carolina following Hurricane Helene, that excess included donated solar panels and batteries. In today’s top story, Elizabeth Ouzts profiles a local nonprofit that’s making sure no donated cleantech goes to waste.
Next up, Dan McCarthy writes up the data on who stands to benefit most from the clean energy manufacturing boom Trump has put on shaky ground, and Alison Takemura has another dose of good heat pump news.
And don’t forget: Jeff St. John is talking data centers and the power grid in a webinar next Tuesday. Sign up here.
DOE officials place certain contract workers on unpaid leave, including at least 18 at the Loan Programs Office, and tell Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy staffers that a return-to-office order is imminent. (Latitude Media)
The Trump administration moves to end key implementation measures within the National Environmental Policy Act, which has long been the bedrock of environmental review processes for infrastructure and energy projects. (Heatmap)
CRITICAL MINERALS
Lithium and other minerals needed for batteries, solar panels, and other clean energy products will likely become harder to access and more expensive in the U.S. thanks to tariffs on China, which refines more than 90% of the world’s rare earth elements. (Associated Press)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
Ten new electric vehicle battery factories are set to open this year in the U.S., potentially doubling the country’s EV battery manufacturing capacity in just a year if federal incentive setbacks don’t derail progress. (Inside Climate News)
EV maker Rivian turns its first gross profit but forecasts declining sales in 2025 amid federal policy uncertainty and the potential for canceled EV tax credits. (CNBC)
CLIMATE
At least 10 climate-related USAID programs have been shut down amid the Trump administration’s gutting of the agency, including initiatives to bring clean energy and efficiency measures to southern Africa and Nepal. (E&E News)
NUCLEAR
Federal tax credits for shuttered nuclear plant restarts face uncertainty based on unanswered questions in recent U.S. Treasury Department guidelines, attorneys say. (Utility Dive)
GRID
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission votes to launch a review of data center co-location policy within PJM’s territory. (RTO Insider)
FOSSIL FUELS
The federal Bureau of Land Management strips analysis of environmental justice and climate costs from a Biden-era review of a Permian Basin oil and gas lease sale held this week. (Inside Climate News)
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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