** The Trump administration issued an order Wednesday to stop construction on a major offshore wind project to power more than 500,000 New York homes, the latest in a series of moves targeting the industry. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said it needs further review because it appears the Biden administration rushed the approval.
** The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has decided to fast-track permits for building a protective tunnel around an aging Enbridge oil pipeline that runs beneath a channel connecting two Great Lakes, stoking environmentalists’ fears that the project will escape scrutiny, damage the sensitive region and perpetuate fossil fuel use.
** Louisiana regulators vote 3-2 to dismantle an independently operated statewide energy efficiency program that’s been in development for 14 years, outraging critics who say the vote was announced with little notice and will raise energy costs.
** A Texas company partners with Microsoft on a proposed $800 million carbon capture facility at a Louisiana port.
** As the Trump administration moves to dismantle environmental rules around coal, U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin says the agency will enable states to take over regulation and permitting of toxic coal ash disposal.
** Texas lawmakers consider a bill to require oil and gas companies to notify landowners before burying toxic waste on their property.
World
** Poland has made it easier to build onshore wind farms, speeding up its transition to a cleaner energy source. According to Reuters, the Polish government approved legislation to ease regulations for building onshore wind farms.
** Chinese automaker BYD’s latest electric vehicle charging tech has jolted the company’s stock price. The attention is worth it if Tesla’s largest global competitor can pull off what it claims to have achieved: a 249-mile range on only a five-minute charge, according to the Guardian.
** Australia just achieved an incredible milestone in its energy transition. Renewable power delivered almost half of the country’s electricity during the final quarter of 2024, according to data from the Australian Energy Market Operator, The Guardian reported.