** President Donald Trump named David Rosner as chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, where he has served since mid-2025 as a commissioner, the agency said
** In 2024, the United States exported about 30% of its domestic primary energy production. Nearly all of the exports were fossil fuels destined for other countries in North America, Europe, or Asia. The United States set multiple records for energy production and exports in 2024.
** Pipe manufacturer Welspun Tubular LLC announced a $150 million expansion at its Little Rock Port facility, creating 300 jobs, Arkansas Business reports. The new facility will be the only one in the U.S. capable of producing line pipes ranging from 6 inches to 56 inches.
** The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)officially kicked off President Trump’s Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program, announcing DOE will initially work with 11 advanced reactor projects to move their technologies towards deployment. DOE will work with industry on these 11 projects, with the goal to construct, operate, and achieve criticality of at least three test reactors using the DOE authorization process by July 4, 2026.
** The U.S. Interior Department plans to fast-track permitting for the Black Butte Coal Company’s proposed mine expansion in southwestern Wyoming.
** An investigation finds Pacific Gas & Electric may be unable to repay nearly half of a $1.4 billion California loan to keep the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant running beyond its retirement date.
** Truck manufacturers file a lawsuit seeking to block the industry’s 2023 agreement with California to increase sales of zero-emissions vehicles, citing Congress’s rescission of the state’s clean truck rule.
** Emergency barriers protecting Alaska’s capital city of Juneau appear to be holding as summer glacial flooding driven by climate change threatens to inundate the area.
** The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has issued a harrowing warning on the dangerously low water levels in Lake Powell, which could drop below critical levels as early as 2026. Water levels at the man-made reservoir in the southwest may approach the “minimum power pool” elevation of 3,500 feet by December of next year, potentially halting hydroelectric production at the Glen Canyon Dam, according to AZ Family. Minimum power pool represents the lowest elevation at which water can still pass through the turbines of a dam.
World
** Ed Miliband’s net zero push has helped a French energy giant win a legal battle to decommission a key North Sea energy hub – killing off five oil fields in the process. On Tuesday, Paris-based TotalEnergies won a High Court victory to close the Gryphon floating production platform which is anchored 200 miles north-east of Aberdeen.
** The global race to develop zero-emission vehicles often gives rise to misleading and false claims. One recent example claims that Toyota, the world’s largest car manufacturer, has unveiled a one-of-a-kind engine that uses water as fuel, eliminating the need for lithium batteries or charging stations. But Toyota told AFP Fact Check that the claim is false. Experts also pointed out that this concept is extremely inefficient and technically unfeasible.
** Some scientists think these changes are pushing the Amazon toward a “tipping point” where the lush rainforest could transform into drier grassland. But other researchers disagree.In a new study published Aug. 1 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, scientists revisited the Amazon’s uncertain future.
** Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) will phase out its 6-inch wafer manufacturing business over the next two years and continue consolidating its 8-inch wafer production capacity to improve efficiency, the company said on Tuesday.
** France, Germany and Britain have written to the United Nations to say they are ready to reinstate sanctions on Iran if it does not return to negotiations with the international community over its nuclear programme.