** The Trump administration will make available $1 billion in funding to accelerate the growth of the U.S. critical minerals and materials sectors, the Energy Department said in a statement on Wednesday.
** Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is revealing more details about his department’s plan to fix the nation’s air traffic control system – and a big part of it is getting the highest performing student in the nation’s control towers. Duffy says his predecessor Pete Buttigieg lowered the standards for new controllers which led to a “washout” of failed candidates at the training academy.
** The Arkansas Public Service Commission (PSC) has rejected rate changes proposed by six electric cooperatives. The PSC found the cooperatives failed to prove their tariff proposals were in the public interest. The cooperatives requesting rate changes included Southwest Arkansas Electric, Woodruff Electric, Clay County Electric, Rich Mountain Electric, South Central Electric, and Petit Jean Electric.
** The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has prepared an environmental assessment for a major project that would upgrade several natural gas pipeline facilities across Pennsylvania. On August 8, 2025, FERC announced that it has prepared an environmental assessment for the ‘Capital Area Project’, which is being proposed by Eastern Gas Transmission and Storage, Inc. (EGTS).
** Facing predictions that electricity demand will grow 32 GW by 2030, grid operator PJM fast-tracks plans to develop rules for connecting data centers and other large loads to the grid while still ensuring the region has enough power.
** Ford announces it will invest nearly $2 billion into building more affordable EVs at its Kentucky assembly plant and to roll out a $30,000 mid-sized electric pickup truck by 2027.
** Wyoming lawmakers call on Congress to pass legislation that would allocate a larger share of federal coal royalties to the state after the federal budget reconciliation bill slashed royalty rates.
** Colorado regulators say contaminants from a December gasoline pipeline spill in the southwestern part of the state are unlikely to reach the Animas River, but residents worry about groundwater impacts.
World
** The International Energy Agency predicts there will be a global supply increase of oil by 2.5 million bpd in 2025. The IEA said the world oil market looks more ‘bloated’ after OPEC+ increase, reported Reuters.
** A Chevron-chartered tanker docked at Venezuelan state company PDVSA’s Jose terminal on Tuesday, positioning it to be the first to export crude to the United States under a new license Chevron received in July, LSEG tracking data showed.
** India aims to allow private firms to mine, import and process uranium as part of plans to end a decades-old state monopoly over the nuclear sector and bring in billions of dollars to boost the industry, two government sources said.
** China’s electricity consumption continues to outpace its gross domestic product (GDP) growth, driven by a shift toward energy-intensive industries and the rapid electrification of transportation and digital infrastructure.
** Romania is now the latest European country to make a big move in the wind energy space, thanks to Danish wind company Vestas. Eurowind Energy has just recently placed a 143-megawatt order with Vestas for three major wind power projects in Romania, Frumusita, Vector, and Pecineaga Northeast.
** GE Appliances plans to shift production of refrigerators, gas ranges and water heaters out of China and Mexico as part of a more than $3 billion investment to expand U.S. operations. The investment announced Wednesday is the second-largest in the company’s history.