** Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and John Curtis (R-Utah) place holds on three Treasury Department nominees, escalating their fight against the Trump administration’s clampdown on wind and solar tax credit use. ** A Mississippi mayor confirms Elon Musk’s xAI company has purchased a defunct Duke Energy gas-fired power plant to provide energy to the company’s …
Category: EPA
Energy briefs
** U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum orders agencies to factor in proposed solar or wind projects’ per-acre energy generating capacity relative to fossil fuels during permitting — a move that could halt new renewables development on federal lands. ** Colorado Gov. Jared Polis orders state agencies to streamline and accelerate clean energy permitting to allow …
New Mexico Senator demands explanation over cancellation of loan to Grain Belt Express project
The Trump administration’s recent decision to cancel a nearly $5 billion federal loan guarantee for the Grain Belt Express transmission project from Kansas to Indiana caught the attention of one Democrat in the U.S. Senate. New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources …
Williams out with Sustainability Report
Williams is out with its latest Sustainability Report which offers a review of the firm’s environmental and safety performance and management and details of the company’s efforts on social and governance topics for the 2024 reporting year. The Tulsa-based natural gas firm said its 2024 carbon emissions rate was flat, it became the …
Energy briefs
** The Trump administration moves to defund the Chemical Safety Board, which environmental and community advocates worry will leave a regulatory gap in the oversight of hundreds of petrochemical plants along the Gulf Coast. ** Ford’s vehicle sales rose 14% to more than 612,000 in the last quarter, according to earnings that bested analysts’ expectations. …
Kansas Attorney General wants Justice Department investigation of Chinese energy group
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach says it’s time the Justice Department began an investigation of a Chinese energy organization he contends is carrying out “environmental lawfare,” or the filing of environmental lawsuits and court actions. He wrote US Attorney General Pam Bondi this week asking her to begin a probe of The Energy …
Energy briefs
** The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued an emergency order under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act to address potential reliability concerns in the Mid-Atlantic power grid. The order was requested by PJM Interconnection (PJM) to allow the Wagner Generating Station in Maryland to operate beyond its normal limits if necessary. ** A Senate committee …
EPA administrator pushes total reversal of Biden’s EV mandates
The Trump administration is getting serious about reversing some of the green energy efforts of the former Biden administration, announcing this week it intends to reverse efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles all in the name of fighting climate change. Environmental Protection Agency Administration Lee Zeldin told an audience this …
Energy briefs
** Liquefied natural gas developers led gains for U.S. energy companies in early trading on Monday, after the European Union pledged $750 billion worth in strategic purchases as part of a sweeping trade pact. ** Chevron said it plans to lay off almost 600 Houston workers as part of its monumental acquisition of Hess. Around 575 …
Energy briefs
** Out of nowhere as far as many were concerned, the U.S. Department of Agriculture canceled an important application window for its Rural Energy for America Program, which could send thousands of small farms and business owners scrambling. Canary Media reported that this wasn’t some scheduling hiccup; it was the last chance many had to finance clean energy projects …