POLITICO Energy

This week, President Donald Trump suffered two legal defeats that could disrupt his goal of stopping or repealing climate and infrastructure spending approved by Congress during the Biden administration. POLITICO’s Alex Guillén breaks down the judges’ rulings and the next phase of this legal fight. Plus, the Army Corps of Engineers is granting fast-tracked permitting for the Line 5 oil and fuel pi...

EPA administrator Lee Zeldin has emerged as one of the most outspoken and visible champions for President Donald Trump – and MAGA world is taking notice. POLITICO’s Josh Siegel and Hannah Northey trace how Zeldin rose from a pro-climate Republican to one of Trump’s most public disruptors. Plus, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday against environmental groups who alleged that permits the Energy D...

The oil industry was a big supporter of President Donald Trump in the campaign, but now his economic policies are threatening their profits andcould hit U.S. production. POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre breaks down how Trump is testing the oil industry’s patience. Plus, the Government Accountability Office found in a new report that the federal agencies charged with overseeing U.S. offshore wind developmen...

President Donald Trump’s early moves have sparked fears that the United States will suffer a brain drain of scientists, researchers and scientific programs. Experts are warning that if there is a brain drain, that could hurt America’s reputation as a beacon of scientific inquiry — it could even impact the US economy. POLITICO's Zack Colman breaks down what Trump is doing and the potential impacts....

Four Senate Republicans are joining a growing number of GOP House lawmakers publicly expressing their support for keeping the clean energy tax credits in Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act. POLITICO’s Josh Siegel, who obtained the letter with those lawmakers’ position, breaks down why there’s a growing number of Republicans defending the IRA’s green incentives and how this could set up an intra-pa...

President Donald Trump signed four executive orders earlier this week aimed at reviving America’s ailing coal industry. POLITICO’s Cat Morehouse breaks down how Trump is trying to save the coal industry and the potential impacts on America's energy sector. Plus, the Trump administration is canceling funding for the U.S. Global Change Research Program, the entity that produces the federal governmen...

President Donald Trump’s new suite of tariffs, along with his threats to repeal clean energy tax credits, could undermine efforts to build power generation in the United States and his own policy promises. POLITICO’s Cat Morehouse breaks down why Trump’s tariff and tax policies could derail efforts to boost US power supply. Plus, President Trump signed four executive orders on Tuesday aimed at rev...

The economic outlook for the oil and gas industry has darkened because of President Donald Trump’s new tariffs. But so far, there’s been no public outcry from people within the industry – at least for now. POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre breaks down why that’s the case, what people are really saying behind the scenes and how there may be more pain to come for the industry. Plus, EPA has approved Occidenta...

President Donald Trump’s new sweeping tariffs could hurt U.S solar energy developers while industries that import critical minerals appear to be spared – at least for now. POLITICO’s Kelsey Tamborrino and James Bikales break down how Trump’s tariffs may impact the US solar industry and the critical mineral industry, which are both key to America’s renewable energy future. Plus, the Senate Parliame...

The Trump administration is exempting a number of energy-related items from its sweeping list of tariffs on imports. Still, energy markets crumbled on Thursday in response to the president’s tariff announcement with the long-term outlook for the sector remaining unclear. POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre breaks down the short-term and long-term impact of President Trump’s tariffs on the energy sector. Plus,...

The Trump administration hit a legal roadblock this week in its attempt to revoke billions of dollars in congressionally approved climate funding as part of Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act. POLITICO’s Alex Guillén breaks down the latest in the courtroom saga and what this means for the Trump administration’s broader attack on congressionally approved climate funding. Plus, Senate Republicans on...

As the chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) is tasked with creating legislation to help solve President Donald Trump’s “energy emergency” and unleash his energy dominance agenda – even if he and the president have some differences when it comes to energy policy. POLITICO’s Josh Siegel breaks down why Westerman is such a key figure to the Trump administratio...

The electric utility that owns Puerto Rico’s power grid is facing significant financial troubles, which is threatening to drive up the power bills for the millions of American citizens who are already dealing with the territory’s shaky energy system. POLITICO’s Gloria Gonzalez breaks down Puerto Rico’s short-term and long-term energy problems and how they affect every aspect of life for the territ...

President Donald Trump plans to impose a 25 percent tariff on all imported autos and auto parts starting this week. It’s a controversial move that Trump argues will help domestic car manufacturers, but experts and US trade partners say it could hurt the industry and global economy. POLITICO’s Doug Palmer breaks down the details of the move and the potential impacts. Plus, the SEC is officially end...

President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order that aims to rapidly expand US critical mineral production. POLITICO’s James Bikales breaks down the details of the order, along with the reaction and potential impact. Plus, the Trump administration moves to approve the use of public lands for potential carbon sequestration and alert companies to a possible “presidential exemption” from ai...

POLITICO is exclusively reporting that the Energy Department is considering cutting funding for multiple clean energy projects primarily in Democratic states while still maintaining funding for similar hydrogen projects in Republican states. POLITICO’s Zack Colman breaks down the scale of the potential cuts and the questions they would raise if enacted. Plus, a new survey  Zack Colman covers clim...

The Supreme Court Tuesday heard arguments in a case about a procedural but important legal question: when the Environmental Protection Agency writes rules under the Clean Air Act and then a lawsuit is filed, where should that legal fight take place? POLITICO’s Alex Guillén breaks down the case and how the high court's ruling could significantly impact future EPA regulations. Alex Guillén is an en...

Even though the Trump administration is hitting legal obstacles in its attempt to revoke the funding from a $20 billion Biden-era climate program, its efforts are still disrupting former President Joe Biden’s clean energy efforts. POLITICO’s Zack Colman breaks down how Trump is gutting Biden’s green agenda without even winning the legal battle. Plus, President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to...

POLITICO exclusively reported that Energy Department officials are creating a “hit list” of Biden-era clean energy projects that the Trump administration could terminate. It’s potentially the largest effort to date targeting the Biden administration’s climate achievements. POLITICO’s Kelsey Tamborrino breaks down which projects might be targeted and the Trump administration’s plans moving forward....

While oil industry executives are generally supportive of the Trump administration, they met with President Donald Trump this week and raised concerns about how his trade policies could negatively impact their businesses. POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre breaks down what we know about that meeting, oil executives’ concerns, and how Trump’s tariffs are already leaving a mark on the industry. Plus, FERC Chai...

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to reclaim more than $20 billion in climate grants awarded under the Biden administration. The ruling is a setback for the Trump administration, which is moving to dismantle President Joe Biden’s clean energy agenda. POLITICO’s Zack Colman breaks down the ruling’s impact on Trump’s EPA and the grantee recipients,...

Developers, grid experts and clean energy advocates are pushing the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress to quickly get behind a buildout of new transmission infrastructure in order to meet America’s rising electricity demand. POLITICO’s Catherine Morehouse breaks down the urgent need for transmission in the US, the Trump administration’s plans to address this issue, and how...

Oil and gas executives have been big backers of President Donald Trump and his energy dominance agenda. But the trade fights Trump has triggered are set to drive up costs for oil and gas companies. POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre, who was at CERAWeek last week, breaks down how the oil industry is feeling about Trump behind closed doors. Plus, the Trump administration said it would disburse nearly $57 mill...

The Trump administration is pushing to terminate the Department of Defense’s climate efforts as part of its broader effort to eliminate “waste” at federal agencies. But some experts say that move could hurt military readiness and operations. Scott Waldman from POLITICO’s E&E News breaks down DOD’s push and how it could potentially backfire on the Pentagon. Plus, the Department of Energy late last...

Critical minerals are having a bipartisan moment in Washington right now, leading to cautious optimism that Republicans and Democrats can push through legislation to reduce U.S. reliance on China for the raw materials. POLITICO’s James Bikales breaks down why there’s momentum and what tangible progress could be made. Plus, two top EPA nominees advanced out of committee on Thursday on party-line vo...