Trump’s day-one energy moves

President Trump was sworn in Monday, and immediately got to work signing executive orders targeting climate action, wind power, electric vehicles and other priorities of the previous administration.

One of Trump’s biggest moves was to declare a national emergency on energy, noting that power demand is growing and that the country needs to move quickly to meet it. The move unlocks strong executive powers that Trump said he’d use to encourage fossil fuel production — and could open him up to legal challenges if he can’t prove there’s a true energy emergency.

To address the declared emergency, Trump ordered federal agencies to review policies that “burden the development of domestic energy resources” and dismantle them as soon as possible.

But the growing need for energy at home didn’t stop Trump from ending a freeze on permitting for liquefied natural gas exports. And at the same time, Trump also halted federal permitting for new wind projects, even though the industry added 5 GW of new power capacity to the grid last year.

Trump also froze unspent federal subsidies for EV purchases and for automakers to build EV and battery factories, taking away a big incentive for manufacturers and consumers to move away from gas-powered cars.

All of these day-one orders have a clear beneficiary: the fossil fuel industry. But as pollution continues to drive climate change, communities on the front lines of worsening winter storms, hurricanes and wildlifes won’t be sharing in the win.

‍

More clean energy news

‍

🔋 Clean energy first: A group of young conservative climate advocates say President-elect Trump’s return to office creates an opportunity for an “America-First” climate strategy to “win the clean energy arms race.” (Grist)

‍

🇺🇲 Getting nonpolitical: Experts say focusing on “nonpolitical” benefits like grid resilience and energy security will help expand virtual power plants during the upcoming Trump administration. (Utility Dive)

‍

🚗 Tesla’s paradox: Although Tesla CEO Elon Musk is leading Trump’s charge to slash government programs, his company has received $10.7 billion from federal climate credits over the last decade, according to securities filings. (E&E News)

‍

🐑 A wooly good pairing: A 900 MW Texas solar farm uses roughly 3,000 sheep to maintain vegetation at its 4,000-acre site, illustrating a broader trend pairing livestock with solar energy development across the U.S. (Associated Press)

‍

💸 Last loans: In what could be a final Inflation Reduction Act disbursement, the Department of Energy announced $22.4 billion in conditional loans for utilities to help cut emissions and bolster the grid. (Canary Media)

‍

🐄 Cleaning up co-ops: A $6 billion round of funding announced by the USDA last week will help rural electric co-ops around the country develop new clean energy resources. (Canary Media)

‍

Plus, some confirmation hearing updates

• EPA administrator nominee Lee Zeldin struggled to answer questions about environmental issues, including climate change, during his confirmation hearing, but pledged to uphold the agency’s mission and “foster a collaborative culture” supportive of career staff. (New York Times)
• Interior nominee Doug Bergum continued the Trump administration’s “energy dominance” theme during his confirmation hearing and indicated his support for expanded fossil fuel development as well as new transmission lines, but suggested climate change can be addressed with yet-unproven carbon capture. (E&E News)
• Energy secretary nominee Chris Wright said he will support all forms of energy while scrutinizing the DOE’s loan office, and acknowledged the “global challenge” of climate change but said addressing energy poverty is more important. (E&E News)

‍