Climate action is up to states. Trump wants to stop them.

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This week, Trump signed several more executive orders meant to advance his pro–fossil fuel, ​“energy dominance” agenda. Among them was a directive to Attorney General Pam Bondi to ​“identify and take action against state laws and policies that burden the use of domestic energy resources.”

That could be a big problem for climate progress in the U.S., because under Trump, states and cities have become the country’s most promising venues for clean energy action.

Trump named some of those state policies as prime targets in the executive order. That includes New York and Vermont’s climate ​“Superfund” laws, which require oil and gas companies to pay for damages caused by fossil fuel burning. New York taxpayers paid about $2.2 billion for climate-related repairs and projects in 2023, an analysis by the New York Public Interest Research Group found — costs the state’s Superfund could help cover. Trump referred to these policies as ​“extortion laws.”

California’s expansive cap-and-trade program was also called out in Trump’s order. Under the policy, entities like power plants and large manufacturers that are responsible for most of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions have to either reduce their climate impacts or pay for emissions ​“allowances.” Available allowances drop every year — and so have the state’s emissions. Other states and multistate coalitions have adopted or are considering similar cap-and-invest programs.

Trump’s order goes on to demand action against policies that mention ​“climate change,” ​“environmental justice,” and ​“greenhouse gas” emissions, effectively putting hundreds of state climate laws and clean-electricity targets in the Justice Department’s crosshairs.

Legal experts are skeptical that Trump can cast such a wide net. Michael Gerrard, faculty director of Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, told E&E News that the order is ​“toothless” and that state judges likely wouldn’t support its implementation. TD Cowen Washington Research Group meanwhile said it sees ​“no real constitutional or preemption risk” to state clean-electricity standards, carbon trading programs, or low-carbon fuel standards.

But climate-minded state leaders and environmental advocates are still taking the threat seriously. A bipartisan coalition of 24 governors pledged in a statement to defend their state policies against federal overreach. And as Evergreen Action advocate Justin Balik told E&E News, it’s hard not to be worried when the country’s best hope at climate action is at stake.

More big energy stories

Trump’s coal order has a dangerous side effect

President Trump’s other executive orders were aimed at reinvigorating the coal industry and include measures to keep retiring coal plants open and expand mining on federal lands. The orders come just after the administration moved to lay off federal occupational health workers and close mine safety offices in Appalachian coal country.

Energy executives and environmentalists alike say it’s highly unlikely Trump’s actions will rescue the industry, given that both fossil gas and renewables have emerged as cheaper power sources. But the orders still set up a dangerous precedent, Canary Media’s Jeff St. John reports. One of the directives instructs Energy Secretary Chris Wright to give his department sole control over grid-reliability decisions, which will allow it to unilaterally decide to keep uneconomical fossil-fuel plants open.

Clean power had a big March — and year

March was a big month for clean power in the U.S., according to new data from Ember. Solar, wind, nuclear, hydropower, biofuels and other renewables made up 51% of power generation last month, while fossil fuels accounted for 49%. It’s the first time fossil fuels accounted for less than half of the country’s power generation over a whole month.

It’s worth noting that this happened during the spring, when power demand lulls as people turn off their heat but don’t yet need air conditioning, Dan McCarthy reports for Canary Media. But the U.S. didn’t see numbers like these a year ago or in any past shoulder season.

Another report from Ember out this week shows clean power is also making progress around the globe. The world used clean power to meet more than 40% of its electricity demand last year as solar and other renewable energy sources saw record growth.

Clean energy news to know this week

Tariff flip-flop: President Trump announces a 90-day pause on implementing his ​“reciprocal” tariffs but preserves levies on China, which dominates U.S. solar and battery component imports. (CNN)

Omitting emissions reporting: The U.S. EPA reportedly plans to virtually eliminate the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program by ending emissions-reporting requirements for power plants, refineries, and dozens of other types of industrial facilities. (ProPublica)

Ship happens: The Trump administration looks to block an international effort to place a carbon tax on shipping and promises ​“reciprocal measures” to shield U.S. ships from charges. (Politico)

Crushing clean innovation: The Department of Energy is reportedly looking to shut down its Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, which has helped launch emerging technologies like clean hydrogen and carbon capture. (Latitude Media)

A new electric pickup? Jeff Bezos and other wealthy investors are backing a secretive EV startup called Slate Auto that aims to start producing a low-cost two-seat electric pickup truck by next year. (TechCrunch)

Piloting cleaner homes: A first-of-its-kind pilot to provide Massachusetts homes with solar panels, heat pumps, and batteries could be a model for decarbonizing low- and moderate-income households around the country. (Canary Media)

Clean-steel shutdown: The Trump administration wants to eliminate a program that includes a $500 million grant to help an Ohio steel-production facility in Vice President JD Vance’s hometown replace its coal-fired blast furnaces with a cleaner-burning electric model. (CNN)

Anyway, the wind blows: Construction quietly gets underway on the Empire Wind farm off New York, despite widespread opposition from conservative groups and Trump’s claims he will end all new offshore wind activity. (Canary Media)