Batteries crush expectations

This roundup of U.S. energy news headlines is part of our Canary Media Daily newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each morning.

EMISSIONS

• President Trump moves to significantly weaken Biden-era fuel economy rules, a proposal that would lower the fleetwide average for light-duty vehicles from 50.4 miles per gallon in 2031 to 34.5 miles per gallon. (Associated Press)

CLEAN ENERGY

• A combined 11.7 GW of utility-scale solar, battery storage, and wind power capacity came online in the U.S. from July through September, setting a third-quarter deployment record. (American Clean Power)

PERMITTING

• The National Petroleum Council calls for energy permitting reform and a gas and electric infrastructure buildout to help meet growing demand. (Utility Dive)

NUCLEAR

• South Korea and the U.S. will form a joint venture to help the U.S. secure fuel for nuclear power plants, setting a path for Korea to once again enrich uranium after a treaty blocked the practice for decades. (New York Times)

INVESTMENT

• A new Boston Consulting Group analysis finds sustainability is the global economy’s second-fastest growing sector, with investments in energy supply, transportation, and climate adaptation all on track for significant growth by 2030. (Semafor)

BUILDINGS

• The Department of Energy moves to revoke the Biden administration’s definition of a zero-emissions building and stop providing technical assistance on the topic. (E&E News)

GRID

• Texas grid operator ERCOT has 226 GW of large-load customers in its interconnection queue as of November, nearly quadruple what it had at the end of 2024, largely thanks to an uptick in data center requests. (Latitude Media)