California’s all-electric moves

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.

COAL

• The Trump administration orders the Centralia coal plant in Washington to continue operating beyond its scheduled Dec. 31 closure — even though a state law requires utilities to stop burning coal at the end of the year. (Seattle Times)

• Global coal demand reached a record high this year, but will begin to decline by 2030, the International Energy Agency finds. (news release)

• The U.S. House passes a bill that would give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission new authority to order power plants to keep running past their retirement — a move aimed at keeping coal-fired power plants online. (E&E News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Sixteen states and the District of Columbia sue the Trump administration for withholding more than $2 billion in funding for EV charging infrastructure. (Associated Press)

NUCLEAR

• The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission approves the Tennessee Valley Authority’s plans to extend the life of Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Alabama for another 20 years, allowing it to operate until the 2050s. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

PERMITTING

• A House committee votes to send the SPEED Act permitting reform bill to the floor after GOP leaders struck an agreement with far-right Republicans that could remove previous protections for already-issued offshore wind project permits. (E&E News)

AFFORDABILITY

• The National Energy Assistance Directors Association predicts U.S. home heating prices will rise an average of 9.2% this winter, about three times the rate of inflation, thanks to rising gas and electricity prices and cold conditions. (New York Times, news release)

GRID

• Workers at Hitachi Energy’s plant in Virginia require years to train and then four to six weeks to build an electrical transformer, with the manual precision and specialty materials required for the job slowing production at a time when the equipment is in high demand. (Wall Street Journal)

SOLAR

• Solar manufacturer T1 Energy breaks ground on its factory in Texas that, when in full production, could double the U.S.’s current capacity to manufacture silicon solar cells. (Axios)

• Solar companies face a ​“mad rush” to install panels before federal tax credits expire, causing installation delays that could cause many customers to miss out on the incentives. (The Verge)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Oil executives praise President Trump for slashing environmental regulations and expanding drilling opportunities despite low oil prices, the cost of tariffs, and the administration’s wild policy swings. (E&E News)

NEW FROM CANARY

• California’s plan to boost plug-in heat pumps and induction stoves — Alison F. Takemura

• Nippon Steel’s U.S. investments​‘at a crossroads’ — Alexander C. Kaufman

• Texas’ energy market redesign could leave battery developers in limbo — Julian Spector

• North Carolina training site pairs sheep grazing with solar. — Elizabeth Ouzts

• Climate group files complaint against global steel giant ArcelorMittal — Maria Gallucci