Can heat pumps help everyone?

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.

POLITICS

• Senate Republicans push back on the House GOP’s aggressive proposed cuts to clean energy tax credits released earlier this week, arguing that the plan would lead to job losses in their districts and harm the development of nuclear and geothermal energy. (Politico)

• President Donald Trump says Saudi Arabia will invest $600 billion in U.S. industries including critical minerals, AI, and energy. (Politico)

POLICY

• Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey introduces a $10 billion plan aimed at reducing energy bills by capping monthly bill increases, exploring new generation and storage options, and allowing customers to pay for heat pumps and weatherization over time with a charge on their utility bill. (Boston.com)

SOLAR

• The solar industry prepares a lobbying blitz following the House GOP budget proposal that would gut clean energy incentives, its latest attempt to preserve the tax credits that have helped solar installations grow rapidly. (Latitude Media)

• Construction starts on a $500 million, 430 MW solar project in southeastern Missouri that will boost the state’s solar capacity by nearly 50%. (Construction Dive)

• Vermont announces plans to use $22 million in federal Solar for All funding to install solar panels on low-income housing, even as legislation in Washington, D.C. threatens to repeal the grant program. (VTDigger)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Electric vehicles accounted for more than 20% of new cars sold last year and are forecast to make up 25% this year, led mostly by growth in China and Europe as the outlook for the U.S. remains uncertain due to policy headwinds. (IEA)

• Vermont Gov. Phil Scott pauses enforcement of rules that require an escalating proportion of the new cars automakers sell in the state to be electric, saying the target of 35% for 2026 is unrealistic. (Seven Days)

• Honda Canada says it will postpone a $10.7 billion EV manufacturing investment plan in Ontario for around two years due to a recent slowdown in the sector. (Associated Press)

• General Motors says it will deploy lithium manganese-rich batteries on the next generation of its electric trucks and SUVs, allowing the automaker to increase the range of its EVs while lowering prices. (Axios)

NUCLEAR

• EnergySolutions, the owner of the Kewaunee Power Station, is exploring plans to reopen the Wisconsin nuclear power plant that was shuttered in 2013. (Wisconsin Public Radio)

• The White House considers draft executive orders that would overhaul the independent Nuclear Regulatory Commission and centralize nuclear power regulation under the Department of Energy, a move industry experts say could hurt the industry more than help it. (E&E News)

GRID

• Texas’ grid operator says energy use could surge to 84 GW today as temperatures soar into the mid-90s, but solar power will ensure the grid remains stable despite coal and gas plant outages. (Houston Chronicle)

• Developers begin construction on the Utah portion of the TransWest Express transmission project, which is designed to carry Wyoming wind power to the Southwest. (RTO Insider)

FOSSIL FUELS

• The U.S. Interior Department implements an expedited oil and gas leasing policy aimed at encouraging drilling on federal land and putting the U.S. on ​“a fast track to Energy Dominance.” (news release)

• Analysts say rising financial costs and political uncertainty are leading oil and gas producers to take a ​“wait and see” approach to new drilling projects off the Gulf Coast. (Workboat)