Coal ash regulatory rollback, Iran war racks up billions in fuel costs, and more headlines

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 announces it will roll back a 2024 rule requiring companies to monitor coal ash storage sites at inactive power plants, which environmental advocates say will threaten water supplies for millions of people. (New York Times, Guardian)

• Three coal plants ordered by the Trump administration to stay open past their scheduled retirements at the end of 2025 didn’t end up generating power in January. (E&E News)

MIDDLE EAST ENERGY SHOCK

• War in Iran has cost the U.S. roughly $17 billion in increased gasoline and diesel prices so far, racking up an extra $129 in charges to the average household. (Heatmap)

• President Donald Trump says Iran isn’t living up to the two countries’ ceasefire agreement and letting fossil fuel tankers travel through the Strait of Hormuz. (NPR)

DATA CENTERS

• Maine lawmakers pass a bill that would block development of data centers larger than 20 MW until November 2027, a measure that would be the first statewide ban of its kind if it becomes law. (Maine Morning Star)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Volkswagen announces it will cease production of electric vehicles at its Tennessee factory and instead focus on gasoline-fueled models that sell at a higher volume. (Chattanooga Times Free Press, New York Times)

• Experts say vehicle-to-grid technology can defer the need for expensive power grid upgrades, but the industry lacks standardized data-sharing protocols that are limiting its potential. (Utility Dive)

OFFSHORE WIND

• Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D) sends a letter to TotalEnergies outlining legal concerns over the company’s deal to give up its offshore wind leases off New York and North Carolina in exchange for nearly $1 billion from the federal government. (E&E News)

PIPELINES

• A proposed 647-mile pipeline from the Canadian border through Montana and Wyoming resembles plans for the failed Keystone XL pipeline project, and would likely connect with Midwest pipelines to the Gulf Coast, critics say. (Inside Climate News)