DOE’s clean energy ​‘hit list’

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.

FEDERAL FUNDING

• A leaked U.S. Energy Department ​“hit list” reveals the federally funded clean energy projects the Trump administration is considering cancelling. (Heated)

• Documents show that Trump administration officials were aware that their basis for canceling dozens of U.S. EPA grants was flawed. (Washington Post)

PERMITTING

• Congressional leaders revisit energy permitting reform ideas, though with Republicans in power, Democrats may need to sacrifice decades-old environmental laws to make a deal. (E&E News)

SOLAR

• Rural lawmakers and counties defeat a Virginia bill that sought to reform solar permitting and prohibit ​“unreasonable” local restrictions that developers say are becoming more common. (Inside Climate News)

• New York Power Authority acquires full ownership of a planned 20-MW solar installation, the first project under the agency’s strategic plan to bring 3 GW of renewable capacity online following a 2023 law directing it to build public renewables. (News10)

• South Carolina lawmakers advance legislation that would require many small and mid-sized solar projects to get state approval from state regulators under a system meant for large-scale projects. (The State)

GRID

• Grid operator PJM receives 94 applications representing 26.6 GW of capacity for its new expedited interconnection process aimed at quickly getting more generation online to help rein in high prices. (RTO Insider)

• Two former FERC commissioners say President Trump’s executive order on independent agencies could delay the agency’s transmission planning and interconnection reform processes. (Utility Dive)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Hyundai celebrates the opening of its new $7.6 billion electric vehicle factory in Georgia and announces plans to increase its production capacity by two-thirds to 500,000 vehicles per year. (Associated Press)

• Elon Musk and political groups he supports have spent millions of dollars on the Wisconsin Supreme Court election as Tesla sues to overturn a state law blocking it from opening dealerships there. (Associated Press)

NUCLEAR

• Small modular nuclear reactor startup Oklo says it is on track to deploy its first commercial reactor by late 2027, at the Idaho National Laboratory. (Utility Dive)

• Tennessee’s Republican U.S. senators call on the Trump administration to fire leadership of the Tennessee Valley Authority, accusing the public utility of moving too cautiously on small modular nuclear reactors. (E&E News)

• SMR startup Terrestrial Energy raises $280 million via SPAC amid a slow market for public offerings. (TechCrunch)

WIND

• New England’s grid operator finds the region could connect around 9.6 GW of offshore wind without needing to build costly new infrastructure. (Utility Dive)

• Oklahoma House lawmakers pass legislation to require half-mile setbacks for wind turbines as opponents of the bill say it will take away important revenue from schools and property owners. (Journal Record)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Energy executives express concerns about the oil and gas sector’s outlook in a new Dallas Fed survey, pointing to President Trump’s trade and tariff policies as headwinds. (Reuters)

• A federal judge threw out a lawsuit opposing New York City’s ban on using natural gas in new buildings, suggesting such policies are a viable way for cities to decarbonize buildings. (Grist)

• An Indiana bill that would define natural gas and propane as clean energy sources awaits Gov. Mike Braun’s signature. (Indiana Public Radio)