Farmers face clean energy fallout

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.

DATA CENTERS

• At an AI summit in Pittsburgh today, President Trump is expected to tout $70 billion in AI and energy investments from private firms, including grid upgrades by utility First Energy and nuclear announcements from Westinghouse. (Semafor)

• Google announces a $25 billion investment plan for data center and AI infrastructure in the PJM region ahead of the Pittsburgh summit, as well as a plan to spend $3 billion modernizing Pennsylvania hydropower plants to better meet demand from AI. (CNBC)

• Meta’s increasingly ambitious AI datacenter plans could require at least 2 gigawatts of new gas-fired power plants, despite the company’s net-zero commitments. (Heatmap)

NUCLEAR

• A Department of Government Efficiency representative reportedly told high-level Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials in May to ​“rubber stamp” new nuclear reactor designs. (Politico)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Two-thirds of California’s power came from carbon-free sources in 2023, according to newly released state data. (news release)

FOSSIL FUELS

• More than 20 GW of coal capacity is currently set to retire in the U.S. by the end of 2028, though the outlook is clouded by the Trump administration’s push to keep aging coal plants open. (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

• Ammonia producer CF Industries says it’s partnering with Exxon Mobile to use carbon captured from its Louisiana operations for enhanced oil recovery on an ​“interim basis.” (E&E News)

STATE POLICY

• Oregon’s legislature passes a first-in-the-nation framework for microgrids, which aims to make it easier for communities to create local networks of solar, batteries, and generators that can run independent of the grid. (Utility Dive)

HEAT PUMPS

• Window-unit heat pumps tested in New York City public housing perform well on key metrics like cost, ease of installation, and customer satisfaction, a new report finds. (Heatmap)

CRITICAL MINERALS

• Copper prices are surging following Trump’s announcement of 50% tariffs on imports of the crucial metal, spurring a race to bring online the first new U.S. copper mine in over a decade. (Wall Street Journal)