Federal energy loans on pause

POLITICS: The Trump administration freezes conditional loans that had not yet been finalized by the Department of Energy, jeopardizing billions of dollars in financing for various clean energy projects, and follows the move by pausing all federal grants and loans. (E&E News, subscription; CNN)

ALSO: The U.S. Senate confirms Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has touted an economic plan that relies on expanding oil production. (CNN)

OIL & GAS:

• Oil industry executives celebrate President Trump’s executive orders to stymie the renewables industry and boost fossil fuels, but say they’re unlikely to ramp up production unless oil prices rise. (New York Times)
• The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission withdraws a draft policy that would’ve required the board to consider greenhouse gas emissions as part of natural gas infrastructure project reviews. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• Federal regulators reinstate their approval of a natural gas pipeline expansion in Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, declining to assess the possible impact of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the project. (Utility Dive)
• Workers at one of Houston’s largest oil refineries begin receiving layoff notices as the plant’s owner prepares to close it permanently amid a global shift toward fuel-efficient and electric vehicles. (Houston Chronicle)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Electric vehicle sales hit another record in 2024, but uncertainty looms as the Trump administration rolls back manufacturing and purchase incentives and environmental regulations. (Canary Media)
• Auto dealers and other industry representatives say the billions of dollars of investment planned in electric vehicle manufacturing in Michigan will help the state prepare for the future, regardless of President Trump’s hostility toward the industry. (Associated Press)

OFFSHORE WIND:

• Trump’s executive orders threaten offshore wind manufacturing and supply chain investments, of which more than 64% are in Republican congressional districts. (Canary Media)
• Trump’s anti-wind executive order will likely pause three of the four offshore wind developments in progress off the coast of New Jersey, experts say. (New Jersey Monitor)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: Democratic-led states’ integration of environmental justice in energy permitting decisions will remain a backstop as the Trump administration looks to remove equity from federal decision-making. (E&E News)

TRANSITION: Kentucky officials proceed with an $800 million plan to convert reclaimed mountaintop removal mines into seven housing developments across four counties with the goal of relocating residents from places that were devastated by flooding in 2022. (New York Times)