Fossil fuels behind carbon capture

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.

MINING

• The U.S. government’s issuing of deep-sea mining permits to The Metals Company conflicts with an international treaty, leaving the startup’s partners abroad wary of continuing their work together. (New York Times)

GRID

• Invenergy looks to connect a gas power plant it’s developing to its Grain Belt Express transmission project, though the development faces mounting opposition from Missouri Republicans. (Axios)

• The Clean Air Task Force releases a roadmap to better grid reliability that centers on better planning as data centers and other big power users come online. (Latitude Media)

• Technosylva, which helps utilities anticipate and mitigate wildfire-related outages, expands its purview to flooding and other weather-related risks. (Latitude Media)

DATA CENTERS

• OpenAI’s Stargate project downgrades its ambitious plans and is now only looking to build one small data center this year, posing a problem for gas and renewables developers whose developments were supposed to power the projects. (Wall Street Journal)

HYDROGEN

• Cleveland-Cliffs’ CEO says its decision to scrap its Middletown, Ohio, hydrogen-based steel project was not motivated by pressure from the Trump administration but instead the limited availability of hydrogen. (Heatmap)

POLITICS

• The Republican megalaw’s impact may ultimately be dictated by Treasury Department decisions and implementation of ​“foreign entities of concern” rules. (E&E News)

RENEWABLES

• Experts say President Trump’s anti-renewables moves are ​“fundamentally distorting the market and the broader transition” toward clean energy. (E&E News)

• Local opposition is a growing problem for wind and solar power development, and experts say passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act could encourage clean energy adversaries to ramp up their opposition. (RTO Insider)

NUCLEAR

• Oak Ridge National Lab plans to partner with startup Atomic Canyon in an attempt to use AI to help streamline nuclear reactor licensing. (Axios)

• Nuclear fusion firms are once again attracting significant funding after a slight lull, with $2.64 billion in private and public investment flowing to fusion projects worldwide over the last 12 months. (news release)

PIPELINES

• Public interest groups, landowners, and fishermen challenge the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s suspension of a rule that pauses pipeline and LNG facility construction when they face legal challenges. (E&E News)