Clean energy journalism for a cooler tomorrow

‘Free store’ for solar, batteries

By Kathryn Krawczyk

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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.

POLITICS

  • DOE officials place certain contract workers on unpaid leave, including at least 18 at the Loan Programs Office, and tell Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy staffers that a return-to-office order is imminent. (Latitude Media)

  • The Trump administration moves to end key implementation measures within the National Environmental Policy Act, which has long been the bedrock of environmental review processes for infrastructure and energy projects. (Heatmap)

CRITICAL MINERALS

Lithium and other minerals needed for batteries, solar panels, and other clean energy products will likely become harder to access and more expensive in the U.S. thanks to tariffs on China, which refines more than 90% of the world’s rare earth elements. (Associated Press)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

  • Ten new electric vehicle battery factories are set to open this year in the U.S., potentially doubling the country’s EV battery manufacturing capacity in just a year if federal incentive setbacks don’t derail progress. (Inside Climate News)

  • EV maker Rivian turns its first gross profit but forecasts declining sales in 2025 amid federal policy uncertainty and the potential for canceled EV tax credits. (CNBC)

CLIMATE
At least 10 climate-related USAID programs have been shut down amid the Trump administration’s gutting of the agency, including initiatives to bring clean energy and efficiency measures to southern Africa and Nepal. (E&E News)

NUCLEAR

Federal tax credits for shuttered nuclear plant restarts face uncertainty based on unanswered questions in recent U.S. Treasury Department guidelines, attorneys say. (Utility Dive)

GRID

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission votes to launch a review of data center co-location policy within PJM’s territory. (RTO Insider)

FOSSIL FUELS

The federal Bureau of Land Management strips analysis of environmental justice and climate costs from a Biden-era review of a Permian Basin oil and gas lease sale held this week. (Inside Climate News)

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