Funding freeze halted again

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

• Two federal judges temporarily halt the Trump administration’s freeze on grants and loans in response to a lawsuit from Democratic states. (Associated Press)

• Cleantech startups say they’re still unable to access federal grants and haven’t been reimbursed for months of invoices, leading at least one to lay off employees. (Latitude Media)

TARIFFS

• President Trump pauses tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods falling under the USMCA agreement days after implementing them, but Ontario Premier Doug Ford says a 25% surcharge on electricity sent to the U.S. will remain in place. (CNN, Politico)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• The Government Accountability Office says the Biden administration’s approval of California’s EV sales mandate isn’t open to congressional repeal. (Reuters)

• The Trump administration’s suspension of EV charger reliability standards, if kept in place, will likely lead to fewer chargers being built along highways and more chargers falling into disrepair. (Grist)

• Trump’s rollback of Biden-era clean energy programs could disrupt workers in the Southeast’s ​“battery belt” that has seen a wave of investment in EV battery plants. (The Lever)

• Tesla’s Q1 sales slumped across Europe and in California, leading some analysts to suggest Elon Musk’s politics are creating challenges for the company. (Axios)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Texas remained the nation’s biggest producer of utility-scale renewable power last year, federal data shows, dominating wind generation and falling just behind California on solar. (Inside Climate News)

GRID

• Congressional Democrats warn against the firing of federal employees managing the nation’s power grids, warning even temporary dismissals pose a threat to system reliability. (The Hill)

• The Trump administration allows the federal Bonneville Power Administration to rehire about 100 fired probationary employees after officials raised concerns about grid reliability and safety. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Tennessee lawmakers consider reclassifying natural gas — already defined in state law as ​“clean energy” — as ​“clean,” ​“green,” and ​“renewable” to block local attempts to require certain amounts of energy to come from clean or renewable sources. (WPLN)

OVERSIGHT

• DOGE’s effort to unravel centralized oversight on whether various projects comply with federal environmental law will likely actually slow infrastructure development and be a ​“huge mistake,” experts say. (Grist)