Green bank clawback

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

• U.S. EPA head Lee Zeldin looks to retract $20 billion that the Biden administration put toward a federal green bank meant to encourage investment in solar installations, heat pumps, and other clean energy technologies. (Washington Post)

• Trump names an oil and gas industry advocate to lead the Bureau of Land Management, which oversees energy production on public lands, and other fossil fuel industry insiders to EPA, DOE, and Interior Department posts. (The Guardian, The Hill)

• Trump’s efforts to claw back clean energy funding will likely spur legal clashes over whether the federal government is contractually obligated to pay up. (Heatmap)

• Senate Republicans advance a budget bill they say they’ll use to repeal the EPA’s methane fee, and also strike down Democrat’s amendments to add climate and renewable energy provisions. (E&E News)

• Senate Republicans want to push the International Energy Agency to reverse its prediction that global oil demand will peak around 2030. (E&E News)

INDUSTRY

A U.S. steel industry advocate cheers Trump’s 25% tariff on imports set to go into effect in a month, saying tariffs during the last Trump administration spurred $20 billion in investment to ​“modernize and decarbonize and electrify” the industry. (E&E News)

GRID

• A new report finds 38 states took policy action last year involving virtual power plants and distributed energy aggregations, and additional state and utility programs are expected this year. (Utility Dive)

• Federal regulators approve a plan by grid operator PJM to address looming electricity shortages by fast-tracking approval for up to 50 power plants, though climate advocates say the approach will favor gas-fired facilities. (Associated Press)

• Records show Southern California Edison knew in advance of the deadly Los Angeles-area wildfires that an emergency power shutdown could overload some transmission lines, increasing the risk of sparking a blaze. (Los Angeles Times)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

A State Department document reveals a federal plan to buy $400 million of armored Tesla vehicles, though the reference was changed to ​“armored electric vehicles” after reports circulated last night about the proposal. (NPR)

WIND

Dominion Energy executives say they expect the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project to be completed and operational next year, despite efforts by the Trump administration to halt wind energy projects. (E&E News, subscription)