Heinrich on ​‘illegal’ loan cancellation

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.

SOLAR

• Tribes turn to philanthropy and conventional financing to continue deploying solar power and other clean energy projects as the Trump administration rolls back federal funding. (Grist)

• The Trump administration’s move to claw back Solar for All funding ripples through the states: New Hampshire’s plan to put solar on public housing is on the line, Pennsylvania expects rising energy prices, and Maine could lose funding for clean energy workforce training. (NHPR, Spotlight PA, Maine Morning Star)

• U.S. customs officials are ramping up enforcement of a trade law meant to block products made with Chinese forced labor, which has translated into increased detentions of electronics like solar cells and modules. (E&E News)

• Sunrun is now installing battery storage with a majority of its rooftop solar systems, with 70% of its 29,000 new customers adding batteries in the second quarter of 2025. (Utility Dive)

OVERSIGHT

• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chair Mark Christie steps down from his post just six months after President Trump appointed him, leaving the commission with a 2-1 Democratic majority as Trump’s new appointees await Senate approval. (E&E News)

• A coalition of lawmakers and consumer and environmental advocates call for reforming ​“broken” utility commissions across the country, and one Democratic House member reintroduces federal legislation to bar utilities from using ratepayer dollars for political activities. (Utility Dive)

• The Trump administration filed just 11 civil lawsuits against major polluters during its first six months, compared to 30 in the first six months of the Biden administration. (New York Times)

FOSSIL FUELS

• NRG Energy Inc. secures a $216 million loan to fund a 456 MW gas-fired power plant near Houston from the taxpayer-funded Texas Energy Fund, marking the largest such loan approved since state lawmakers created the fund two years ago. (Houston Chronicle, Dallas Express)

• The Trump administration removes endangered species and historic preservation reviews from federal orphaned well programs to speed the cleanup of thousands of sites, but lawyers warn the move could result in litigation. (E&E News)

WIND

• Massachusetts delays its fifth offshore wind procurement until at least 2026 ​“due to uncertainty surrounding federal permitting and tax credits.” (State House News Service)

• The Trump administration ramps up protections for birds against wind turbine strikes while gutting other bird-protecting regulations. (New York Times)

GRID

• Peak power demand from AI could reach 50 GW by 2030 as companies ramp up training of computer models, an Electric Power Research Institute study finds. (E&E News)

• California advocates debate whether establishing a Western day-ahead power market and integrated regional grid will facilitate clean energy or expose the state to more fossil fuel generation. (CalMatters)

POLITICS

• The U.S. EPA will stop updating a database that companies use to calculate their greenhouse gas emissions after the database’s creator signed a letter criticizing the Trump administration. (New York Times)

• The U.S. EPA dissolves its collective bargaining agreement with the federal employees union that represents its workers. (The Hill)

NEW FROM CANARY 

• DOE is raising power bills by thwarting transmission line, Heinrich says — Jeff St. John

• This hydrogen microgrid is the first of its kind. Is it a good idea? — Julian Spector

• Building electrification and fast, affordable construction can coexist — Kathryn Krawczyk