Interior Dept. targets SouthCoast Wind permits

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WIND

• The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management files a motion to revoke its Biden-era approval of the SouthCoast Wind project off Massachusetts; SouthCoast says it’ll ​“vigorously defend our permits in federal court.” (WBUR)

• Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has overseen the takedown of several wind projects under President Trump, but he praised wind power’s major contributions to North Dakota power generation as the state’s governor. (E&E News)

• Revolution Wind’s owners say the U.S. Interior Department presented ​“factually incorrect” reasoning for stopping work on the project, and only revealed that reasoning after halting construction. (Reuters)

• California officials and industry insiders say the state is sticking with its goal of developing 25 gigawatts of floating offshore wind energy by 2045 despite expiring federal tax credits and Trump administration hostility. (Los Angeles Times)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Hyundai announces a $2.7 billion expansion for its Georgia plant to increase production and eventually build 10 different electric and hybrid models. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

CLEAN ENERGY

• A new report from advocacy group E2 finds the clean energy sector added nearly 100,000 jobs in 2024, outpacing job growth in the rest of the U.S. economy despite a slowdown from previous years. (E2)

• The U.S. Bureau of Land Management consistently failed to properly review wind and solar projects on public lands between 2017 and 2023, the Interior Department’s inspector general finds. (Reuters)

• The Trump administration has frozen or canceled more than $29 billion in community environmental and clean energy grants awarded under the Biden administration, according to a new analysis from the Natural Resources Defense Council. (Inside Climate News)

• Venture capital groups, nonprofits, and academics team up to create a roadmap for decarbonization to continue in the U.S. as federal and economic challenges mount. (Heatmap)

FOSSIL FUELS

• New York utility regulators vote to approve a long-term gas plan that includes a controversial pipeline, but the final decision rests with the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation. (CBS6 Albany)

• An investigation estimates more than 3,600 wells once drilled in Louisiana on land or in wetlands are now located in open water as a result of erosion, sinking land, and rising seas. (Times-Picayune/Advocate) 

POLITICS

• The Republican-led House approves a bill to prioritize dispatchable energy for grid interconnection, suggesting another roadblock for renewables projects that don’t include battery storage. (The Hill)

• A bipartisan House group releases a permitting reform plan that would rely on setting deadlines for court reviews of permitting decisions, which it intends to shape into legislation. (Utility Dive)

SOLAR

• Iowa is poised to build out its solar energy capacity in the coming years after decades of wind playing a prominent role in the state’s energy mix, advocates say. (Inside Climate News)

STORAGE

• The growth of intermittent renewable energy generation in New England has some developers reconsidering one of the oldest forms of energy storage: pumped hydro. (RTO Insider)

DATA CENTERS

• Microsoft plans a $4 billion expansion at its already planned $3.3 billion data center in southeastern Wisconsin. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

NEW FROM CANARY

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• EV Realty lands $75M to expand electric truck charging in California — Jeff St. John