Michigan battery boom

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.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• A federal judge orders the Trump administration to release billions of dollars of frozen NEVI funding for 14 states to build a public EV charging network. (Associated Press)

• The House’s transportation committee chair says he’ll try to ensure fees on EVs and hybrids are included in the final ​“Big, Beautiful Bill” even if the Senate removes them from its version. (E&E News)

POLITICS

• Attorneys general from 20 states and Washington, D.C., sue the Trump administration over billions of dollars in funding cuts, including the federal government’s rollback of already-awarded climate grants. (Associated Press)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Texas oil companies largely blow off Trump’s calls to ​“drill, baby, drill” amid disruption in the Middle East, with a trade association official saying that decision will be determined by crude oil prices and not geopolitics. (Houston Chronicle)

• Environmental groups worry that the Trump administration’s order to temporarily keep a large Michigan coal plant online will be extended beyond the initial 90 days. (Bridge)

• Arizona utility Salt River Project plans to convert its aging Coronado coal plant to run on gas by late 2029, saying it is the lowest-cost option for preserving generation capacity. (KJZZ)

GRID

• Across New England, more than 5 GW of rooftop solar and other smaller arrays help ensure the region has sufficient power to meet soaring demand during the ongoing heat wave. (WBUR)

OFFSHORE WIND

• An offshore wind executive says the dramatic turnaround in Empire Wind’s fortunes when the Trump administration decided to let it go ahead has revived his hope for the future of the industry: ​“Deals can be done.” (Recharge)

HYDROGEN

• Gold H2 says it has successfully tested a process using petroleum-eating microbes to produce hydrogen fuel in a depleted California oil and gas field. (Los Angeles Times)

PUBLIC LANDS

• The U.S. Senate parliamentarian finds a GOP proposal to sell off public land and other environmental rollbacks would require 60 votes to pass and should be stripped from the budget reconciliation bill, but Sen. Mike Lee plans to revise his provision and resubmit it. (Inside Climate News, Alaska Beacon)

NEW FROM CANARY MEDIA

• LG Energy Solution cuts the ribbon on its expanded Michigan EV battery factory, where it invested $1.4 billion to start making grid-scale batteries as well, Julian Spector reports.

• New York legislators vote to repeal a decades-old rule that guaranteed building owners a free gas hookup if they were within 100 feet of a line, which advocates hope will incentivize home electrification, Alison F. Takemura reports.