PJM’s power conundrum

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 WORKFORCE

• The Trump administration laid off as many as 2,300 Energy Department employees on Friday, ending what one staffer called a ​“weird, quiet limbo” following Trump’s inauguration. (E&E News, Latitude Media) 

• The layoffs hit hundreds of workers at Pacific Northwest grid operator Bonneville Power Administration, though a small group were asked back just a few days later. (Latitude Media, Politico)

POLITICS

• Democratic-led states are ramping up efforts to make fossil fuel companies pay for climate damages in the wake of Trump’s election. (The Guardian)

• Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s former company Liberty Energy, along with an oil firm and pipeline company, led the fight against the SEC’s now-withdrawn rule requiring companies to disclose emissions and climate risks. (Washington Post)

• Trump establishes a National Energy Dominance Council headed by the leaders of the DOE, EPA, and Interior Department, with a goal of promoting domestic fossil fuel production. (E&E News)

• The Trump administration orders the Department of Homeland Security to end all climate -related initiatives and remove mention of climate change from DHS policies and programs. (Bloomberg)

GRID

• Senators will restart permitting reform efforts this week with a hearing from building and energy industry leaders expected to lament slow project approvals. (E&E News)

• The direct-air carbon capture industry is struggling to secure enough renewable power to run operations — a problem that will likely only worsen as competition grows from data centers, electrification, and states’ clean electricity goals. (New York Times)

• A new forecast projects data centers will drive a nearly 17% increase in peak demand on the PJM grid by 2035, worrying environmental advocates who expect new fossil fuel-fired power plants to be built in response. (Inside Climate News)

OFFSHORE WIND

President Trump’s executive order halting offshore wind development could make it difficult or impossible for several northeastern states to reach their ambitious climate goals. (Washington Post)

TARIFFS

The director of a transformer manufacturing group says Trump’s steel tariffs pose a ​“national security risk,” as they’ll force the industry to rely on a single domestic supplier and slow production as power demand rises. (Heatmap)

GEOTHERMAL

The founder of a new geothermal drilling trade group discusses efforts to train more workers for the industry, and how oil and gas drillers can transition to geothermal. (Inside Climate News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• As California regulators withdraw their plans to replace diesel-powered semi-trucks with electric alternatives, experts say the proposal was too ambitious, but officials say they’ll press on in other ways. (New York Times)

• Democratic group Led by Indivisible launches a series of protests against Elon Musk at Tesla dealerships. (The Hill)

SOLAR

The Trump administration’s effort to pause billions of dollars in clean energy funding jeopardizes a plan in solidly conservative southern Indiana to power hundreds of low- and moderate-income households with solar. (The Guardian)