Storage in the sea

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.

CLIMATE

• COP30 climate talks begin in Brazil, without an appearance from any federal U.S. officials. (Associated Press)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Solar panel maker Qcells announces it will furlough 1,000 workers and 300 staffing agency employees at its Georgia factories as U.S. customs officials detain shipments of solar cells because of a 2021 law banning imports from a region of China. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Reuters)

• Pine Gate Renewables blames its bankruptcy on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s phaseout of clean energy tax credits and ​“foreign entity of concern” provisions. (Financial Times)

FOSSIL FUELS

• New York and New Jersey issue the state-level approvals needed for a previously rejected natural gas pipeline to move forward, leaving environmental advocates feeling ​“betrayed,” but still determined to fight the project. (Inside Climate News)

• Trump’s attacks on wind energy on the East Coast are hurting related Louisiana businesses that are also a significant part of the offshore oil and gas industry along the Gulf Coast. (Louisiana Illuminator)

POLITICS

• An analysis of U.S. Democratic politicians’ social media posts, speeches, and podcast appearances shows they’re mentioning climate change far less in the years since the Inflation Reduction Act’s passage, and instead emphasizing energy affordability. (Washington Post)

• The pipeline approvals reflect a political shift, as the traditionally blue Northeast softens its stance in the face of federal pressure and soaring energy prices, analysts say. (E&E News)

GRID

• The Southwest Power Pool plans an $8.6 billion slate of 50 transmission projects across its 14-state footprint that the grid operator says will help meet peak demand over the next decade. (Utility Dive)

NUCLEAR

• California regulators hold off on approving Pacific Gas & Electric’s plan to continue operating its Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, saying the utility must first dedicate thousands of acres of land to conservation to mitigate its cooling system’s impacts on the ocean. (Tribune, E&E News)

HYDROPOWER

• Indigenous advocates and officials push back on U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s bid to revoke a 2024 federal policy giving tribal nations veto power over proposed hydropower projects on their land. (E&E News)