Today’s headlines: Oil inventories dwindle, New York goes nuclear, and more

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.

FOSSIL FUELS

• Global oil inventories are dwindling amid the ongoing war in the Middle East, raising concerns that prices will surge further unless a peace deal is reached. (New York Times)

• President Donald Trump accuses New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) of reneging on an alleged deal to support a proposed natural gas pipeline in exchange for the end of a stop-work order on Empire Wind. (E&E News)

• Maryland’s last remaining coal power plant is likely to receive federal approval to delay its closing date from 2029 until 2031. (Maryland Matters)

POLITICS

• A PAC that is targeting opponents of clean energy says it helped tank Rep. Ralph Norman’s gubernatorial campaign in South Carolina, marking its second victory against anti-clean energy Republicans in as many months. (E&E News)

• As election season heats up and energy affordability concerns mount, some Democrats are questioning the wisdom of ambitious climate and decarbonization policies and showing more openness to new fossil-fuel projects. (New York Times)

PERMITTING REFORM

• Republican U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Democratic U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island say the Trump administration’s antipathy toward renewable energy projects has complicated negotiations around permitting reform. (Politico)

NUCLEAR

• New York’s Public Service Commission is now formally seeking input on the best way to build 4 gigawatts of new nuclear power, as directed by Gov. Hochul. (E&E News)

CLEAN ENERGY

• California’s Supreme Court decides not to hear an appeal challenging the state’s net-metering rule slashing compensation for rooftop solar, effectively ending the legal battle over the contested policy. (PV Magazine)

• The U.S. is expected to generate about 19% more solar power this summer than it did during the season last year, while coal generation is likely to slip by 2%, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. (Utility Dive)

• Two big new transmission lines carrying hydropower from Quebec to New York and New England will help make the regions’ grids more reliable through the summer heat. (Utility Dive)