Today’s headlines: Blue-state climate grants ordered restored, wind farm fights continue, 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.

COURTS

• A federal judge orders the DOE to reinstate more than $82 million in grants for clean energy projects in states that voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 Presidential Election. (Utility Dive)

WIND

• Clean energy groups ask a federal court to order the U.S. Department of Defense to resume permitting of onshore wind farms — a blockade that has halted construction of nearly every new wind project in the country. (New York Times)

• The U.S. Department of Justice moves to stop defending its attempted rollback of permits for already-approved offshore wind permits. (Heatmap)

• One of Boston’s largest landlords is suing Vineyard Offshore, claiming the wind company owes $1.2 million in unpaid rent and security deposits on its office space. (Boston Globe)

FOSSIL FUELS

• The company proposing to use $18.5 million in federal funding to build a new 1.6 GW coal-fired power plant in West Virginia is helmed by three individuals without experience in the coal industry, including one who ran a conference for QAnon conspiracy promoters. (Politico)

• A new analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas suggests uncertainty about spiking oil prices will likely prevent Texas’ oil industry from significantly increasing production. (Houston Chronicle)

• Northern Indiana communities already grappling with coal ash pollution near Lake Michigan say the Trump administration’s move to relax protections would be devastating for the area. (Chicago Tribune)

UTILITIES

• Colorado regulators reject portions of Xcel Energy’s proposed natural gas network investment plan, saying the utility failed to account for state pro-electrification policies aimed at reducing the fuel’s use. (CPR)

DATA CENTERS

• Microsoft is considering ending its longtime goal of meeting its energy consumption with zero-carbon electricity, creating tension with the clean-energy goals of Virginia, where it maintains several data centers. (Inside Climate News)

CLIMATE

• Democratic California lawmakers move to block recent changes to the state’s carbon market that offer free pollution permits to companies that invest in clean energy and efficiency initiatives, saying it will drain funding for air quality, housing, and transit efforts. (CalMatters)