Today’s headlines: PJM’s power plant order, onshore wind suffers too, 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.

GRID

• The U.S. Energy Department extends emergency orders allowing power plants in the PJM territory to operate at their maximum levels as freezing temperatures continue in the mid-Atlantic. (E&E News)

• Rising power demand, inflation, the need to improve the aging grid, extreme weather, and fluctuating fuel costs are all combining to drive residential power prices to new heights. (Utility Dive)

• Utilities are looking to new ways to combat ice buildup on power lines, including ice-tracking and -preventing technologies and drones that can knock ice off the lines. (Latitude Media)

WIND

• The frequent offshore wind work stoppages caused by the Trump administration’s attacks leave boat operators who were counting on offshore wind work facing uncertain futures. (E&E News)

• A judge will consider today whether to let Ørsted resume construction on Sunrise Wind, the only offshore wind farm halted in December that hasn’t yet won its court case against the Trump administration’s stop-work order. (Reuters)

• Onshore wind energy development significantly slows, even in states like Iowa, in the face of community opposition, the phaseout of federal tax credits, and the Trump administration’s attempts to slow federal permitting. (Inside Climate News)

FOSSIL FUELS

• The CEOs of Chevron and Exxon Mobil express continued skepticism about investing in Venezuela during earnings calls. (E&E News)

• Tri-State Generation and Transmission pushes back on the Trump administration’s order to keep its Craig coal plant in Colorado operating beyond its scheduled closure, saying the mandate is unconstitutional. (Colorado Sun)

• The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approves Transco’s Southeast Supply Enhancement Project to expand its gas pipeline network in Virginia and North Carolina. (WVTF, E&E News, Pipeline & Gas Journal)

UTILITIES

• Arizona advocates say rising electricity rates, the Trump administration’s cuts to clean energy and utility assistance funding, and state regulators’ dismantling of renewable power and efficiency standards are creating a dangerous situation in the state. (Inside Climate News)

GEOTHERMAL

• Geothermal energy systems take off across the Midwest as the technology has political support among both Democrats and Republicans and is of interest to the oil and gas industry. (Inside Climate News/​Living on Earth)

NUCLEAR

• Oak Ridge, Tennessee, attracts a new wave of investment in nuclear energy, surpassing $10 billion in investment in the last five years. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

COURTS

• Oklahoma and Utah state lawmakers introduce legislation to block most civil lawsuits against oil companies over their part in climate change, unless plaintiffs cite specific environmental or labor laws. (Guardian)

• An appeals court weighs whether New York City and New York state laws restricting new natural gas infrastructure are barred by federal law. (E&E News)