Today’s headlines: Rising mercury emissions from coal, a utility rejects data centers, 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.

EMISSIONS

• Coal power plants released 9% more mercury in 2025 compared to a year earlier — a number that will likely grow as the Trump administration looks to expand coal power generation and loosen regulations that could curb the toxic pollutant. (New York Times)

• Prices for emitting a ton of carbon dioxide in the states belonging to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative dropped last week following an announcement that the program would consider making systemic changes if prices continue to climb. (E&E News)

UTILITIES

• In its first-quarter earnings call, Eversource’s CEO says the company is ​“not interested” in the development of data centers and the facilities are ​“of no value” to customers. (Utility Dive)

MIDDLE EAST ENERGY SHOCK

• Energy Secretary Chris Wright says the White House is now ​“open” to the idea of suspending the federal gasoline tax. (Axios)

NUCLEAR

• Georgia ratepayers are still paying the cost of Georgia Power’s expansion of nuclear Plant Vogtle, which ran seven years behind schedule and more than two-and-a-half times over budget, providing a cautionary tale for advocates of nuclear power. (Inside Climate News)

OFFSHORE WIND

• New York state requests permission to intervene in a lawsuit against the planned Sunrise Wind project, saying the state has a strong economic interest in seeing the development move forward. (E&E News)

• A New York state pension fund considers divesting from TotalEnergies following the company’s deal with the federal government to abandon two offshore wind leases for a payment of nearly $1 billion. (Renews.biz/Financial Times)

HYDROPOWER

• Federal officials forecast record-low inflows for Lake Powell on the Colorado River this summer, affecting downstream water deliveries and Glen Canyon Dam’s hydropower production. (Colorado Sun)

GRID

• A $1.2 billion transmission project spanning four Midwest states faces pushback from southeastern Minnesota farmers concerned about negative impacts to their operations. (Ag Week)