Today’s headlines: Solar thrives in Texas, Interior permitting appeal incoming, 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.

CLEAN ENERGY

• Interior Secretary Doug Burgum says the Trump administration will appeal a ruling blocking DOI policies that stymied wind and solar project permitting, further discouraging the chances of Congress enacting bipartisan permitting reform this year. (Latitude Media)

• The Energy Information Administration anticipates solar will generate more power than coal this year on the Texas grid, a first for the clean power source. (EIA)

CHINA SUMMIT

• The White House says China expressed interest in buying more U.S. oil during a meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, though China’s recap of the discussion doesn’t say the same. (Bloomberg)

• Trump’s meeting with Xi comes as America’s fossil fuel prowess loses influence, and as the U.S. increasingly needs to woo China to secure rare earth materials for tech and energy applications. (Semafor)

COAL

• The Trump administration moves to transfer federal oversight of toxic coal ash storage to more states, even though advocates say state departments that already monitor coal ash are underfunded and unable to rigorously enforce standards to protect groundwater and surrounding communities. (Grist)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• The war in Iran and resulting fuel price hikes are driving EV sales to new heights in much of the world and starting to hurt gasoline-powered car sales, but that trend isn’t showing up in the U.S. (New York Times)

• Honda posts its first-ever annual loss, attributing it to as much as $16 billion in EV-related setbacks incurred toward the end of 2025. (Associated Press)

GRID

• The 1,250-MW Champlain Hudson Power Express transmission line starts commercial operations earlier than expected, helping bring clean hydropower from Canada into New York City. (S&P Global)

BIOFUELS

• The U.S. House passes a bill to allow for year-round E15 ethanol sales, sending it to an uncertain future in the Senate. (The Hill)