Today’s headlines: Trump admin. gives pollution a pass, Dems probe Russian diesel deal, 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.

POLLUTION

• The Trump administration in its second term has exempted 202 polluting facilities from new clean-air regulations, including 71 coal power plants and 19 steelmaking facilities. (New York Times)

POLITICS

• Congressional Democrats demand major banks and port authorities preserve any records they have about the Trump administration’s move to import Russian diesel. (Axios)
• Clean energy groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club, voice concerns with the bipartisan Senate permitting bill, saying its benefits for clean energy don’t outweigh provisions that will ease fossil fuel construction. (Latitude Media)
• The League of Conservation Voters will give $110 million to Democratic House and Senate candidates. (Washington Post)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Michigan has now clawed back or walked away from $800 million in incentives for EV battery-related projects, illustrating how much the industry has downsized under the Trump administration. (Crain’s Detroit)
• As Democrats look to regain Congress, they’re divided on whether to reestablish politically fraught EV tax credits that Republicans dismantled last year. (Politico)
• A Democratic Congress member from Ohio proposes legislation to reinstate and double federal EV tax credits to spur adoption and lower costs for consumers as gas prices spike. (Spectrum News)

FOSSIL FUELS

• EQT and Range Resources will merge to form the U.S.’s biggest gas production company, worth an estimated $50 billion. (Reuters)
• Clean energy advocates fear Indiana utility NIPSCO will walk back plans to retire a Michigan City coal plant in 2028. (Chicago Tribune)

DATA CENTERS

• Vineland, New Jersey, residents file a notice of intent to sue a 300-MW DataOne data center over its use of unpermitted natural gas generators — something state regulators already fined the company $1 million over. (WHYY)