Today’s headlines: xAI data center power plant approved, California net-metering incentives slashed, 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.

SOLAR

• The White House is still getting power from the solar panels on its roof despite the Trump administration’s crusade against renewables. (Axios)

• A California appeals court upholds state regulators’ 2022 decision to slash net-metering incentives for rooftop solar, drawing advocates’ and industry’s criticism. (Utility Dive, Climate Colored Goggles)

DATA CENTERS

• Mississippi regulators approve a plan by Elon Musk’s xAI to build a power plant with 41 natural gas-burning turbines to power a large data center near Memphis, Tennessee, despite residents’ concerns about noise and air pollution. (Mississippi Today, CNBC)

IRAN

• The White House says the U.S. Navy did not guide an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, despite Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s now-deleted claim. (Politico)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Exxon Mobil looks to move its legal home from New Jersey to Texas, a move experts say is an attempt to avoid climate and environmental lawsuits. (E&E News)

• Air pollution from coal-fired power plants soared in 2025 as the Trump administration spurred more coal power generation, with toxic sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and other chemicals making a comeback. (E&E News)

EFFICIENCY

• Manufacturing industry groups are hopeful about EnergyStar’s move from the EPA to the DOE, though efficiency advocates call for transparency during the transition. (Utility Dive)

NUCLEAR

• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) ​“emphatically” opposes the Trump administration’s push to restart the Indian Point nuclear plant, which closed in 2021 and is now being decommissioned. (Reuters)

STEEL

• Swedish company Stegra needs to raise $2.3 billion to complete its hydrogen-based clean steel plant, more than double its previous estimate. (Reuters)

CARBON CAPTURE

• A North Dakota judge revokes Summit Carbon Solutions’ permits to develop an underground CO2 storage site, ruling that the approvals were based on an unconstitutional state law. (North Dakota Monitor)

HYDROPOWER

• The Yakama Nation condemns federal regulators for greenlighting the proposed Goldendale pumped hydro storage facility on a cultural site alongside the Columbia River in Washington state. (High Country News)

OVERSIGHT

• Alabama lawmakers advance legislation to block electricity rate hikes until June 2029, expand the state’s utility regulation board, and allow the governor to appoint four new members before phasing in elections. (WBRC)