Trump derails federal clean building initiative

BUILDINGS: President Trump rescinds a Biden-era executive order that encouraged federal agencies to procure low-carbon construction materials, which was meant to jumpstart the market for green building products and inspire private industry to follow. (Canary Media)

GRID:

• Trump says he will use his energy emergency order to approve dedicated, off-grid power plants for AI data centers — ​“anything they want, and they may have coal as a backup.” (The Hill)
• Four more governors join Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s request that grid operator PJM lower its capacity auction price cap after the most recent auction yielded exceptionally high prices. (Utility Dive)

SOLAR: A new report predicts U.S. solar industry growth will come ​“to a halt” this year, as President Trump’s orders blocking Inflation Reduction spending and instituting tariffs threatens the industry. (E&E News)

CLEAN ENERGY:

• An analysis shows most large U.S. clean energy projects in 2024 were built in Texas, which leads the country in utility-scale solar and wind capacity and is gaining on California for battery storage. (Canary Media)
• Environmentalists and climate advocates spar over utility-scale renewable development and lithium mining on federal lands. (New York Times)
• Global clean energy and storage investments fell in the last quarter of 2024 amid political uncertainty and high interest rates, closing out a slow year for investment overall. (Utility Dive)

WIND: Trump’s pause on new wind power permits will impact ​“probably more than half” of all projects currently in development, and tariffs will likely deliver an additional blow, a clean power advocates says. (Heatmap)

OIL & GAS: 

• Under former Gov. Doug Burgum, who Trump has tapped to lead the Interior Department, North Dakota filed several lawsuits against the department, including an attempt to roll back methane emission rules. (ProPublica/​North Dakota Monitor)
• The oil industry says Trump’s executive orders lifting drilling restrictions in parts of Alaska are unlikely to spur new oil and gas development because companies are focused on more accessible areas. (Reuters)
• A lack of spare pipeline capacity into New England New York could threaten the reliability of the region’s natural gas system in extreme cold weather, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. says. (Utility Dive)

CLIMATE:

• China, the EU and many other countries reaffirm their commitment to Paris Agreement climate goals after Trump withdraws the U.S. from the global pact. (The Guardian)
• Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement is unlikely to impact global climate progress much on its own, but signals the country’s move away from trying to reduce emissions. (Inside Climate News)
• U.S. tech giants criticized Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement eight years ago, but have remained silent this time around. (E&E News)