Trump digs in on coal

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.

COAL

• Trump signs four executive orders aimed at reinvigorating the sagging coal industry, which will lift emissions regulations in an attempt to keep retiring power plants online, as well as ease mining permissions and leasing on federal lands. (Associated Press)

• Energy executives and environmentalists say the actions won’t save coal from its downward spiral, but will worsen emissions. (Politico, WBOY)

• Trump’s coal order comes as his administration lays off federal occupational health workers, which advocates say threatens the health of Appalachian coal miners. (NPR, WV Metro News)

POLITICS

• President Trump orders Attorney General Pam Bondi to ​“stop the enforcement” of state climate laws, naming cap-and-trade policies and lawsuits against fossil fuel companies as targets, though legal experts say the order is ​“toothless.” (E&E News)

• Republican senators introduce a bill that would penalize imports from countries that generate high levels of greenhouse gas pollution. (E&E News)

• The Trump administration looks to block an international effort to place a carbon tax on shipping and promises ​“reciprocal measures” to shield U.S. ships from charges. (Politico)

• Observers say Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, has been slow to distinguish himself as the chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. (E&E News)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Canadian solar panel maker Heliene looks to renegotiate its supply contracts amid Trump’s tariffs, as it relies on solar cell imports from India and Laos along with cells it makes in Minnesota. (Wall Street Journal)

• A global transition to clean energy will leave the world less susceptible to energy price shocks and trade tensions, a new study finds. (Heatmap)

FOSSIL FUELS

• The Keystone pipeline ruptures in a North Dakota agricultural field, spilling 3,500 barrels and disrupting the flow of millions of gallons of crude oil from Canada that could quickly lead to higher gas prices, experts say. (Associated Press)

• Oil executives continue to keep quiet on President Trump’s tariffs, which have tanked oil prices, even as leaders in other industries publicly ask Trump to soften his policies. (New York Times)

CARBON CAPTURE

• The Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations is seeking more time to review a federally funded direct-air carbon capture hub that the department slated for termination last month. (Latitude Media)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Jeff Bezos and other wealthy investors are backing a secretive EV startup called Slate Auto that could start producing a low-cost two-seat electric pickup truck by next year. (TechCrunch)

EMISSIONS

• The Trump administration wants to eliminate a program that includes a $500 million grant to help an Ohio steel production facility in Vice President JD Vance’s hometown replace its coal-fired blast furnaces with a cleaner-burning electric model. (CNN)

STORAGE

• Grid operators PJM, NYISO, and MISO should change the way storage projects are integrated into their market designs to allow batteries to better boost reliability and mitigate high prices, according to a new report. (Utility Dive)

HYDROGEN

• Federal lawmakers from California urge the Trump administration to preserve $1.2 billion in funding for the state’s proposed hydrogen production hub, saying it is critical for ​“American energy dominance.” (Los Angeles Times)