Trump’s 180 on whales

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.

FOSSIL FUELS

• The Trump administration opens 1.56 million acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s coastal plain to new oil and gas leasing, reversing Biden-era restrictions. (New York Times, news release)

• Federal documents reveal the Trump administration plans to open significant swaths of the East and West Coasts to offshore drilling, allowing companies to operate off the East Coast for the first time since the 1980s but retaining a drilling ban off Florida. (Houston Chronicle, Politico)

• Democrat and Republican members of Congress from Maine to Florida oppose the Trump administration’s plans to open up offshore drilling: ​“The risk is far greater than the benefit.” (E&E News)

• Global oil and gas companies claim they’re supportive of the energy transition, but only a small percentage operate even a single renewable energy project. (Grist)

• California residents and advocates continue to call for the closure of the Los Angeles-area Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility ten years after the site experienced the nation’s largest methane blowout on record. (Los Angeles Times)

GRID

• Energy Secretary Chris Wright moves to expand federal authority over grid interconnections as he directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to expedite interconnections of large, flexible loads. (Latitude Media)

• A federal judge rules the Federal Emergency Management Agency should have considered solar power in its analysis of how to distribute federal grants to rebuild Puerto Rico’s storm-battered grid. (E&E News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Rivian will lay off more than 600 of its 15,000 employees as EV market challenges mount. (CNBC)

• Executives of major convenience store chains say their investments in EV charging stations are not yet paying off as charging activity plateaus. (C-Store Dive)

BATTERIES

• Michigan seeks to recover and cancel $175 million worth of incentives for Gotion’s $2.4 billion electric vehicle and energy storage battery plant, effectively killing the project. (Crain’s Detroit)

CLEAN ENERGY

• A report finds the Trump administration’s dismantling of clean energy and climate initiatives has hit Georgia harder than any other state, costing it three clean energy projects worth a total of $2.9 billion and 1,077 anticipated jobs. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

EMISSIONS

• Pennsylvania state senators vote to end the state’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a multi-state pact that aims to reduce emissions for electricity generation; the repeal now heads to the House. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

GRID

• PJM’s new fast-track interconnection process could bring a wave of new gas plants as well as 2.3 GW of new battery storage to help avoid the need for more peaker plants. (Utility Dive)

UTILITIES

• Appalachian Power cites lower energy prices and the addition of renewables as it moves to lower bills an average of $10 per month in Virginia, even as it asked West Virginia regulators for a rate increase because of that state’s requirement that it burn coal instead. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)

• NextEra Energy and Harold Hamm, the chair of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, are among the donors to Trump’s project to demolish the East Wing of the White House and replace it with a large ballroom. (E&E News)