US farmers feel the federal funding freeze

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.

FEDERAL FUNDING

• Thousands of farmers who have applied for federal grants to offset the costs of clean energy projects, including many that have been completed, are doubtful they will receive the funding after the Trump administration says the projects must align with its energy priorities. (Floodlight/​Barn Raiser)

• The Appalachia-based Green Bank for Rural America reports the Trump administration’s attempt to claw back clean energy grants means it could lose $300 million set aside for local community financial institutions. (Blue Ridge Public Radio/​Grist)

• Federal appeals courts reject the Trump administration’s push to resume its efforts to freeze federal funding and fire probationary workers, including from the Energy Department. (E&E News)

• Minnesota, which was set to receive $25 million for its green bank from a $20 billion federal climate program, will move forward with loan applications as state officials fight the Trump administration in court. (Star Tribune)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Analysts say President Donald Trump’s plans to levy a 25% tariff on imported cars will hurt electric vehicle efforts in particular but be a boon for Tesla. (E&E News)

EMISSIONS

• Oil and gas companies seek help from the Trump administration in their legal battles against climate ​“Superfund” laws, like those in New York and Vermont, which require fossil fuel companies to pay for the damages caused by climate change. (Washington Post)

• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration releases draft greenhouse gas reporting rules, the first step in establishing long-awaited guidelines for the state’s planned cap-and-invest system, though two more sets of rules are still needed before the program can launch. (City and State)

GRID

• Texas lawmakers advance a bill directing state regulators to study how to protect residents and small businesses from rate hikes as utilities move to add more generation and transmission to accommodate massive new power demand from data centers and other facilities. (Houston Chronicle)

NUCLEAR

• Type One Energy publishes papers arguing there are ​“no scientific barriers” to commercial nuclear fusion as it plans to build such a project next year at a closed Tennessee Valley Authority coal plant. (Knoxville News Sentinel)

MINING

• The Metals Company seeks the Trump administration’s permission to mine the seafloor for metals needed to produce EV batteries, an ask that circumvents a United Nations treaty and sparked outrage among advocates. (New York Times)

WIND

• The town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, appeals federal approvals of the SouthCoast wind project slated to be built off its shores, arguing the process was a ​“sham” and that the government ​“shirked its responsibility to the public.” (Nantucket Current)

• State-level commitments to renewable energy will endure and allow offshore wind to play an important role in the country’s energy future, despite the Trump administration’s efforts, says a former Massachusetts energy official. (Inside Climate News)

FOSSIL FUELS

• The U.S. EPA tells operators of power plants and other industrial facilities they can seek exemption from restrictions on toxic emissions by sending an email that President Trump will review. (New York Times)

• A new report shows the U.S. was the world’s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas in 2024, marking its second consecutive year as the global leader. (E&E News)

• The Trump administration rolls back coal plant regulations as utilities move to extend the life of facilities to meet an anticipated spike in power demand from tech companies, though critics warn hopes of a coal comeback are ​“wishful thinking.” (Washington Post)

• The Trump administration appears to have halted a $4.7 billion Biden-era program to plug and reclaim abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells, saying it is ​“under review.” (High Country News)