Use it or lose it

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.

TRANSMISSION

• Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, says he has secured a commitment from the Energy Secretary to cancel a $4.9 billion federal loan to build the Grain Belt Express transmission line, which would carry as much as 5 gigawatts of wind power from Kansas to other states. (New York Times)

• The developers of a controversial transmission line in Maryland sue to compel nearly 200 landowners to allow surveyors on their property, the second time the project has had to ask for court intervention in the face of widespread opposition. (WYPR)

FOSSIL FUELS

• President Donald Trump allows coal plants and other highly polluting industrial facilities to bypass Biden-era environmental regulations, citing national security needs as justification. (Bloomberg)

• The Trump administration expedites permits for a new Tennessee coal mine despite a wave of bankruptcies in the industry that has seen companies walk away without properly remediating mineland. (Grist)

• Some congressional Republicans raise concerns about a $1 billion provision in President Trump’s ​“big, beautiful” budget law that’s aimed at boosting fossil fuel production, citing a lack of clarity in how the funding would be used. (E&E News)

• Chevron’s $53 billion acquisition of Hess gets the greenlight from U.S. regulators following the resolution of a legal battle with Exxon. (Axios)

• A coal-fired power plant in Pennsylvania that closed in 2021 will get a $3.2 billion overhaul to reopen as a natural gas plant providing power to a new AI data center and the grid. (CBS News)

OFFSHORE WIND

• New York stops planning for the development of transmission lines to carry offshore wind power, citing a need to shield consumers from paying for infrastructure that could be unneeded for some time. (Reuters)

• Maine delays its first offshore wind procurement as the industry slows down in the face of ongoing opposition from the Trump administration. (Maine Public)

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proceeds with its reorganization effort after a Supreme Court ruling that greenlit mass layoffs across the government. (Politico)

• Trump names David LaCerte, a Project 2025 contributor and current Office of Personnel Management staffer, to fill a vacant seat on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. (Utility Dive)

SOLAR

• Four rooftop solar arrays installed at a low-income housing development in Massachusetts will generate about $35,000 in savings each year for the nonprofit that owns the complex, an example of the kinds of projects that will no longer be feasible when cuts to federal tax credits go into effect. (PV Magazine)

• U.S. solar panel manufacturers file petitions seeking steep new duties on cells and panels imported from Laos, Indonesia, and India that they say are hindering efforts to build a domestic supply chain. (E&E News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• The Commerce Department proposes a 93.5% tariff on Chinese graphite, which is a key ingredient in EV batteries. (New York Times)

HEAT PUMPS

• Maine solar and heat pump installers scramble to keep up with a surge of business as residents look to get equipment installed before federal tax credits are eliminated at the end of the year. (Bangor Daily News)

SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL

• LanzaJet says it will open the first-ever factory that makes sustainable aviation fuel from ethanol before the end of the year, following several delays. (Bloomberg)

• The GOP megalaw extends a clean-fuel tax credit that can be used by producers of sustainable aviation fuel until 2029. (Capital Journal)

TRANSPORTATION

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom says the state will challenge the Trump administration’s ​“illegal” decision to revoke $4 billion in federal funding for the state’s high-speed rail project. (Reuters)