The House on Wednesday voted to overturn a Biden-era rule implementing a program that charges oil and gas companies for excess methane emissions. The vote was 220-206-1. Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar (Texas), Jared Golden (Maine), Vicente Gonzalez (Texas), Adam Gray (Calif.), Kristen McDonald Rivet (Mich.) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.) voted with nearly every Republican in favor of the measure. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) was...
Author: The Hill
EPA to make higher-ethanol gas available year round beginning in April
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will proceed with Biden-era plans to allow the year-round sale of higher-ethanol E15 fuel, a longtime ask of midwestern lawmakers and the biofuels industry. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the agency would maintain the agreed-upon date of April 28 to make the fuel available in eight states. The governors of...
Trump administration identifies hundreds of energy projects that could be fast-tracked
The Trump administration has identified hundreds of “emergency” energy projects whose approvals could be fast-tracked. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has updated its website to put hundreds of new projects on its emergency docket under President Trump’s energy emergency declaration. Among those on the list are approval for the construction of a tunnel that would...
Why red states are pulling ahead in America’s clean energy race
Renewable energy generation is surging across many of the country’s red-leaning states, positioning some to outpace their bluer peers in a national drive toward grid decarbonization. Their emerging leadership in the area in some ways defies the political battle lines that have been drawn on energy in recent years. On the federal level, Democrats have...
Senate confirms Burgum as Interior secretary
The Senate confirmed former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum as Interior secretary Thursday in a 79-18 vote, with the majority of Senate Democrats joining every Republican in the chamber. Burgum, a one-time candidate for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination-turned-visible Trump campaign surrogate, has been among the president’s least controversial nominees. He advanced out of the Senate Energy...
Permitting reform is key to unleashing American energy. Can Trump get it done?
President Trump has wasted no time putting his imprint on American energy policy. Within hours of his swearing in, he signed a dizzying array of relevant executive orders, including one titled “Unleashing American Energy.” While most of the attention has revolved around the president’s focus on producing more domestic oil and gas — “liquid gold,” as he...
Economic loss from California wildfires could reach $52B-57B: Report
Total damage from the devastating wildfires scorching Southern California could amount to between $52 billion and $57 billion in economic losses, according to a new analysis. The estimate, issued by AccuWeather’s Global Weather Center, accounts for both direct and indirect impacts of the storm and includes both insured and uninsured losses. Some such costs relate...
Biden administration adds exemptions into new climate rules for hydrogen energy
The Biden administration on Friday finalized fairly strict climate rules for the nascent hydrogen energy industry — but the rules contain new flexibilities that are expected to make them less stringent than the administration’s original proposal. The final rule issued by the Treasury Department on Friday determines which facilities can qualify for lucrative tax credits for hydrogen...
Maine sues oil giants over climate change
Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey (D) this week announced a lawsuit against major oil companies and their top lobbying group, alleging they knowingly concealed the role of fossil fuels in climate change for decades. Frey said Tuesday that defendants in the lawsuit include Exxon, Shell, Chevron, BP, Sunoco, and the American Petroleum Institute (API). In a nearly 200-page complaint, the state alleges...
Biden proposes to restrict pollution from new gas plants
The Biden administration has proposed a rule that it says will reduce pollution stemming from new gas-fired power plants and other industrial facilities. The proposal would require these plants to cut their emissions of pollutants known as nitrogen oxides, which can lead to smog formation and contribute to asthma in people with long-term exposure. The agency said the regulation...









