Keeping up with rapid changes in energy policy
Welcome to Climate Point, your weekly guide to climate, energy and the environment. From Palm Springs, California, I'm Janet Wilson.
New orders, policy changes, funding cuts and expansions by President Donald Trump's administration continue, as judges, politicians and advocates work to sort out their impact on the environment, energy and climate.
Liquid gold. On Wednesday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright conditionally greenlighted global exports from Venture Global's massive Calcasieu Pass 2 (CP2) liquid gas project planned on the Louisiana coast, the fifth and largest approval to date of controversial gas projects by the Trump administration. The project also needs approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The Sierra Club says CP2 LNG would generate pollution equivalent to the emissions from more than 47 million gasoline-powered cars or 53 coal-fired power plants.
Far and wide. On Thursday, Trump issued a broad mandate to numerous agencies to immediately make mining for critical minerals like lithium, as well as copper, gold, uranium and any other metal the top priority on public lands, and to speed up federal loans and private partnerships for would-be mining companies and producers, including for semi-conductors, electric vehicles and wind turbines. While national parks and monuments appear to stay protected, environmentalists said millions of acres of Bureau of Land Management and U.S. forest lands could be targeted.
Fired up. The Department of Energy on Monday also released nearly $57 million of a $1.5 billion loan aimed at restarting a decommissioned Michigan nuclear plant — a strong signal that the Trump administration is continuing support for the effort that started under President Joe Biden, per the Detroit Free Press' Keith Matheny.
Rhode Island legislators are also weighing allowing long-term contracts for nuclear power, which could lower electric rates as well as cutting harmful emissions, reports The Providence Journal's Alex Kuffner. The Trump administration’s crackdown on offshore wind development has left utilities scrambling to find alternative sources of affordable, zero-carbon power to comply with state clean energy mandates.
Not so fast. Also on Wednesday, a federal judge temporarily blocked EPA's attempts to "claw back" $20 billion in Biden-era climate funds for nonprofits, though the decision did not immediately authorize resumption of payments to the groups. Politico has a good explainer on both the decision and the political statements ‒ some true and some unfounded, as Politifact, the Austin American-Statesman and others have reported ‒ surrounding the grants.
Up in thin air. A tiny Hawaii office that runs a world-famous CO2 monitoring project is on Elon Musk's Dept. of Government Efficiency list to have its lease terminated, reports Paste BN's Elizabeth Weise. It's one of more than 1,100 federal programs where leases may be abruptly ended or buildings have been listed for possible sale, as The Desert Sun's Paris Barraza reported earlier.
Stormy weather. President Trump on Tuesday ordered sweeping federal "efficiency" reviews aimed at shifting responsibility for disaster preparedness from the federal government to states and local governments and individual residents. His executive action echoes what he told Fox News host Sean Hannity in late January, saying FEMA needed to be pared and he'd "rather see the states take care of their own problems."
The order came two days after a violent storm system swept the nation over the weekend, writes Paste BN's Dinah Voyles Pulver, spinning up more than 50 tornadoes, fanning wildfires and killing at least 42 people. Trump posted a statement on social media Sunday saying that his administration was "actively monitoring" the severe weather event and that the National Guard had been sent to Arkansas. No word yet on whether Missouri's request for FEMA aid will be filled. Major disaster declarations have taken months under previous administrations.
No free lunch. The USDA will yank funds for small farmers that supply school lunch, daycare and food pantry programs, including a $21 million loss in Arizona, $11.3 million in Iowa and $4.2 million in Wisconsin, announcing that the program "no longer effectuates agency priorities."
The programs provide fresh, locally grown food to hundreds of schools, day care centers and food banks. Now beekeepers, vegetable growers and others face huge losses or potential bankruptcy, while out-of-state largescale growers will likely see increased orders, reports the Arizona Republic's Clara Migoya.
Meanwhile corn, soybean and other commodity producers could begin receiving $31 billion in economic and disaster assistance this week, reports Des Moines Register's Donnelle Eller, but experts say it's unlikely table food farmers will benefit from the big package.
Will he or won't he? GOP, Democratic and tribal officials, businesses and environmentalists who vocally supported President Joe Biden's creation of the sweeping Chuckwalla and Sattitla National Monuments are on edge about whether Trump will try to revoke the proclamations. So far, no order has been issued, and there's no clear legal path for a President to cancel such designations.
Read on for more, including an interesting piece on health symptoms of climate change. Some stories may require a subscription. If someone forwarded you this email and you'd like to receive Climate Point in your inbox once a week, sign up here.