Slow rollout throttled Biden’s big clean energy ambitions, former staffers say

4 November 2025 at 18:00

An “executive branch machinery that defaulted to caution, process, and reactive strategies” undercut the ex-president’s massive energy and infrastructure programs, a report by his former staffers details.

President Joe Biden speaks to guests at an event on the economy.

The water war Trump hasn’t blown up

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Annie Snider

3 November 2025 at 00:00

The fight over the Colorado River’s dwindling resources is made for MAGA — but so far the Trump administration has been playing it straight.

The Glen Canyon Dam is shown outside of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area on July 10 in Page, Arizona.

White House removes Atlantic from oil lease consideration after political backlash

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Ben Lefebvre

1 November 2025 at 03:28

The Trump administration could be days away from proposing a five-year drilling plan that would open new waters off the Pacific and eastern Gulf coasts to oil and gas rigs.

A rig and supply vessel are pictured off the coast of Louisiana on April 10, 2011.

NOAA hurricane hunter crews, researchers flying without pay

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Daniel Cusick

29 October 2025 at 07:30

The planes have been flying into Hurricane Melissa as part of monitoring the monster storm.

A satellite image shows Hurricane Melissa off Jamaica on Tuesday.

UN: Global climate plans falling short of the goal

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Zack Colman

28 October 2025 at 15:01

Greenhouse gas pollution in 2035 would be only 6 percent lower than levels that countries have previously promised to hit by 2030, according to a U.N. report based on skimpy submissions from governments around the world.

A demonstrator holds up a poster with text that reads in Portuguese, "The Answer Is Us," urging President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to complete the demarcation of pending Indigenous lands ahead of the COP30 U.N. Climate Change Conference, in Brasilia, Brazil, on Oct. 13, 2025.

Global cooling startup raises $60M to test sun-reflecting technology

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Corbin Hiar and Karl Mathiesen

24 October 2025 at 21:00

The fundraising haul marks strong enthusiasm for experiments aimed at lowering temperatures, said the company. But it also raises questions about commercializing technologies with potentially damaging consequences.

Stardust, a geoengineering company, plans to test its particles inside a plane while flying in the stratosphere in April 2026.

Trump targets Atlantic and Pacific coasts for new oil drilling

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Ben Lefebvre

23 October 2025 at 10:53

The move would reignite a fight with coastal state governors — particularly California’s Gavin Newsom — who forced the president to back down in his first term.

President Donald Trump's plan would seek to put California Gov. Gavin Newsom in a tricky political position.

Trump takes aim at European climate law after killing UN shipping fee

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Ben Lefebvre and Zack Colman

23 October 2025 at 09:01

Once again the United States is using its economic might to pressure other countries to back down from an effort to limit greenhouse gas pollution.

President Donald Trump, flanked by Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, speaks to reporters on Oct. 6 before signing an executive order in the Oval Office.

‘It just seems so messy’: How Chris Wright went wrong with the White House

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Ben Lefebvre and Zack Colman

18 October 2025 at 00:54

Missteps in cutting clean energy spending and friction between staffers has led to questions about whether the former fracking company CEO will remain in the Cabinet.

DOE Secretary Chris Wright "thinks that he knows energy better than the president and it seems like he’s looking to make that very clear to the White House,” a person familiar with the tensions said.

Trump preparing to reopen Alaska wildlife refuge for oil drilling

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Adam Federman

17 October 2025 at 21:05

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to polar bears, caribou and wolves — and may hold vast amounts of crude oil.

The largest wildlife refuge in the United States has been a focus of President Donald Trump’s since his first term.

Interior cancels largest solar project in North America

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Scott Streater

11 October 2025 at 02:55

It's the Trump administration's latest move to slow or block major clean energy projects.

Solar panels in the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan area in California are shown.

‘The boys are fighting’: Rising tensions beset Trump’s Energy chief

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Sophia Cai and Ben Lefebvre

10 October 2025 at 08:05

“There are definitely annoyances with the White House about who gets to decide what gets cut and when it gets cut,” an administration official said.

Tensions have emerged between Energy Secretary Chris Wright, left, and White House officials over how aggressively to cut billions in Biden-era clean energy grants, people familiar with the discussion say.

The government’s own data rebuts Trump’s claims about wind and solar prices

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Zack Colman and Catherine Allen

7 October 2025 at 17:00

The Trump administration has targeted renewable energy for driving up electricity prices, but POLITICO’s analysis shows states that are growing their wind and solar power typically have lower power costs.

Utility prices are on the rise around the country, and the Trump administration is pulling the plug on new renewable energy sources.

1 Biden green program gets new life under Trump

Politico | Energy & Environment

By James Bikales

6 October 2025 at 00:00

More than 40 states told POLITICO they have taken steps to unlock federal funding to build charging stations for electric vehicles.

States are unlocking billions of dollars from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program to fund EV chargers.

Money to oversee nuclear weapons safety will start running low after 8 days, Energy secretary says

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Kelsey Tamborrino

4 October 2025 at 02:23

The National Nuclear Security Administration will need to ramp back its work, which ranges from maintaining the weapons arsenal to international non-proliferation efforts.

Department of Energy headquarters is seen in Washington on Sept. 25, 2025.

Damage from Trump's $8B energy hit list would spill into GOP districts

Politico | Energy & Environment

By James Bikales， Kelsey Tamborrino and Josh Siegel

3 October 2025 at 03:37

The department targeted 16 blue states when canceling financial awards for 223 energy projects. But both parties will feel the impact.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright speaks during a television interview outside of the White House.

White House threat of new green cuts has Democrats seeing red

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Kelsey Tamborrino， Josh Siegel and James Bikales

2 October 2025 at 17:00

"Our democracy is badly broken when a president can illegally suspend projects for Blue states in order to punish his political enemies," Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) wrote on X.

The states Vought listed as targets for the cuts all voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election, though two of them — Vermont and New Hampshire — are currently led by Republican governors.

1 thing Republicans and Democrats can agree not to shut down: National parks

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Natalie Fertig， Camille von Kaenel and Heather Richards

1 October 2025 at 20:00

“Parks are where a lot of people go to massage their spirit,” said Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.).

Elected officials in both parties are worried about the shutdown's impact on national parks.

National parks will remain mostly open in shutdown

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Heather Richards

1 October 2025 at 07:26

The Trump administration plans to tap park fees to pay for skeleton crews of staff.

Visitors stand outside Yosemite National Park’s Welcome Center in Yosemite Valley in California on July 18.

DOT to cancel ‘small number’ of Biden-era awards as grant probe nears end, official says

Politico | Energy & Environment

By James Bikales

30 September 2025 at 22:45

Deputy Transportation Secretary Steven Bradbury said at a POLITICO event that DOT has “worked through” around 3,000 awards announced but never finalized by the Biden administration.

Deputy Transportation Secretary Steven Bradbury speaks at a POLITICO event on Tuesday.

Democrats alarmed as Trump eyes weapons material to fuel nuclear reactors

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Zack Colman

30 September 2025 at 02:41

The scramble to build new reactors to supply power to AI data centers may include plutonium from the nation’s nuclear deterrent.

An Air Force photo shows a test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile in 2019 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Energy Dept. adds ‘climate change’ and ‘emissions’ to banned words list

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Zack Colman

29 September 2025 at 02:47

It is the latest in a series of Trump administration efforts to dispute, silence or downplay climate change.

The words "climate change," "green" and "emissions" are among a batch of new "words to avoid" at a major Energy Department office.

China doubles down on climate, wind and solar pledges — a day after Trump called them a 'scam'

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Sara Schonhardt

25 September 2025 at 06:03

Clean energy is the "trend of our time," Chinese President Xi Jinping said while announcing modest targets for trimming the economic superpower's carbon pollution.

Chinese President Xi Jinping virtually addresses a climate summit Wednesday at U.N. headquarters in New York.

Trump’s allies still waiting for him to land his hardest climate blow

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Sara Schonhardt

23 September 2025 at 17:00

The president has yet to announce his plans for the 1992 Senate-ratified treaty that underlies the world’s efforts to counter global warming.

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One on Sunday.

EPA reorganization sparks fears of ‘political interference’

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Hannah Northey， Ellie Borst and Sean Reilly

23 September 2025 at 02:33

“Today is day one of the new EPA,” Administrator Lee Zeldin said. Union officials say the revamp is meant to intimidate scientists and undermine science.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin listens as President Donald Trump holds a Cabinet meeting in the White House on Aug. 26.

Judge allows work to restart on New England wind project that Trump halted

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Kelsey Tamborrino

23 September 2025 at 02:24

Judge says there is "no question in my mind" of irreparable harm to the offshore wind project.

The order said Revolution Wind is likely to suffer irreparable harm if it isn't able to restart work on the project, which is 80 percent complete.

‘We are not winning’: Greens look for new spark under Trump 2.0

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Zack Colman

23 September 2025 at 00:36

Environmental groups that have watched President Donald Trump shred their climate victories are beset by internal divides, slumping fund-raising and a debate on how to fight back.

Some climate activists — including demonstrators at Saturday's "Make Billionaires Pay" march in Manhattan — are trying to make their case as part of a broader protest against President Donald Trump's policies and the influence of the ultra-wealthy.

Climate change ‘beyond scientific dispute,’ National Academies report says

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Alex Guillén

18 September 2025 at 00:27

The report is a sharp rebuttal to a recent Trump administration's report, and Republicans have already targeted the report as “a blatant partisan act.”

A report from one of the U.S.' top scientific bodies says long-term observations "confirm unequivocally" that human emissions are warming the planet and raising new dangers.

Trump’s killing of climate grants has recipients second-guessing federal help

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Alex Guillén

15 September 2025 at 22:17

"The risk is way too high and the effort is way too large," said one environmental group founder about federal grants.

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