Daily on Energy: Energy nominees advance, Trump to press OPEC, and Trump talks FEMA
WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Thursday, readers! Congress is inching closer to confirming the rest of President Donald Trump’s cabinet as two committees in the Senate have sent his nominees to be secretaries of interior and energy as well as the Environmental Protection Agency administrator to the full chamber. While votes have yet to be scheduled, Republicans have asked colleagues to remain in D.C. through the weekend for speedy confirmations across agencies.
In the aftermath of his executive orders, Trump has recommitted to oil, lower prices, and more power for the states by targeting OPEC+ and FEMA in various remarks. Today’s edition of Daily on Energy also takes a look at the latest fire to wreak havoc in the Los Angeles region.
Welcome to Daily on Energy, written by Washington Examiner energy and environment writers Callie Patteson (@CalliePatteson) and Maydeen Merino (@MaydeenMerino). Email cpatteson@washingtonexaminer dot com or mmerino@washingtonexaminer dot com for tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email, and we’ll add you to our list.
TRUMP’S ENERGY NOMINEES MOVE FORWARD: President Donald Trump‘s three picks to pursue his energy dominance agenda are one step closer to leading their departments, as two Senate committees voted to send their nominations to the floor of the upper chamber today.
The details: The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources met first thing this morning for a swift 18-2 vote on the nomination of former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum for secretary of interior. The committee then voted 15-5 in favor of businessman Chris Wright for secretary of energy.
Moments before, the Senate committee on Environment and Public Works moved to send EPA administrator nominee Lee Zeldin to the chamber floor in a brief 11-8 vote, with Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly the only Democrat to vote in favor.
Full Senate floor votes for the three nominees have not yet been scheduled, though they will likely take place within a week to 10 days.
Some reaction: Ranking Member Martin Heinrich voted in favor of both nominees, noting that, while he disagreed with Burgum and Wright on a number of issues, he believed them both to be “well qualified for the positions.” Prior to the vote, Heinrich highlighted Wright’s previous claim that climate change “does not pose an existential threat to humanity.”
“I hope Mr. Wright will come to see that climate change is a clear, pressing and urgent matter, and that our energy transition will be the key to addressing it,” he said.
Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper, who also voted for both Burgum and Wright, told reporters after the committee meeting that he was confident Wright would ensure Department of Energy funds appropriated through the Democrat-passed Inflation Reduction Act would still be spent, despite Trump efforts to withhold discretionary funding.
Hickenlooper said he had asked Wright if he would commit to ensuring the funds are spent the way it is intended, to which the nominee told the senator “absolutely yes.”
“I’m not aware of him saying something that was untrue,” Hickenlooper said. “He’s not just–just not a disingenuous person. What you see is what you get.”
Read more from Callie and Maydeen here.
TRUMP TO CALL ON OPEC AND SAUDI ARABIA TO CUT OIL PRICES: President Donald Trump said he would call on Saudi Arabia and OPEC to lower oil prices, claiming that the war in Ukraine would end if prices dropped.
“I am also going to ask Saudi Arabia and OPEC to bring down the cost of oil,” Trump said in a virtual appearance at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. “You got to bring it down. … If the price came down, the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately.”
“They’re very responsible, actually, to a certain extent, for what’s taking place. Millions of lives are being lost,” Trump added.
The comments are a hint at the Trump administration’s attitudes toward new efforts to limit the revenues Russia gets from oil to fund its war in Ukraine.
Most recently, OPEC+, which includes the members of the oil-producing cartel and non-member Russia, as well as other countries, have cut production by 2.2 million barrels per day in recent months in an effort to prop up prices. The group decided last month it would start easing oil output in April. The bloc agreed to have production cuts fully recovered by September 2026.
Read more by Maydeen here.
DISASTER ASSISTANCE…UP TO FEMA OR THE STATES? Trump isn’t afraid to hand more authority to the states when it comes to emergency response and assistance amid natural disasters like wildfires and hurricanes.
The details: Last night, the president indicated that the Federal Emergency Management Agency may face an uncertain future, telling Fox News that he’d “rather see the states take care of their own problems.”
“All it does is complicate everything,” Trump said. “FEMA has not done their job for the last four years.”
He instead proposed the federal government should only assist in providing funds needed for emergency responses, allowing states to choose how they respond to disasters like tornados and other extreme weather. However, in the same interview, Trump threatened to withhold federal aid from California until major changes are made to the state’s water flows.
“I don’t think we should give California anything until they let water flow down there, just from the north to the south,” the president said.
Some background: FEMA has come under fire in recent months particularly over its response to the disaster brought on by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina. Republicans, including Trump, accused the agency of blocking relief to GOP regions and of diverting emergency funding to provide housing for illegal immigrants.
While it was true that FEMA did provide funds for temporary shelters for immigrants, the agency insisted that it did not use any money appropriated for natural disaster assistance programs.
Trump has yet to nominate someone to lead the agency, but sources confirmed to the New York Times that the president is looking to name FEMA critic and former Navy SEAL Cameron Hamilton as a temporary administrator.
BLOOMBERG TO FUND UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE BODY FOLLOWING U.S. PARIS WITHDRAWAL: The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is no longer expected to see a dip in funding as a result of Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, as billionaire Michael Bloomberg has agreed to foot the bill.
The details: Bloomberg’s foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, announced today that it would ensure U.S. funding for the climate body. The organization said the funds will help the U.S. to meet its global climate obligations. It will be the second time the foundation has offered up funding for the UNFCCC.
“From 2017 to 2020, during a period of federal inaction, cities, states, businesses, and the public rose to the challenge to uphold our nation’s commitments—and now, we are ready to do it again,” Bloomberg said in a statement, adding, “The American people remain determined to continue the fight against the devastating effects of climate change.
“Bloomberg Philanthropies has made significant investments in empowering local leaders, providing businesses with the data to track emissions while driving economic growth, and building coalitions across public and private sectors,” the former New York City mayor continued. “Now, philanthropy’s role in driving local, state, and private sector action is more crucial than ever—and we’re committed to leading the way.”
The announcement did not detail how much the foundation plans on contributing to the climate body, though it could be several million dollars. In 2024, the U.S. paid $7.4 million (7.2 million euro) for its required contribution to the UNFCCC secretariat, according to Reuters.
U.S. TANKERS DIVERT LNG SHIPMENTS TO EUROPE: Several cargo ships carrying liquefied natural gas from the United States toward Asia and South Africa have since changed course for Europe amid losses of Russian gas.
Some background: At the start of this month, Ukraine halted the transportation of Russian gas into Europe as a pre-war deal expired between the two nations. Ukraine declined to renew the transit deal, first signed in 2019, as Russia’s invasion of the eastern European country has extended to nearly three years. “We have stopped the transit of Russian gas. This is a historic event,” Ukraine’s energy ministry said in a statement at the time, per the Associated Press.
The lack of new imports combined with lower temperatures has caused regional gas prices to jump, with regional benchmark TTF futures inching closer to the highest levels since October 2023 at around 50 euro, according to a Financial Times report.
The details: In an seeming effort to take advantage of this market, at least seven LNG tankers have changed their course for Europe, according to the report. The ships had been headed towards Colombia, the Cape of Good Hope, and Asia before making the sharp turns. Some data firms have estimated that the course changes could result in $5.3 million more in profits for each tanker.
While it is not unusual for tankers to divert their cargos – facing a fine or promising to send additional supply to their original customer, experts have indicated it is uncommon to see so many at once.
“It’s unusual to see so many course changes, and so many obvious about-turns,” LNG market analyst Alex Froley told the outlet.
NEW FIRE ERUPTS IN LOS ANGELES: Yesterday, a new fire broke out in Los Angeles County just north of Santa Clarita, burning 10,000 acres and forcing thousands to evacuate.
The Hughes Fire started yesterday before 11 a.m. and has grown rapidly in size. It was first reported to have burned 50 acres but grew to 5,000 acres within the first two hours due to strong winds, according to fire officials.
As of this afternoon, the fire is 14% contained and has not damaged any structures but threatens about 14,000. Parts of Southern California are under red flag warning until Friday morning.
However, rain is in the forecast for Southern Californians this weekend, but the combination of rainfall and recently burned areas raises the risk of mudslides in the areas.
“Too much rain falling too quickly in burn scar areas could cause serious problems. Intense flames and heat from recent wildfires have weakened and destroyed vegetation that anchors the soil. Rainfall that would normally be absorbed by the soil can quickly runoff of scorched areas,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Heather Zehr said.
“People near burn scar areas need to be aware of the threat that dangerous debris flows and mudslides are possible,” Zehr added.
SOLAR GENERATION GROWS AND FOSSIL FUEL DECLINES IN EUROPEAN UNION: Solar was the fastest growing power source in Europe last year, overtaking coal generation for the first time, according to an analysis by think tank Ember.
Coal declined from being the third to sixth largest source in 2024, the European Electricity Review 2025 said. It added that gas power generation has declined for the fifth year in a row. The think tanks said that due to the European Green Deal, wind and solar generation is able to grow while fossil fuels decline.
“Fossil fuels are losing their grip on EU energy,” Chris Rosslowe, senior analyst and lead author of the report, said in a press release. “At the start of the European Green Deal in 2019, few thought the EU’s energy transition could be where it is today; wind and solar are pushing coal to the margins and forcing gas into structural decline.”
RUNDOWN
Washington Post Trump says a ‘valve’ can solve California’s water woes. Experts say it’s not true.
Inside Climate News Making Sense of the Giant Fire that Could Set Back Energy Storage
Forbes No News About ERCOT Is Good News For Texas
WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Thursday, readers! Congress is inching closer to confirming the rest of President Donald Trump’s cabinet as two committees in the Senate have sent his nominees to be secretaries of Interior and Energy as well as the Environmental Protection Agency administrator to the full chamber. While votes have yet to be scheduled, Republicans have asked colleagues to remain in the D.C. through the weekend for speedy confirmations across agencies.
In the aftermath of his executive orders, Trump has recommitted to oil, lower prices, and more power for the states by targeting OPEC+ and FEMA in various remarks. Today’s edition of Daily on Energy also takes a look at the latest fire to wreak havoc in the Los Angeles region.
Welcome to Daily on Energy, written by Washington Examiner energy and environment writers Callie Patteson (@CalliePatteson) and Maydeen Merino (@MaydeenMerino). Email cpatteson@washingtonexaminer dot com or mmerino@washingtonexaminer dot com for tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email, and we’ll add you to our list.
TRUMP’S ENERGY NOMINEES MOVE FORWARD: President Donald Trump‘s three picks to pursue his energy dominance agenda are one step closer to leading their departments, as two Senate committees voted to send their nominations to the floor of the upper chamber today.
The details: The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources committee met first thing this morning for a swift 18-2 vote on the nomination of former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum for secretary of interior. The committee then voted 15-5 in favor of businessman Chris Wright for secretary of energy.
Moments before, the Senate committee on Environment and Public Works moved to send EPA administrator nominee Lee Zeldin to the chamber floor in a brief 11-8 vote, with Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly the only Democrat to vote in favor.
Full Senate floor votes for the three nominees have not yet been scheduled, though they will likely take place within a week to 10 days.
Some reaction: Ranking Member Martin Heinrich voted in favor of both nominees, noting that, while he disagreed with Burgum and Wright on a number of issues, he believed them both to be “well qualified for the positions.” Prior to the vote, Heinrich highlighted Wright’s previous claim that climate change “does not pose an existential threat to humanity.”
“I hope Mr. Wright will come to see that climate change is a clear, pressing and urgent matter, and that our energy transition will be the key to addressing it,” he said.
Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper, who also voted for both Burgum and Wright, told reporters after the committee meeting that he was confident Wright would ensure Department of Energy funds appropriated through the Democrat-passed Inflation Reduction Act would still be spent, despite Trump efforts to withhold discretionary funding.
Hickenlooper said he had asked Wright if he would commit to ensuring the funds are spent the way it is intended, to which the nominee told the senator “absolutely yes.”
“I’m not aware of him saying something that was untrue,” Hickenlooper said. “He’s not just–just not a disingenuous person. What you see is what you get.”
Read more from Callie and Maydeen here.
TRUMP TO CALL ON OPEC AND SAUDI ARABIA TO CUT OIL PRICES: President Donald Trump said he would call on Saudi Arabia and OPEC to lower oil prices, claiming that the war in Ukraine would end if prices dropped.
“I am also going to ask Saudi Arabia and OPEC to bring down the cost of oil,” Trump said in a virtual appearance at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. “You got to bring it down. … If the price came down, the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately.”
“They’re very responsible, actually, to a certain extent, for what’s taking place. Millions of lives are being lost,” Trump added.
The comments are a hint at the Trump administration’s attitudes toward new efforts to limit the revenues Russia gets from oil to fund its war in Ukraine.
Most recently, OPEC+, which includes the members of the oil-producing cartel and non-member Russia, as well as other countries, have cut production by 2.2 million barrels per day in recent months in an effort to prop up prices. The group decided last month it would start easing oil output in April. The bloc agreed to have production cuts fully recovered by September 2026.
Read more by Maydeen here.
DISASTER ASSISTANCE…UP TO FEMA OR THE STATES? Trump isn’t afraid to hand more authority to the states when it comes to emergency response and assistance amid natural disasters like wild fires and hurricanes.
The details: Last night, the president indicated that the Federal Emergency Management Agency may face an uncertain future, telling Fox News that he’d “rather see the states take care of their own problems.”
“All it does is complicate everything,” Trump said. “FEMA has not done their job for the last four years.”
He instead proposed the federal government should only assist in providing funds needed for emergency responses, allowing states to choose how they respond to disasters like tornados and other extreme weather. However, in the same interview, Trump threatened to withhold federal aid from California until major changes are made to the state’s water flows.
“I don’t think we should give California anything until they let water flow down there, just from the north to the south,” the president said.
Some background: FEMA has come under fire in recent months particularly over its response to the disaster brought on by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina. Republicans, including Trump, accused the agency of blocking relief to GOP regions and of diverting emergency funding to provide housing for illegal immigrants.
While it was true that FEMA did provide funds for temporary shelters for immigrants, the agency insisted that it did not use any money appropriated for natural disaster assistance programs.
Trump has yet to nominate someone to lead the agency, but sources confirmed to the New York Times that the president is looking to name FEMA critic and former Navy SEAL Cameron Hamilton as a temporary administrator.
BLOOMBERG TO FUND UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE BODY FOLLOWING U.S. PARIS WITHDRAWAL: The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is no longer expected to see a dip in funding as a result of Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, as billionaire Michael Bloomberg has agreed to foot the bill.
The details: Bloomberg’s foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, announced today that it would ensure U.S. funding for the climate body. The organization said the funds will help the U.S. to meet its global climate obligations. It will be the second time the foundation has offered up funding for the UNFCCC.
“From 2017 to 2020, during a period of federal inaction, cities, states, businesses, and the public rose to the challenge to uphold our nation’s commitments—and now, we are ready to do it again,” Bloomberg said in a statement, adding, “The American people remain determined to continue the fight against the devastating effects of climate change.
“Bloomberg Philanthropies has made significant investments in empowering local leaders, providing businesses with the data to track emissions while driving economic growth, and building coalitions across public and private sectors,” the former New York City mayor continued. “Now, philanthropy’s role in driving local, state, and private sector action is more crucial than ever—and we’re committed to leading the way.”
The announcement did not detail how much the foundation plans on contributing to the climate body, though it could be several million dollars. In 2024, the U.S. paid $7.4 million (7.2 million euro) for its required contribution to the UNFCCC secretariat, according to Reuters.
U.S. TANKERS DIVERT LNG SHIPMENTS TO EUROPE: Several cargo ships carrying liquefied natural gas from the United States toward Asia and South Africa have since changed course for Europe amid losses of Russian gas.
Some background: At the start of this month, Ukraine halted the transportation of Russian gas into Europe as a pre-war deal expired between the two nations. Ukraine declined to renew the transit deal, first signed in 2019, as Russia’s invasion of the eastern-European country has extended to nearly three years. “We have stopped the transit of Russian gas. This is a historic event,” Ukraine’s energy ministry said in a statement at the time, per the Associated Press.
The lack of new imports combined with lower temperatures has caused regional gas prices to jump, with regional benchmark TTF futures inching closer to the highest levels since October 2023 at around 50 euro, according to a Financial Times report.
The details: In an seeming effort to take advantage of this market, at least seven LNG tankers have changed their course for Europe, according to the report. The ships had been headed towards Colombia, the Cape of Good Hope, and Asia before making the sharp turns. Some data firms have estimated that the course changes could result in $5.3 million more in profits for each tanker.
While it is not unusual for tankers to divert their cargos – facing a fine or promising to send additional supply to their original customer, experts have indicated it is uncommon to see so many at once.
“It’s unusual to see so many course changes, and so many obvious about-turns,” LNG market analyst Alex Froley told the outlet.
NEW FIRE ERUPTS IN LOS ANGELES: Yesterday, a new fire broke out in Los Angeles County just north of Santa Clarita, burning 10,000 acres and forcing thousands to evacuate.
The Hughes Fire started yesterday before 11 a.m. and has grown rapidly in size. It was first reported to have burned 50 acres but grew to 5,000 acres within the first two hours due to strong winds, according to fire officials.
As of this afternoon, the fire is 14% contained and has not damaged any structures but threatens about 14,000. Parts of Southern California are under red flag warning until Friday morning.
However, rain is the forecast for Southern Californians this weekend, but the combination of rainfall and recently burned areas raises the risk of mudslides in the areas.
“Too much rain falling too quickly in burn scar areas could cause serious problems. Intense flames and heat from recent wildfires have weakened and destroyed vegetation that anchors the soil. Rainfall that would normally be absorbed by the soil can quickly runoff of scorched areas,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Heather Zehr said.
“People near burn scar areas need to be aware of the threat that dangerous debris flows and mudslides are possible,” Zehr added.
SOLAR GENERATION GROWS AND FOSSIL FUEL DECLINES IN EUROPEAN UNION: Solar was the fastest growing power source in Europe last year, overtaking coal generation for the first time, according to an analysis by think tank Ember.
Coal declined from being the third to sixth largest source in 2024, the European Electricity Review 2025 said. It added that gas power generation has declined for the fifth year in a row. The think tanks said that due to the European Green Deal, wind and solar generation is able to grow while fossil fuels decline.
“Fossil fuels are losing their grip on EU energy,” Chris Rosslowe, senior analyst and lead author of the report, said in a press release. “At the start of the European Green Deal in 2019, few thought the EU’s energy transition could be where it is today; wind and solar are pushing coal to the margins and forcing gas into structural decline.”
RUNDOWN
Washington Post Trump says a ‘valve’ can solve California’s water woes. Experts say it’s not true.
Inside Climate News Making Sense of the Giant Fire that Could Set Back Energy Storage
Forbes No News About ERCOT Is Good News For Texas