WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy first day of Autumn, Daily on Energy readers! We are kicking off today’s newsletter with a major development in the offshore wind space. A federal judge lifted the stop work order on Orsted’s wind project off of Rhode Island, marking a significant win for the industry. 

In other news, Energy Secretary Chris Wright reaffirmed his support for the administration’s crackdown on wind energy. Keep reading to find out what he had to say. 

Recommended Stories

• Moore unveils $200 million energy rebate program for Marylanders amid rising electricity costs
• Daily on Energy: Quote of the week, big changes in California, and nuclear has near-perfect reliability
• Daily on Energy: Trump presses Europe on Russian oil, data center buildout moves, and permitting reform updates

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.

REVOLUTION WIND ALLOWED TO RESUME CONSTRUCTION: The offshore wind industry has seen its first major win against the Trump administration, as a federal judge lifted the stop work order on Revolution Wind this afternoon. 

Judge Royce Lamberth, with the District Court for the District of Columbia, ruled earlier today that the project would suffer “irreparable harm” if the stop-work order remained in place. He lambasted the administration’s decision to pause the project, which was nearly 80% complete, calling it the “height of arbitrary and capricious actions.” 

Danish developer Orsted has said the project will resume construction as soon as possible, with safety as the top priority moving forward. 

Quick reminder: The Interior Department imposed the stop-work order last month, claiming the project was rushed through the permitting process and failed to address national security concerns. This was the second stop-work order the administration imposed on an offshore wind project under construction, the first being Empire Wind in New York. This pause was ultimately lifted after a month by the administration, as a result of a natural gas pipeline deal made between the White House and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. 

Read more from Callie here. 

ENERGY SECRETARY DEFENDS WIND CRACKDOWN: Ahead of today’s ruling, the Trump administration showed no signs of easing up on its efforts to stymie offshore wind development. 

In an interview with Axios published Monday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright insisted that halting projects under construction would not deter companies from investing in the U.S. 

Clean energy advocates have increased warnings in recent weeks that freezing projects like Revolution Wind would do just that. Some renewable developers, like Orsted, have also already indicated interest in scaling back U.S. based projects. 

“There’s very active dialogue among the administration, among parties outside the administration, about the right answer there,” Wright told Axios, referring to halting offshore wind projects. “But I think that’ll be a one-off exception, or one-off complication, [on] what to do with offshore wind.” 

ENDANGERMENT FINDING PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD ENDS: Today is the last day for public comments on the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to rescind the 2009 Endangerment Finding, a key determination that identifies greenhouse gas emissions as a threat to public health and welfare. 

As of this afternoon, according to the Federal Register, the EPA has received more than 140,000 comments on its proposal. 

Quick reminder: In August, the EPA announced a proposal to withdraw the 2009 Endangerment Finding, which concluded that six greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane from vehicles, pose a threat to public health and welfare. The finding was supported by a 2007 Supreme Court ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA, affirming that greenhouse gases are pollutants under the Clean Air Act. 

However, the EPA argued that it exceeded its legal authority under the Clean Air Act and that the Supreme Court ruling did not require the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases. 

Many comments have raised concerns about the agency’s move to repeal the finding, claiming it would have lasting effects on regulations regarding greenhouse gas emissions and public health, including from lawmakers. 

Members of Congress: California Democrat Rep. Doris Matsui led a group of 102 lawmakers in sending a letter to the EPA, urging the agency to reconsider its proposal to rescind the finding. 

“This is a clear abdication of EPA’s core mission to protect human health and the environment and a flagrant rejection of Congressional intent,” the lawmakers wrote. “We find it particularly concerning that EPA’s primary justification for eliminating the vehicle pollution standards is to rescind the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding and deny the near-universal scientific consensus on climate change.”

Other comments: The National Tribal Air Association, a member-based organization comprising 161 member Tribes, stated that it opposes the EPA’s proposal to rescind the finding. The group added that it has previously urged the agency to take further action to mitigate the impacts of climate change on Tribes across the country. 

“The proposed rule to ‘reconsider’ (actually repeal) the 2009 endangerment finding ignores the longstanding position of the NTAA that EPA can and should do more to reduce emissions of GHG and other contaminants that are known to adversely affect the health and well-being of American Indians and Alaska Natives,” NTAA wrote. 

“Additionally, the proposed repeal of vehicle emissions standards will cause continued exposures of many Tribal communities to unhealthful concentrations of ozone, particulate matter and multiple hazardous air pollutants,” they added. 

Furthermore, the Zero Emission Transportation Association requested that the EPA extend its comment period and provide a minimum of 120 days to comment, stating it is a “highly consequential proposal.”

“The proposal’s broad scope, its novel reinterpretation of the Clean Air Act, its technical complexity, along with the significant reliance interests it disrupts and the vast public interest in maintaining greenhouse gas emission controls, all necessitate this additional time for thorough review and meaningful public participation,” ZETA wrote. 

ENERGY UNLIKELY TO SQUEEZE INTO STOP-GAP GOVERNMENT FUNDING: Amid fears of a government shutdown, Democratic leadership is pushing to meet with President Donald Trump in a last-ditch effort to include healthcare and energy provisions in a stopgap funding bill. 

The push: In a letter penned over the weekend, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded a meeting with Trump, accusing the president of stonewalling and shutting down the federal government. The New York Democrats are demanding that Republicans include major healthcare concessions to keep the government funded, but Schumer revealed today that clean energy could play a role as well. 

“Trump is shutting down the government by not negotiating with Democrats on healthcare – we’re saying healthcare because everyone agrees on that – and clean energy,” Schumer told reporters during a call hosted by Climate Power. 

The likelihood: Hawaii Democrat Brian Schatz later clarified that while the party is pushing for cooperation from the administration to support the deployment of renewables to bring down costs, it’s unlikely to see a deal before the shutdown deadline. 

“We’re like, 10 days before the end of the federal fiscal year. So an energy provision in a CR is – I think – vanishingly unlikely,” Schatz said. “But I do think there’s deal space over the next six months to alleviate the pain.”

TRUMP PUSHES FOR GLOBAL FUNDING FOR FOSSIL FUELS: The Trump administration is reportedly urging the World Bank to allocate more funding for fossil fuel projects. The push appears to be a part of the administration’s broader effort to roll back climate change policies and bolster the oil and gas industries. 

The details: Five development officials associated with the World Bank confirmed the pressure to the Financial Times this week. The sources said that the administration is specifically targeting energy financing in developing countries, pressing for more gas exploration projects. The administration is also reportedly applying pressure on other development banks to expand oil and gas investments. 

“The Americans are talking about all gas everywhere,” one senior official with a nation on the board of the World Bank told the outlet. 

New investments would largely break with the transition seen within the bank’s portfolio, as it has substantially increased its investments in projects focused on tackling climate change, while having reduced financing of oil and gas projects. By 2019, the group halted financing of all new upstream fossil fuel projects, with few exceptions. The World Bank previously said it was aiming to have 45% of its total financing going towards climate change mitigation, such as reducing methane emissions, supporting erosion control, lowering vehicle-related pollution, and much more. 

BEZOS-FUNDED ENERGY ALLIANCE GROUP PLANS TO INVEST BILLIONS FOR DEVELOPING NATIONS: The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet is seeking to invest nearly $7.5 billion during a five-year plan for developing countries, executives told Reuters. 

The alliance was launched in 2021 and has helped a number of countries install renewable energy and create green jobs. The group is founded by the IKEA Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the Bezos Earth Fund, and has continued to grow.

The group typically secures money from charitable or governmental sources, but Reuters wrote that it has been more difficult with the Trump administration shifting away from climate finance. 

The alliance’s chief executive, Woochong Um, told Reuters they will now be seeking new partnerships during New York Climate Week and the United Nations General Assembly this week. They will also look for new financing when attending the UN’s Climate Change Conference in Brazil in November. 

“With aid budgets under pressure, we need new models to deliver development at scale,” Um told Reuters. 

PROTESTS BEFORE NEW YORK CLIMATE WEEK: People marched through Manhattan over the weekend at the “Make Billionaires Pay” protest ahead of New York Climate Week. 

On Saturday, protesters marched down Park Ave and toward Trump Tower in New York. Protesters carried signs that read “tax the rich” and “defend mother earth,” and carried a large “climate polluters bill.”

Stakeholders, lawmakers, activists, and government leaders in the climate and energy landscape will be in attendance at this year’s New York Climate Week. The event is taking place at a time when the Trump administration has made moves to roll back climate initiatives and policies meant to curb emissions. 

Check out some of the photos from the protest here. 

ICYMI – SECRETARY BURGUM BLASTS RELIANCE ON RUSSIAN URANIUM: The United States has continued to purchase enriched uranium from Russia to fuel nuclear energy advancements, something the administration has now dubbed as “not acceptable.” 

Trump was pressed on the U.S.’s reliance on Russian uranium over the weekend, in light of the administration’s repeated call for Europe to end purchases of Russian oil and gas. The president quickly deferred to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum during the gaggle with reporters on Air Force One, asking “Doug, do you know anything about that?” 

Burgum did not offer any specifics on when the administration seeks to stop purchasing enriched uranium from Russia, but said it ties directly into its “drill, baby, drill” and “mine, baby, mine” agendas. 

“We allowed ourselves to fall under dependence of both China and Russia for critical minerals,” Burgum told reporters. “Us buying uranium from Russia is not acceptable.” 

The interior secretary noted that he is working alongside Energy Secretary Wright to develop a plan to reshore domestic production of the nuclear fuel. In mid-July, the Department of Energy announced a pilot program to strengthen domestic supply chains for enriched uranium. The agency was accepting initial applications for companies interested in building and operating nuclear fuel production lines through mid-August. 

A LOOK AHEAD:

Sept. 21 – 28 Climate Week NYC is taking place in Manhattan. 

Sept. 22 The PJM Multi-State Technical Conference is taking place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Sept. 22 – 23 The Western Governors’ Association is holding a workshop at the Idaho National Laboratory as part of WGA Chair and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s initiative titled Energy Superabundance: Unlocking Prosperity in the West. 

Sept. 23 – 24 The Atlantic Council is holding its 2025 Nuclear Energy Policy Summit in New York. 

Sept. 23 – 30 Fat Bear Week is back!

Sept. 23 – 27 High-level General Debate for the UN General Assembly will take place in New York, New York. 

Sept. 23 R Street Institute is holding a discussion on preparing for energy load growth. 

Sept. 24 The 13th Annual Michigan Energy Innovators Gala is to be held in Detroit, Michigan. 

Sept. 24 The Peterson Institute for International Economics is holding a webinar on climate change, security, and critical minerals. 

Sept. 25 The Heritage Foundation is holding a virtual panel discussion titled “Powering America Towards Electricity’s Big Bang.” 

Sept. 25 The Environmental and Energy Study Institute is hosting a webinar on artificial intelligence and its implications for energy and the environment. 

Sept. 25 The U.S. Nuclear Industry Council is holding its 2025 Space Nuclear Industry Symposium in Washington, D.C. 

RUNDOWN 

Vox Why the clean energy revolution can outrun the Trump administration

Inside Climate News Pennsylvania Was Once a National Leader in Renewable Energy. What Happened?

Block Club Chicago Swimmers Return To Chicago River For 1st Time In A Century, Marking Dramatic Transformation