WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and Happy Valentine’s Day, readers! Kicking off today’s edition of Daily on Energy, Callie and Maydeen take a look at the latest in the Trump administration’s federal employee layoffs.
As Southern California faces mudslides and flooding after experiencing heavy rain, FEMA is reportedly planning to stop enforcing a rule that protects public buildings in flood zones.
Plus, keep reading to find out how much electricity demand is expected to grow in the next two years.
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.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Daily on Energy will be off Monday to mark Presidents Day. We will be back in your inbox on Tuesday. Enjoy the holiday!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Former top official and scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Craig McLean spoke with Callie this week on the Department of Government Efficiency’s moves at the agency. “Folks are scared. Folks are very scared because these uncaring and vitriolic language that was included in the fork in the road memo, for example, trying to tell federal employees that what you’re doing is really not worthy, but if you went and did it with the private sector suddenly it would become worthy – these kinds of prejudices are designed to erode morale,” McLean said, adding that NOAA staffers have remained dedicated to their mission and work despite the fears and confusion.
“But the bad news for the DOGE people and for Mr. Musk, yeah he may be the richest guy in the world…but he certainly is not rich in heart,” he continued. “He’s certainly not rich in intellect when it comes to running a government and he certainly has no idea what he’s doing by clashing and clamoring into the structures of the federal government.”
FEDERAL LAYOFFS HIT THOUSANDS OF ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT EMPLOYEES: The Trump administration has begun to fire federal employees across a number of agencies in an effort to save money across the government, including many working at the Departments of Energy and Agriculture.
The details: The layoffs began yesterday, after the Office of Personnel Management met with agency officials and directed them to fire all employees still on probation. While the full scale of the layoffs remains to be seen, they are expected to affect thousands who didn’t accept the Trump administration’s deferred resignation offer that expired earlier this week. The American Federation of Government Employees said today that only around 600 employees from the Environmental Protection Agency opted for the buyout, according to Bloomberg.
The numbers: Around 3,400 federal employees within the U.S. Forest Service are expected to be fired, two sources told Politico this week. These layoffs are not expected to impact public safety employees or firefighters. At DOE, upwards of 2,000 employees may be laid off, the outlet reported. This is expected to include around 300 employees who work with the National Nuclear Security Administration, one employee told NPR.
Read more from Callie here.
TRUMP ESTABLISHES WHITE HOUSE ENERGY COUNCIL: President Donald Trump signed an executive order to establish the “National Energy Dominance Council.”
The council will be led by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum with Energy Secretary Chris Wright as its vice-chair, an administration official told Bloomberg. The official said other cabinet members will join the council and they will look to improve the permitting process and address regulation.
Burgum and Wright joined Trump in the Oval Office today as he signed the order. “We have more energy than any other country and now we are unleashing it,” Trump said.
The administration is seeking to boost domestic oil production and lower the cost of energy. The council will be tasked with recommending a national energy strategy and will consult with private stakeholders when creating its plan, the official told Bloomberg.
FEWER CLOUDS FUELING RECORD HEAT: As global temperatures continue to rise to record levels, scientists have been looking for any explanation as to why. Now some are saying all we need to do is look up to find one contributing factor: the clouds — or rather, lack thereof, according to a new Washington Post report.
The details: Clouds can help lower temperatures in a number of ways, such as by reflecting light from the sun. Their impact on the climate can vary on what kind of cloud is in the sky, as high cirrus clouds can cause more warming by reflecting greenhouse gases and infrared radiation back to Earth. Meanwhile, lower cumulus clouds can cause more cooling.
Two new studies reviewed by the Washington Post have found that global cover of these lower altitude clouds has decreased. As a result, the planet’s reflectivity has lowered, leaving room for warmer temperatures. George Tselioudis, a climate scientist with NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies and lead author of one of the papers, told the outlet that cloud cover along a number of traditionally cloud-heavy regions around the equator and Northern and Southern Hemispheres is shrinking by 1.5% every 10 years.
“Clouds are a huge lever on the climate system,” Andrew Gettelman, a University of Colorado at Boulder scientist, told the outlet. “A small change in clouds could be a large change in how we warm the planet.”
A reminder: The report comes just days after researchers declared January 2025 as the warmest on record. Last month temperatures were recorded at 1.75°C above the pre-industrial level and 0.79°C above the 1991-2020 average, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said. Europe’s average temperature last month was 1.80°C, 2.51°C above the 1991-2020 average for January.
GLOBAL ELECTRICITY DEMAND TO SOAR BY 4% THROUGH 2027: Electricity consumption across the world is anticipated to rise at the fastest pace in recent years, annually adding an amount roughly equal to more than Japan’s annual demand.
The details: The International Energy Agency released its 2025 electricity report today, offering up analysis and forecasts on consumption through 2027. In the report, the agency estimated that demand will grow around 4% annually over the next two years. The surge in energy demand is primarily being driven by increased electrification of vehicles, data center construction and operation, and rising demand for air conditioning, IEA said.
The agency said the trend toward higher electricity demand will be most predominantly seen in China, where consumption is projected to rise by around 6% through 2027. Similarly, the U.S. is anticipated to see major growth in electricity demand, with consumption expected to grow by the equivalent of California’s current power consumption.
“The acceleration of global electricity demand highlights the significant changes taking place in energy systems around the world and the approach of a new Age of Electricity. But it also presents evolving challenges for governments in ensuring secure, affordable and sustainable electricity supply,” IEA Director of Energy Markets and Security Keisuke Sadamori said in a statement.
FEMA TO STOP ENFORCING FEMA FLOOD RULE: The Federal Emergency Management Agency plans to stop enforcing rules that help to manage and mitigate current or potential flood risks to public buildings.
A memo sent on Feb. 4 by FEMA’s chief counsel, Adrian Sevier, laid out the policy changes to stop enforcing the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard, The New York Times reported.
Former President Joe Biden signed an executive order calling for a federal flood standard. FEMA finalized a rule last July which ensures that public buildings that have been destroyed or damaged by floods will be rebuilt to withstand any future flooding.
Trump revoked Biden’s executive order calling for a federal flood standard. In the memo, Sevier said “This pause must be implemented immediately while FEMA takes action to rescind or amend the policies.”
FEMA told the New York Times the rule is “under review per the president’s executive order.” Federal agencies can reverse rules but it must undergo the lengthy rulemaking process, which includes steps like a public notice and comment period. The process could take several months.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SUFFERS MUDSLIDES AND FLOODING: Heavy rain hit parts of Southern California yesterday afternoon, prompting mudslides and flooding across Los Angeles County.
Although the worst of the rainfall hit yesterday afternoon, the burned areas from last month’s Los Angeles wildfires remain under an evacuation warning until 2pm PST today.
Yesterday, one highway intersection located in Pacific Palisades was submerged in about three feet of sludge, AP News said. In Altadena, where the Eaton Fire occurred, there were also several feet of mud and debris flow. Also, part of the Pacific Coast Highway located in Malibu has been closed due to mudslides.
ABC Eyewitness News said it expects, when the rainstorm ends later today, 1 to 3 inches of rain in the coastal and valley areas with 3 to 6 inches of rain in the foothills and mountains.
Check out Fox Weather Meteorologist Steve Bender’s video of yesterday’s heavy rainfall, flooding, and mudslides in certain areas.
ICYMI — UTILITY GIANT REMOVES CLIMATE LANGUAGE AMID RENEWED FOCUS ON GAS: As the Trump administration has sought to shift the focus of energy policy away from renewables and cleaner alternatives, some utility providers are following suit by removing the mention of climate targets in public reports.
The details: Utility giant Duke Energy released its fourth-quarter earnings update on Thursday and while the release looked similar to its third-quarter earnings issued last year, key climate phrasing appears to have been removed. Previously, the company had said it was “executing an ambitious clean energy transition, keeping reliability, affordability and accessibility at the forefront” as Duke Energy continues to make progress on its net-zero emissions targets. In the same section of the most recent release, the company removed terms like “clean,” “affordability” and “accessibility” as well as any mention of lowering emissions.
While the language is gone, the company has insisted its clean energy goals remain the same. “While our long-term business strategy and our climate goals remain the same, we recently adjusted the language in our company boilerplate to emphasize the near-term, essential nature of meeting our customers’ evolving needs and the increasing growth in front of us,” a representative told Bloomberg.
Some background: Duke Energy is one of the largest utility operators in the country, with its more than eight million electricity customers spanning six states, including the Carolinas, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. The company also provides natural gas to nearly two million customers.
The company’s shift in framing comes at the same time that Duke Energy is constructing new natural gas power plants in North and South Carolina, according to Bloomberg. The facilities are expected to provide more than 2 gigawatts of power, bringing its total new natural gas generation to around 5 GW by 2029.
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