WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Monday, readers! We hope you all had a restful three-day weekend and an enjoyable Independence Day! 

House Republicans have canceled votes and pushed back several hearings scheduled for this week, giving our congressional reporters a much-needed break after some all-star coverage of the passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. 

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Our thoughts and prayers are with the families affected by the deadly flash flood that swept through central Texas on Friday. Today’s edition of Daily on Energy brings you the latest on the natural disaster. Stick with us this week as we continue to monitor the aftermath of the flood. 

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.

LATEST ON THE TEXAS FLASH FLOOD: More than 85 people are confirmed dead after a flash flood swept through communities along the Guadalupe River in Texas last week. 

Search and rescue efforts are ongoing following heavy rainfall that struck parts of Texas, causing the Guadalupe River to overflow in the early morning hours on Friday. The area most affected by the flash flood was Kerr County, where the death toll stands at 75, including 27 children as of this afternoon. 

The flash flood affected summer camps along the Guadalupe River, prompting many to question why the camps were not evacuated on time. Camp Mystic, an all-girls’ summer camp in the county confirmed that at least 27 girls and staff were among those victims. 

The National Weather Service on Thursday afternoon issued flood watches and warnings. In Kerr County, the NWS issued a flood warning around 1 a.m. with the potential for life-threatening flooding. Then, around 5 a.m., it upgraded it to a flash flood emergency. The Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in less than an hour on Friday morning. 

There is more rain in the forecast for some of the hardest-hit places in Texas. Today, some areas in central Texas can see anywhere from 2-4 inches of rain to as much as 10 inches. 

The political drama: In the aftermath of the flood, many Democrats have been quick to point fingers at President Donald Trump and his administration’s decision to cut staffing at agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NWS. 

A New York Times report revealed that at least two Texas NWS offices were missing key personnel such as a senior hydrologist, staff forecaster, and a warning coordination meteorologist. At least one of these openings was created after the warning coordination meteorologist in San Antonio took the deferred retirement package offered by the Trump administration. 

As a result, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer today asked the Office of the Inspector General to investigate if these staff openings resulted in any delays, gaps or diminished accuracy in the forecasts related to the flooding. 

Over the weekend, Trump insisted that any cuts made to the federal government by his administration earlier this year “did not” leave key vacancies at agencies like NWS. Other Republicans have also lambasted the growing Democratic criticism, with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz telling reporters today “this is not a time for partisan finger pointing.” 

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WARNS ABOUT BLACKOUTS FROM RELYING ON RENEWABLES: In a new grid security report released today, the Department of Energy said that the massive deployment of wind and solar energy expected by 2030 won’t be enough to support the growing power demand brought on by data centers and artificial intelligence. 

The findings: The report, which analyzes how much generation is posted to retire and come online over the next five years, found that roughly 104 gigawatts worth of plant retirements are scheduled by 2030. DOE has insisted that these retirements threaten grid reliability, as there is not a substantial amount of baseload power sources, such as coal, natural gas and nuclear, coming online. The report found that the U.S. will see around 210 gigawatts of new generation by 2030, only 22 gigawatts of which is baseload or “firm.” 

While this marks immense growth for the renewable energy sector, Energy Department officials told reporters Monday that it was the “wrong type of generation needed to address the reliability issue.” 

If scheduled retirements and current additions of firm generation remain the same, the report estimates that it could increase blackouts across the country by 100%. 

Read more from Callie here. 

A PROPOSAL TO BUILD DEEPWATER PORT FOR LNG EXPORTS: Federal authorities said today that they have received an application from a developer looking to build a massive deepwater facility to export liquefied natural gas off the coast of Texas. 

The details: In a notice published to the Federal Register, the Maritime Administration and U.S. Coast Guard said ST LNG is seeking to build the ST LNG Deepwater Port Development Project roughly 10.4 nautical miles offshore of Matagorda, Texas. 

The facility, if approved, is expected to have an export capacity of 8.4 million metric tons of natural gas per year – more than half of the entire amount expected to be exported in all of 2025. The application reveals that the project would be made up of four phases in order to build a gas treatment platform, LNG liquefaction platform, accommodations and utility platform, mooring dolphins, a storage unit, a transfer platform, and interconnected pipelines. 

The project will still need to undergo environmental reviews required by the National Environmental Policy Act, though, given the current administration’s goals to increase LNG production and exports, it will likely face little pushback from the federal government. 

TRUMP DELAYS ‘LIBERATION DAY’ TARIFFS: Trump signed an executive order today to delay reciprocal tariffs until August 1. 

“The reciprocal tariff rate, or these new rates that will be provided in this correspondence to these foreign leaders, will be going out the door within the next month,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday. “Or deals will be made.”

This is the second extension to reciprocal tariffs. Trump delayed imposing reciprocal tariffs in April and placed a 90-day pause, which was set to expire on July 9.

Still, Trump has sent a number of letters to trading partners this afternoon regarding higher tariff rates. He imposed 25% tariffs on South Korea and Japan, which would take effect at the start of August unless they reach a deal. 

He also imposed a 25% tariff rate on Malaysia and Kazakhstan. South Africa received a 30% rate tariff, and Laos and Myanmar received a 40% rate. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said today that other letters will be sent in the coming days, in addition to the 12 letters Trump plans to send today. 

BLM SEEKING NEW PUBLIC LANDS FOR COAL LEASING: The Bureau of Land Management announced it would open public comments to identify new areas for coal production on public lands in Montana and Wyoming. 

Specifically, the department is considering updates to identify areas in the Powder River Basin in southeast Montana and northeast Wyoming. It said that the basin accounts for more than 85% of all federal coal production. The action is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to revive the domestic coal industry. 

The public comment period will open tomorrow following the publication of the notice in the Federal Register. The comment period will close on August 7. 

THE ALASKAN VILLAGE IN FAVOR OF NEW DRILLING: The Trump administration has for months set its sights on the North Slope of Alaska to advance its “drill, baby, drill” agenda. While there is a hot debate in Washington, D.C., as to when and where drilling should take place, one Native village has said it would welcome energy development with open arms. 

The village of Kaktovik: More than 3,000 miles northwest of Washington sits the small village of Kaktovik, Alaska. Kaktovik is located more than 600 miles north of Anchorage, Alaska, and roughly 90 miles west of the Canadian border, at the most northern top of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. 

Despite its remote location, Kaktovik is far from lacking modern conveniences such as cable television, public electricity, public radio, heated water, a health clinic, and even a trash pickup service. For Mayor Nathan Gordon Jr., the village has the fossil fuel industry to thank. 

The help: Kaktovik, like other villages and cities in the North Slope, relies heavily on tax revenue generated by resource development projects such as oil and gas drilling. In fact, more than 95% of North Slope Borough’s budget comes from this revenue. Native leaders said this has allowed smaller villages to maintain modern sewer systems, build and repair schools, support a local economy, and even lengthen their average life expectancy. 

Now, Gordon is hopeful that more drilling projects can continue to help his village and people, primarily through building a road connecting Kaktovik to the rest of Alaska. This road would be critical in lowering the cost of living. Currently, a single ribeye steak sells for around $35 to $40 and a 24-pack of water sells for about $65.

You can read more about why the people of Kaktovik are for new drilling projects as well as the concerns other Native leaders in the North Slope have in Callie’s report here. 

ICYMI – OPEC+ TO PUMP MORE OIL…AGAIN! Over the weekend, OPEC+ announced that it would be again increasing its supply output later this year in order to fully recover its previous cuts of 2.2 million barrels a day. 

The details: During a video conference Saturday, the eight OPEC+ members agreed to increase supply by 548,000 barrels a day starting in August. The increase, which is equivalent to four monthly increments, is up from the increases of 411,000 barrels announced for May, June, and July. 

Analysts had anticipated that OPEC+ would stick to that same level in August, warning that the oil-producing bloc could put the market in a position in which supply surpasses demand, putting downward pressure on prices. 

Impact on prices: As of today, the market didn’t seem too shaken by the decision. Around 2:30 p.m. EST, both international and domestic benchmarks were up by just under a dollar. Brent crude had risen by 1.23%, and was priced at around $69.14 per barrel. Similarly, West Texas Intermediate jumped by 1.25% and was selling at $67.33 per barrel. 

A LOOK AHEAD:

July 8 The Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University is holding its Third Annual Energy Opportunity Forum at the University Club in Washington, D.C. 

July 8 The Environmental Protection Agency is holding a public hearing on its proposal to repeal greenhouse gas emissions standards for fossil fuel power plants. 

July 8 Bracewell is holding a webinar on the implications of the EPA’s proposal to repeal the greenhouse gas emissions standards. 

July 9 The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is holding a meeting to consider several administration nominations, including Usha-Maria Turner to be assistant administrator of the EPA and David Wright to serve as a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

July 10 Atlas Renewable Energy is holding a virtual roundtable titled “Investing in Latin America’s Green Future: Solar, Storage, & Sustainable Capital.” 

July 10 The United States Energy Association is holding an event analyzing the Israel-Iran conflict and its potential impacts on global energy markets as well as U.S. energy security. 

July 10 The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is holding a hearing to examine the proposed FY26 budget request for the U.S. Forest Service.

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