WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Wednesday, readers! Just like any of the rest of us, President Donald Trump spent the morning after his trip to Europe catching up on social media. From imposing new tariffs to ramping up his criticisms of wind, the president was busy on Truth Social all morning. Keep reading to find out what exactly Trump had to say. 

Plus, in today’s edition of Daily on Energy we dive into the ongoing drama within the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, as the independent agency has been hit by another abrupt departure. 

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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 THREATENS NEW PENALTIES ON FOREIGN NATIONS BUYING RUSSIAN ENERGY: President Donald Trump is cracking down on nations still buying sanctioned Russian oil and energy products, with the administration threatening higher tariffs on India and China. 

The details: Early this morning, Trump revealed in a post to Truth Social that he intended to impose a new 25% tariff on goods from India as well as an additional import tax for purchasing Russian oil. While he called India a “friend” of the United States, the president lambasted the country for purchasing a majority of its military equipment and energy from Russia “at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE.” 

“ALL THINGS NOT GOOD!” Trump wrote. “INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY FOR THE ABOVE, STARTING ON AUGUST FIRST.”

It remains unclear what the additional penalty set to go into effect on Friday looks like, leaving Indian refiners confused about the potential effects on their businesses. Bloomberg reported that refiners are seeking to clarify if the penalties would be applied to flows of oil set to arrive after Friday, or just on future deals after that date. 

Others facing the penalties: India is widely considered to be the second largest importer of Russian oil, following closely behind China. While Trump has not formally announced new tariffs on China, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hinted yesterday that the country would also be facing new fees if they continue to buy energy products from Moscow. Bessent explained that the president has the authority, granted by Congress, to impose tariffs as high as 500% on nations purchasing Russian oil.  

“I think anyone who buys sanctioned Russian oil should be ready for this,” Bessent said. He did note that if the U.S. does pursue additional levies on China, it would respect its sovereignty and energy needs, meaning Beijing would likely only face a tariff as high as 100%. 

WINDMILLS FACE THE IRE OF TRUMP…AGAIN: Just days after Trump issued a diatribe against wind energy during his trip to Scotland, the president again insisted that his administration would not be doing any favors for the industry.

His latest remarks came in another social media post this morning, in which he praised Mandy Gunasekara, a former Environmental Protection Agency staffer under his first administration, for her latest appearance on Fox Business. 

“Wow, she really gets it, including the biggest Hoax of them all, WINDMILLS! We won’t be approving any of those money losing monstrosities in the Trump Administration,” Trump wrote. 

Administration-wide attacks: Trump’s leading energy and environment cabinet members have shared similar sentiments regarding wind power in recent months and have begun to take substantial action aimed at curbing future development. 

Yesterday, the Interior Department announced four policy measures that would end “special treatment” for wind, which it described as an “unreliable” source of energy. This includes: 

• Reviewing all policies biased in favor of wind and solar energy, and removing any favoritism identified. 
• Considering terminating “wind energy areas,” meaning certain areas onshore that have been identified as having high potential for wind energy development, and balancing energy development on that land with other uses, such as recreation and grazing. 
• Boosting stakeholder engagement for offshore wind development.
• Reviewing mortality rates for migratory birds associated with the development of wind energy projects located in migratory flight paths. 

“These policy changes represent a commonsense approach to energy that puts Americans’ interests first,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement. “Leveling the playing field in permitting supports energy development that’s reliable, affordable, and built to last.”

CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON NUCLEAR FUSION PLANT SET TO POWER DATA CENTERS: A nuclear fusion startup backed by OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Peter Thiel’s Mithril Capital has officially started construction on a site for a power plant poised to power several Microsoft-owned data centers. 

The details: Helion Energy announced today that it started work on its first fusion power plant located in Chelan County, Washington. The milestone comes two years after it announced the first power purchase agreement with Microsoft, which is expecting to start receiving power generated by the facility in 2028. Helion has said the nuclear fusion plant will deliver at least 50 megawatts of electricity to the data centers. 

Helion still has several critical steps to complete in the federal permitting process to construct and operate the fusion power plant at the Washington site. The company is currently working on its 7th generation prototype, which it says will “demonstrate the first electricity produced from fusion.” 

What is fusion? Nuclear fusion can generate electricity by fusing two atomic nuclei to form a single heavier one, releasing energy in the process. Fusion has grown increasingly attractive as a carbon-free source of electricity that does not create large amounts of radioactive waste like traditional nuclear does. 

Federally backed research for fusion energy in the U.S. can be traced back to the 1950s, though there has been little progress toward making it a commercially viable alternative form of energy, as researchers look for ways to sustain fusion reactions and generate more energy than needed to create the reaction in the first place. 

REPUBLICAN NRC COMMISSIONER RESIGNS: Nuclear Regulatory Commission member Annie Caputo has resigned from her post, marking the second commissioner to abruptly leave the NRC. 

Caputo, a Republican commissioner who was nominated by Trump in 2017, announced yesterday in an email to her staff that she was leaving her post at the NRC. 

“I have decided to resign from the Commission, effective upon the swearing in of my colleague David Wright. The time has come for me to more fully focus on my family,” Caputo wrote in her email. 

Wright was confirmed as chairman of the commission just a day before Caputo announced she was going to resign. Wright previously chaired the NRC in 2020. Democrats pushed against Wright’s nomination due to concerns over the commission becoming more partisan and less independent. 

Last month, Trump fired Christopher Hanson, a Democratic member of the NRC. Hanson was the first commissioner to be fired from the NRC since it was created in 1975. Trump has vowed to reform the commission, blaming it for failing to approve commercial reactors in recent decades.

Radiant Energy Group founder and managing director Mark Nelson said on X that “Caputo apparently resigned rather than be compromised by politics of NRC independence destruction.” 

“Does the NRC need to be reformed? Yes! Can it move faster? Yes! And this reform was happening and so is the speed-up,” Nelson wrote. “I’ve not met any serious, seasoned pro-nuclear expert who doesn’t agree. But not a single one thinks the Commission itself should be politicized or eliminated.” 

OIL AND GAS TRADE GROUPS SUPPORT HOUSE NATURAL RESOURCE PERMITTING BILL: Eight oil and natural gas trade groups expressed their support for the House Natural Resources Committee permitting reform bill. 

The trade groups sent a letter to House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman yesterday praising the lawmakers for introducing the Standardized Permitting and Expediting Development (SPEED) Act. 

It was signed by the Energy Workforce & Technology Council, Gulf Energy Alliance, Independent Petroleum Association of America, International Association of Drilling Contractors, National Ocean Industries Association, Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, U.S. Oil & Gas Association, and the Western Energy Alliance. 

As a reminder: The SPEED Act was introduced last Friday by Westerman and Maine Democrat Rep. Jared Goldman. The legislation would expedite environmental reviews conducted by federal agencies when issuing permits and limit the ability for legal challenges. It specifically would reform the National Environmental Policy Act, also known as NEPA. 

“The SPEED Act makes many significant changes that would positively impact our members’ ability to produce energy in America, and we stand ready to help you get this important bill approved,” the letter reads. 

Permitting reform has become a priority for both Democrats and Republicans. However, last December, lawmakers failed to come to an agreement on permitting reform. Democrats have raised concerns over legislation that would limit environmental reviews and oppose clean energy, but Westerman’s bipartisan bill is an attempt to get permitting reform across the finish line. 

TSUNAMI WAVES HIT U.S. SHORES AFTER RUSSIAN EARTHQUAKE: A tsunami made its across the Pacific as far as the western coast of the U.S. early this morning, after one of the strongest ever recorded earthquakes hit eastern Russia. 

At around 11:25 a.m. local time this morning, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck the southern part of the Kamchatka Peninsula, tying for the sixth strongest earthquake ever recorded on Earth. It soon sparked tsunamis that traveled to Japan, Hawaii and the west coast of the U.S. 

Hawaii ultimately saw waves as high as 5.7 feet while Japan saw waves that were around 4.3 feet. As of this afternoon, tsunami advisories for much of the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California had been lifted. 

Still, the National Weather Service has advised that the ocean “will continue to fluctuate over the next several days, with strong currents possible.” 

Read more from the Examiner’s David Zimmermann here. 

NEW ZEALAND LOOKS TO EMBRACE GEOTHERMAL: In an effort to support its transition to cleaner sources of energy, New Zealand has announced a goal of doubling its use of geothermal power by 2040. 

Resources Minister Shane Jones unveiled a plan to reach this target on Wednesday, saying the country’s geographic position on both the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates gives it a huge advantage in harnessing geothermal energy, according to Bloomberg. 

New Zealand has long been a leader in the geothermal industry, building the world’s second geothermal power plant during the 1950s. It is currently considered to be the fifth-largest producer of geothermal power worldwide. The New Zealand government has indicated that geothermal energy will be critical for its energy transition, as it looks to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. 

Within their plan to boost geothermal development, New Zealand has expressed interest in developing a technology that would allow the country to tap “supercritical geothermal” systems that are located much deeper than existing sources. These fluids are also commonly considered to be much hotter and contain much more energy. 

“I want to see our regions, primary sectors, and Māori economies utilize this unique advantage as an opportunity to diversify, transition to renewable, low-carbon energy, and support industry to thrive,” Jones wrote in the plan. 

MILLER-MEEKS TALKS CRITICAL MINERALS AND CHINA: The U.S. has fallen behind in the critical mineral and rare earth sectors, raising national security risks regarding dependence on adversarial countries like China, Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa said. 

Miller-Meeks said on a webinar hosted by Prism today that reliance on China for critical minerals is a national security risk, as Beijing owns, processes, and refines the majority of the world’s minerals. 

“There is a vast need for these minerals and elements throughout our society, and I really think it’s imperative,” said Miller-Meeks, who sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and is part of the Conservative Climate Caucus. 

She added that the critical mineral marketplace is “opaque” due to China controlling the majority of the mining. 

“[China] controls prices. They can drop their prices to rock bottom to get businesses out. And when it takes such a significant amount of investment, I think that countries can rally around that, because they too need these minerals,” she said. 

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