WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Tuesday, readers! President Donald Trump is about to sign an executive order with the aim of bringing the domestic coal industry back to life. 

In today’s edition of Daily on Energy, Callie and Maydeen take a look at the Keystone Pipeline, which was shut down this morning after a rupture caused some oil to leak into a field in North Dakota. 

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Plus, the Department of Homeland Security issued waivers allowing the government to bypass environmental regulations to build over two miles of border wall in southern California.

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 TO SIGN EXECUTIVE ORDER PROPPING UP COAL: President Donald Trump is poised to try to hand a lifeline to coal-fired power plants through signing an executive order intended to boost existing and future coal-power production.

The details: Trump was poised to sign the executive order Tuesday afternoon, offering relief to mining operations and coal-fired power plants facing retirements as the industry has been on the decline for decades. He was scheduled to sign the order at 3 p.m.

The order is expected to direct the National Energy Dominance Council, led by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, to designate coal as a “mineral” under Trump’s executive order issued last month that was aimed at increasing domestic mineral production, according to a draft fact sheet viewed by the Washington Examiner. It is also expected to require agencies to remove any agency policies aimed at transitioning away from coal production and call on Energy Secretary Chris Wright to determine if coal used in steel production can be classified as a critical material and critical mineral.

Additionally, the order will likely direct relevant agencies to prioritize leasing for coal mining on federal lands, end Obama-era coal leasing moratoria, and direct the Council on Environmental Quality to adopt coal-related categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act, meaning projects can move forward without going through lengthy environmental reviews.

Some reaction: The anticipated order was swiftly denounced by climate and environmental activists who claimed the administration’s actions would damage public health. 

“There is no such thing as clean coal,” former White House National Climate Advisor under the Biden administration Gina McCarthy said in a statement. “Just as Trump’s tariffs are hitting Americans’ wallets, his administration is wasting taxpayer dollars to prop up an expensive, dangerous, and dirty industry when we have abundant, cheaper, better, and safer clean energy.”

The move has been warmly welcomed by the coal and mining industries, as well as local and state governments heavily dependent on coal production. In a statement shared exclusively with the Washington Examiner, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon called the president’s actions “promising” and “impactful.”

“A great first step for our nation to assure Wyoming coal remains viable and able to help to meet growing energy demand,” Gordon said. “The regulatory piece is equally important. Our country needs this immediate relief from the burdensome regulations imposed by the Biden Administration.”

Wyoming has long been the largest producer of coal in the United States, making up over 41% of the total national production in 2022, according to the Energy Information Administration. The state is heavily dependent on the coal industry, as it contributes hundreds of millions in revenue each year. The coal industry was estimated to have contributed over $790 million in taxes, royalties and fees in 2018 alone. 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY BYPASSES ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS FOR BORDER WALL: The Department of Homeland Security gave U.S. Customs and Border Protection permission to ignore environmental and land regulations and immediately begin constructing a border wall between the United States and Mexico in Southern California, the Washington Examiner’s Anna Giaritelli has confirmed. 

The details: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem issued the waiver today, allowing the government to bypass environmental regulations like the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Clean Water Act in order to build 2.5 miles of border wall in Southern California. The area in question is located in Jacumba Hot Springs and San Diego, regions that experienced high levels of illegal immigration during the Biden administration.

In the waiver, Noem cited her authority under Section 102 of the Illegal Immigration Reform And Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to work around the environmental laws. The agency is looking to build two miles of wall as part of the Jacumba Gap Wall Project, and another 350 feet in an area known as Smuggler’s Gulch near Imperial Beach, California. The final 1,500 feet will go up in an area referenced as “4.”

Some reaction: The environmental organization Earthjustice was quick to sound the alarm today that the waivers will put border communities and the surrounding environments at risk. 

“Waiving environmental, cultural preservation, and good governance laws that protect clean air and clean water, safeguard precious cultural resources, and preserve vibrant ecosystems and biodiversity will only cause further harm to border communities and ecosystems,” Earthjustice Associate Legislative Representative Cameron Walkup said in a statement, urging Congress to rescind the waivers. 

Read more from Giaritelli here. 

KEYSTONE PIPELINE SHUTS DOWN AFTER RUPTURE: The Keystone oil pipeline was shuttered today after a rupture in North Dakota caused a spill. 

The details: Early this morning an employee working at a site near Fort Ransom, North Dakota – just over 80 miles west of Fargo – heard a “mechanical bang,” according to the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality. The pipeline was shut within two minutes of the rupture. 

It remains unclear how much oil spilled out of the pipeline, though authorities have said the product was confined to an agricultural field south of the pump station. No individuals or structures have been affected by the spill. The cause of the rupture is still unknown. 

Some background: The Keystone pipeline stretches thousands of miles across Alberta, Canada, and through North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri. It also reaches refineries in Illinois and Oklahoma. Towards the end of last year, the pipeline transported an average of around 620,000 barrels a day of crude oil over the Canadian border, according to the Canada Energy Regulator. 

As the pipeline carries a significant portion of Canadian crude to the U.S., the shut down could place increased pressure on the domestic oil market already feeling the effects of the Trump administration’s sweeping tariffs. It remains unclear how long the pipeline will remain closed as authorities investigate and repair the rupture. An extended shutdown could tighten supplies at critical storage facilities that hit their lowest levels in years last fall. 

MEXICO WEIGHS EXPANDING FRACKING AMID TRUMP TARIFF PRESSURE: The Mexican government is reportedly considering increasing its domestic use of fracking as it looks to lower reliance on American trade. 

The details: Four executives with knowledge of the conversations told the Financial Times this week that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum directed officials to look into using fracking to increase domestic energy independence. Government officials have reportedly since asked industry players for comments on increasing shale gas production in the country. 

Mexico has long relied on the U.S. for natural gas, importing more than 70% of its total gas used from across its northern border. As Trump’s tariffs have sparked concerns over a global trade war, there is growing interest in reducing Mexican reliance on U.S. trade for critical products like gas. 

Sources confirmed to the Financial Times that local companies are interested in investing in shale gas production, however, it will likely take some time to see meaningful reform implemented by the government. Fracking is currently quite limited in the country, primarily due to environmental risks.  

EUROPE SEES RECORD-BREAKING HEAT IN MARCH: Europe had the warmest March on record, according to the European Union Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Its monthly bulletin said land temperatures were 2.41 degrees celsius above the 1991 to 2020 average, making it the warmest March for Europe. 

Globally, this year’s March was the second warmest on record. It added that March was the 20th month in the last 21 months in which the average global surface air temperature was more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level.

GREEN ENERGY SURPASSED 40% OF GLOBAL ELECTRICITY LAST YEAR: Renewable energy accounted for over 40% of the world’s electricity generation, with solar energy playing a significant role in the growth, according to a report from Ember. 

Ember’s annual Global Electricity Review said renewable generation was 40.9% in 2024, compared to 39.4% in 2023. The report said the increase in generation from renewable energy was in part because solar generation has doubled over the last three years. 

For the third year in a row, solar was the largest source of new electricity generation globally and remains the fastest growing source of electricity. The report said that more than 53% of the increase in solar generation was in China. 

Ember added that heatwaves drove up electricity demand, which resulted in a small increase of about 1.4% in fossil fuel generation. 

ICYMI – CLIMATE GROUPS OPPOSE TRUMP’S PICK FOR BLM: More than 125 climate groups sent a letter yesterday asking Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources members to oppose Trump’s pick to be the Director of the Bureau of Land Management, Kathleen Sgamma. 

The groups pointed to Sgamma’s history of litigating against the agency. She served as president of the Western Energy Alliance for nearly two decades, which has challenged the bureau in court and pushed for more fossil fuel production. 

“Ms. Sgamma’s history of litigating and testifying against the agency, alongside her singular, and career-long, commitment to the oil and gas industry, make her an unacceptable candidate to lead this complex multiple-use agency,” the groups wrote in the letter. 

The groups added that she has called the impact of climate change “infinitesimal,” and has helped “the fossil fuel industry to undermine environmental protections and opposing common sense policies to protect communities from the impacts of climate change and energy extraction.”

The committee is set to hold a hearing on Sgamma’s nomination on Thursday. Some of the groups that sent the letter included Earthjustice, GreenLatinos, Sierra Club, Western Environmental Law Center, and many more.

RUNDOWN 

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