WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Monday, readers! This week, Maydeen is reporting from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where President Donald Trump is expected to speak at Sen. Dave McCormick‘s Energy and Innovation Summit at Carnegie Mellon University on Tuesday.
The summit will feature leaders in the energy and artificial intelligence sectors. It has been reported that Trump and McCormick will announce $70 billion in investments in AI and energy for the state. Stay tuned for Maydeen’s coverage of the summit tomorrow.
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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.
WILDFIRES RAGE ACROSS THE WEST: Firefighters are working to combat wildfires across the western United States as parts of Arizona and southern Utah burn.
As of this afternoon, there were at least 36 wildfires uncontained across the West, with more than 15,000 wildland firefighters and support personnel working to control the blazes, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Fire in Utah: One of these wildfires is the Deer Creek Fire that has been inching close to the Utah-Colorado border since it was ignited on Friday. The fire has swelled to more than 10,000 acres with 0% contained, Utah Fire Info said today. The incident has been described as “erratic,” threatening dozens of structures. At least five structures have been lost in the fire.
Grand Canyon blaze: Just south, in Arizona, two large wildfires have been burning near the Grand Canyon: the Dragon Bravo Fire and White Sage Fire. Both fires, which have been called “extreme” and “volatile,” have yet to be contained. Combined, they span more than 45,000 acres in and around the Grand Canyon. They began last week and were both caused naturally by lightning strikes.
The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is closed for the rest of the season due to the Dragon Bravo Fire, as upwards of 80 buildings have been lost. This includes the National Park Service visitor center, an administrative building, a gas station, and the iconic Grand Canyon Lodge – the only hotel located within the park.
CALIFORNIA TOUTS CLEAN ENERGY GRID: More than two-thirds of California’s electricity grid is powered by renewable and clean energy resources, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced today, touting the state’s success in transitioning to greener energy sources amid the Trump administration’s rollback on similar initiatives.
The details: Newsom’s office revealed today that in 2023 – the latest year the state has available data – California’s grid was powered by 67% renewable and carbon-free energy. This includes power generated by solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, geothermal, and biomass.
This percentage is only expected to grow for 2024 and 2025, as California added 7,000 megawatts of clean energy capacity to the grid last year. It has also seen a rapid increase in the number of days where the grid was powered by 100% clean energy for at least some part of the day. The state saw 136 “clean energy days” in 2023 and then 219 a year later. As of June, California had 168 days where its grid was powered by 100% clean energy for some part of the day.
An attack on Trump: As the state celebrated the milestone, Newsom took the opportunity to slam President Donald Trump and his administration’s position walking back numerous initiatives and policies that would have accelerated the U.S.’s overall transition to cleaner sources of fuel.
“As the federal government turns its back on innovation and commonsense, California is making our clean energy future a reality,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. “The world’s fourth largest economy is running on two-thirds clean power – the largest economy on the planet to achieve this milestone.”
COAL RETIREMENTS HAPPENING IN THE MIDWEST AND MID-ATLANTIC REGION: The U.S. Energy Information Administration said that 58% of planned coal capacity retirements will occur in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions.
According to EIA, the operating capacity of coal-fired power plants is projected to decline from 172 gigawatts in May 2025 to 145 GW by the end of 2028. Since the late 2000s, coal consumption has fallen with the rise of natural gas and renewable energy, EIA said.
The second Trump administration has again sought to revive the coal industry, in an effort to secure more baseload energy needed to support growing demand brought on by AI. There have been recent delays to several coal plant retirements, including the Department of Energy announcing a 90-day delay to the planned retirement of Consumers Energy’s J.H. Campbell plant in Michigan.
REGULATORS FACING DOGE PRESSURE TO ADVANCE TRUMP’S NUCLEAR AGENDA: Members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are reportedly facing pressure from the Department of Government Efficiency to “rubber stamp” and expedite the Trump administration’s plans to develop new nuclear reactors.
The details: Several individuals confirmed to Politico that, during a May meeting, DOGE Representative Adam Blake detailed the accelerated regulatory approach to top NRC staff. The new process could consist of the Department of Energy and Department of Defense issuing initial approvals for new reactor projects before they headed to the NRC to be formally advanced.
The sources confirmed that Blake used the language “rubber stamp” to refer to an expedited NRC regulatory process. The DOGE representative even went as far as to suggest that the independent commission’s secondary safety assessment be predetermined.
Nuclear Regulatory Chaos: Since the May meeting, Trump has moved to overhaul the NRC, building upon his executive order that targeted the commission’s licensing timeline and agency culture. The order, also signed in May, has called on the agency to make decisions on reactor licenses within 18 months. In June, the president also fired Democratic commissioner Christopher Hanson, who claimed his firing was unwarranted.
Nuclear energy advocates have long called for reforms to the regulatory process for building new reactors, which has long acted as a deterrent for future investors. However, growing uncertainty around the administration’s changes to the independent agency have many concerned that it could lead to increased delays and confusion for the industry.
MAJOR DEFENSE CONTRACTOR WEIGHS DEVELOPING SEABED MINES: Major U.S. defense group Lockheed Martin is reportedly considering giving mining companies access to its deep seabed licensing areas, as the U.S. races to increase domestic production of critical minerals.
The details: COO Frank St. John confirmed to the Financial Times this week that the company has observed a large amount of interest in Lockheed Martin’s exploration rights, which were first granted by the federal government in 1984.
John told the outlet that the defense contractor is currently in early-stage discussions with different companies about granting them access to these sites, giving them the opportunity to extract and process any minerals they might find. He did not reveal what the potential value is for the deposits Lockheed Martin controls, but said there “is value there.”
Some background: This comes several months after Trump signed an executive order fast-tracking the exploration and permitting process for critical minerals found in seabeds. It was the latest step from the administration to increase domestic production of critical minerals and reduce reliance on foreign imports.
Building on the executive order, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a proposed rule last week to revise existing regulations for exploration licenses and recovery permit applications. This includes digitizing and consolidating much of the regulatory process.
EU CLIMATE COMMISSIONER CALLS ON CHINA TO TAKE LEAD ON CLIMATE: European Union Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra told Reuters that China should take more of a leadership role on climate change and reducing emissions.
Hoekstra is in Beijing this week to speak with Chinese officials on climate change. Specifically, he plans to talk to China about phasing out fossil fuels, such as coal.
“We do encourage China to take more of a leadership role going forward and really hit the road with meaningful emission reductions in the next couple of years, and also move out of the domain of coal,” Hoekstra told Reuters in an interview.
China has approved more coal plants in the first half of the year than last year. In the first three months, China has approved 11.29 gigawatts (GW) of new coal power plants, exceeding the 10.34 GW approved in the first half of 2024, according to a report by Greenpeace.
Earlier this month, the Financial Times reported that EU officials were holding back on signing a joint declaration on climate action with China unless they pledge to cut emissions.
“We are open to looking into a potential declaration, but … the thing that is most important about these types of statements is the content that goes into it,” Hoekstra said.
EV ADVOCATES LAUNCH $43.5 MILLION PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGN: An electric vehicle nonprofit group, Veloz, is launching a $43.5 million campaign to educate the public about the benefits of EVs.
The new national EV campaign called “Electric for All” is being funded by the EV charging company Electrify America. The campaign comes at a time when Congress and the Trump administration has slashed tax credits that would encourage EV adoption.
Veloz executive director Josh Boone told Axios that there is not a tie to the legislative changes and the campaign. But he said it’s “good timing” because “more Americans are interested in EVs than ever.”
Nick Offerman, who plays Ron Swanson in the show Parks and Rec, will be the voice of the national EV campaign.
A LOOK AHEAD:
July 14 – 16 The Bloomberg Green Festival is being held in Seattle, Washington, highlighting the future of U.S. climate policy and climate innovation.
July 14 The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies is holding a markup hearing on its section of the FY26 appropriations bill.
July 15 Republican Sen. Dave McCormick is holding an Energy and Innovation Summit at Carnegie Mellon University, featuring remarks from several cabinet members and the president.
July 15 The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies is holding a markup hearing on its section of the FY26 appropriations bill.
July 15 The House Natural Resources Committee is holding a markup hearing on several wildfire and forests related pieces of legislation.
July 15 The House Energy and Commerce Committee is holding a full committee business meeting.
July 16 – 17 The RNG and SAF Capital Markets Summit is being held in Houston, Texas.
July 16 The Center for Strategic and International Studies is holding an online Clean Energy Strategies Conference.
July 16 The House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Environment is holding a hearing focused on innovative technologies to enhance weather forecasting.
July 16 The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment is holding a hearing on recycling innovation.
July 17 The Advanced Energy Technology Showcase will be held in Washington D.C., featuring remarks from North Dakota Republican Rep. Julie Fedorchak and Deputy Energy Secretary James Danly.
July 17 The American Council on Renewable Energy is holding a webinar analyzing the impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on the clean energy sector, featuring remarks from Georgia Republican Rep. Buddy Carter.
RUNDOWN
Associated Press A designer dressed Chappell Roan with seaweed. But don’t expect to find the approach in stores — yet
The Guardian A deadly 1987 flood foreshadowed the Texas disaster. Survivors ask, ‘why didn’t we learn?’
Forbes Black Oil And Green Energy In Mega Bill Will Boost Oil But Cost U.S.