WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Thursday, readers! In today’s Daily on Energy, Maydeen, with the help of our editor Joe Lawler, takes a look at energy secretary Chris Wright’s priorities for the department. We also look at a report that January was the warmest on record.
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.
WRIGHT ORDERS DOE TO ‘UNLEASH THE GOLDEN ERA’ OF ENERGY DOMINANCE: In his first act as secretary of energy, Chris Wright signed an order yesterday evening directing the agency to begin enacting President Donald Trump’s agenda.
“To compete globally, we must expand energy production and reduce energy costs for American families and businesses,” Wright wrote.
Wright listed several priorities for the Department, including having its research and development prioritize “affordable, reliable, and secure energy technologies, including fossil fuels, advanced nuclear, geothermal, and hydropower.”
The order also said the department will return to “regular order” on liquefied natural gas exports. The DOE will also review its Appliance Standard Program and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve infrastructure.
Wright said the Department will also look to modernize U.S. nuclear stockpiles and launch a “nuclear renaissance” while commercializing next-generation nuclear power. Lastly, the department will look to strengthen the nation’s grid and streamline permitting to build energy infrastructure.
JANUARY WAS THE WARMEST ON RECORD: January 2025 was the warmest on record, with temperatures 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.
The La Niña weather system typically helps to decrease temperatures, but Copernicus Climate Change Service said last month was well above average.
“January 2025 is another surprising month, continuing the record temperatures observed throughout the last two years, despite the development of La Niña conditions in the tropical Pacific and their temporary cooling effect on global temperatures,” said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate.
Europe’s average temperature in January was 1.80°C, 2.51°C above the 1991-2020 average for January. Last month was the second warmest in Europe after January 2020, which was 2.64°C above average, the report said.
It added that temperatures were most above average over northeast and northwest Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. Southern South America, Africa, and much of Australia and Antarctica also had above average temperatures.
COUNTRIES COMMITTED TO PARIS AGREEMENT, UN CLIMATE CHIEF SAYS: Countries will remain committed to the Paris Climate Agreement despite the U.S. withdrawal, executive secretary of the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change Simon Stiell said.
“A country may step back – but others are already stepping into their place to seize that opportunity, and to reap the massive rewards: stronger economic growth, more jobs, less pollution and far lower health costs, and more secure and affordable energy,” Stiell said at the Rio Branco Institute in Brazil.
He laid out priorities for this year, which also marks the 10 year anniversary since the Paris Agreement began. Stiell said it is essential for countries in the agreement this year to raise more climate finance than last year, when the mark was $300 billion.
“It will clearly not initially meet every need. But 300 billion dollars is a baseline not an endline,” Stiell said. “It is essential that more finance flows to developing countries, as they struggle under colossal debt servicing costs and sky-high costs of capital.”
TRUMP TO SIDELINE AT LEAST 100 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE WORKERS AT EPA: The Trump administration is set to place at least 100 workers at the Environmental Protection Agency’s environmental justice and civil rights office on administrative leave, sources told the Wall Street Journal.
The effort to sideline workers involved in environmental justice initiatives stems from orders Trump signed that charged officials with ending all DEI- and environmental justice-related programs and hiring.
Michelle Roos, executive director of the Environmental Protection Network, told the publication that the “chaotic witch hunt approach is really upsetting.”
Related: Trump officials have given layoffs to workers in the Department of Justice’s Energy and Natural Resources Division, the Huffington Post reported.
CHECKING IN ON TRUMP AND OIL PRICES: Trump renewed his vow to lower oil prices this morning while speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast.
The U.S. “going to have more liquid gold coming out of the ground than anybody’s ever seen before,” Trump said, according to Bloomberg. “We’re going to drive the price down, and everything else is going to follow.”
He said that newly installed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, both part of Trump’s energy council, will boost production.
What do markets think? Oil prices were mostly steady this morning.
A lot of market participants have suggested that efforts to lower oil prices by boosting production are likely to struggle, because drillers are restrained by capital discipline, and investors will not allow projection to soar.
Still, Citigroup analysts including Francesco Martoccia wrote in a note that Trump’s rhetoric should be taken seriously, the Financial Post reported.
“We remain strongly of the view that President Trump could ultimately prove to be a bearish influence on the oil market,” they wrote. “Specifically, Trump has consistently highlighted lower energy prices as the central solution to US inflation, interest rate, debt, and cost of living issues, and that this is a core issue for which he was elected.”
TREASURY IMPOSES NEW SANCTIONS TO STOP IRANIAN OIL SHIPMENTS TO CHINA: The Treasury introduced new sanctions today meant to prevent individuals and ships from routing oil to China.
The new measures follow Trump’s order reinstating a maximum pressure campaign on Iran and calling for its oil exports to go to zero.
The Treasury said the oil shipments in question were done on behalf of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff and its front company, Sepehr Energy, Reuters reported.
WEST VIRGINIA SUES NEW YORK OVER CLIMATE SUPERFUND: West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey said today that he is suing New York over its new law creating a climate superfund, which will charge large fossil fuels $75 billion over the next 25 years.
“We’re not going to allow left-wing states like California, New York, Vermont to dictate to the American people how they’re going to get their electricity,” he said at a press conference, according to Reuters.
Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the law in December. New York became the second state to hold large polluters responsible for possible environmental damage caused by high emissions, following Vermont.
ICYMI – NEWSOM MEETS WITH TRUMP AND CONGRESS ON WILDFIRE DISASTER RELIEF: Yesterday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom met with Trump and lawmakers on the Hill to secure wildfire disaster aid for those harmed by the Los Angeles Fires last month.
“As we approach one month since the devastating wildfires across Southern California, we continue to cut red tape to speed up recovery and clean up efforts as well as ensure rebuilding efforts are swift,” Newsom said in a statement.
“We’re working across the aisle, as we always have, to ensure survivors have the resources and support they need. Thank you President Trump for coming to our communities to see this first hand, and meeting with me today to continue our joint efforts to support people impacted,” he added.
Newsom met with Reps. Doug LaMalfa, Ken Calvert, Judy Chu, Brad Sherman, and George Whitesides. He also spoke with Sens. Martin Heinrich, Raphael Warnock, Patty Murray, Alex Padilla, and Adam Schiff.
The California governor told CNN that Trump and him will have a “strong partnership,” adding that he received “broad stroke” commitments from the president.
Today, Environmental Protection Agency Administration Lee Zeldin is visiting the wildfire sites along with 1,000 of agency personnel to assist in cleanup efforts. Newsom said Zeldin is doing an “amazing job,” saying that the EPA is moving at record pace on debris removal.
“The president wants to do something that’s never been done, and that is to address this crisis with a degree of sophistication and focus to get the job done and get people’s lives back,” Newsom said on CNN.
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