WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Wednesday, readers! At a press briefing in New York today, Energy Secretary Chris Wright reiterated his criticism of wind power, calling it unreliable and overly dependent on subsidies. Take a look at his remarks below.
In other news, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas released its third quarter survey, revealing increasing pessimism among U.S. oil and gas executives with many expressing frustration with the Trump administration.
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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.
DOE WRIGHT ESCALATES CRITICISM OF WIND POWER IN NEW YORK: Energy Secretary Chris Wright held a press briefing today in New York in which he criticized the wind sector, claiming it could only survive off of subsidies. He also said the administration has not canceled any projects, but rather suspended them.
What did he say? “Thirty-three years we’ve subsidized wind and solar power in the United States,” Wright said. “That’s enough. If you can’t walk on your own after 33 years, maybe that’s not a business that’s going places.”
“No offshore wind farms have been canceled,” Wright added. “They’ve been suspended from work while we’re investigating numerous complaints and lawsuits about what they’ve had on the right whale population, the fishery population. There was massive opposition to those projects.”
The secretary continued to say that wind energy is not reliable during periods of peak demand. He said if an energy source is going to be helpful on the electricity grid, “you have to be there 24/7, and you particularly have to be there at peak demand times.”
The administration on wind: The Trump administration has been a strong critic of the wind sector, going as far as pausing work for fully permitting offshore wind projects. One of the four projects that are undergoing review by the Department of the Interior included the Revolution Wind Project off of Rhode Island. However, a federal judge earlier this week ordered the DOI to lift the stop-work order.
New York is currently hosting the United Nations General Assembly and Climate Week, which has brought together world leaders and industry experts to the city.
TRUMP POLICIES HURTING CHANCES OF ‘DRILL, BABY, DRILL’: The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas’ third quarter survey released this morning illustrated a deeper sense of pessimism among oil and gas executives in the U.S., many of whom remain upset with the Trump administration’s trade policies and regulatory changes.
It marks the third quarterly survey released this year in which oil and gas executives have leveled criticisms against the Trump administration, which promised to support more production. However, as President Donald Trump has targeted renewable energy sources, pushed for lower prices, and continued to level tariffs on products like steel, some executives say the administration is “kneecapping” domestic drilling.
Notable quotes: “The uncertainty from the administration’s policies has put a damper on all investment in the oilpatch,” one exploration and production firm executive warned. “Those who can are running for the exits.”
“The U.S. shale business is broken. What was once the world’s most dynamic energy engine has been gutted by political hostility and economic ignorance,” another said.
“A vibrant oilfield services sector is critical if and when the U.S. needs to ramp up production. Right now we are bleeding,” an oil and gas support service firm executive said.
Bearish on crude: The survey also found that these executives believe prices for West Texas Intermediate will close much lower than previously expected. In July, executives said they expected WTI to be priced around $68 per barrel before hitting the $70s again in two years. Now, they anticipate crude will close out 2025 around $63 per barrel and remain in the $60s through 2027.
Read more from Callie here.
NEW DOE STUDY ON OIL AND GAS: Energy Secretary Chris Wright directed the National Petroleum Council earlier this week to develop a study exploring how to strengthen the United States’ oil and gas sector.
The National Petroleum Council will work to launch the “Future Energy Systems” study, which will seek to address permitting issues and explore ways to increase production of natural gas for power generation. The study is meant to explore ways to secure energy at a time when electricity prices continue to rise for households. The administration has made an effort to roll back measures meant to aid renewable energy sources in favor of boosting fossil fuels instead.
In June, Wright sent a letter to Alan Armstrong, the chair of the council, stating the study should have “deliverables designed to recognize and leverage the vast potential of domestic oil and natural gas resources and industry expertise to advance Administration goals for increasing the availability of affordable, reliable, and secure energy for American consumers and our allies.”
ZELDIN POISED TO RUN WITH ENDANGERMENT FINDING ROLLBACK: Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin is reportedly set to sign off on a final order undoing the 2009 Endangerment Finding in just a matter of days.
The details: Internal agency documents reviewed by E&E News reportedly show that Zeldin could greenlight the rollback of the bedrock climate change finding. Presentation slides seen by the outlet specifically show that the administrator is scheduled to consider “options” regarding the final rule during a briefing next Tuesday.
This decision is set to come before the agency is able to conduct a regulatory impact analysis that will include reviewing the tens of thousands of comments submitted by the public on the proposed rescission. Internal documents reviewed by E&E News reportedly show that appointees to the EPA have told officials this review will have no bearing on the final decision – potentially making the public comment period meaningless.
EPA is still legally required to conduct the analysis before the final rule is published and is expected to do so during October. The final rule will likely then come by mid-December.
USING EVS TO PUMP ENERGY INTO THE GRID: Since July, several Maryland homeowners have been using their all-electric trucks to send electricity back to the grid during periods of peak demand, through a first-ever residential vehicle-to-grid pilot program.
The details: Through a pilot program run by Sunrun, one of the largest providers of home battery storage and solar, and Maryland’s largest utility Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, owners of F-150 Lightning trucks in the city of Baltimore have been returning energy to the grid.
Through bidirectional charging, vehicles enrolled in the program pumped energy between the hours of 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays. Customers were rewarded with a payment based on the amount of energy shared – up to a maximum of $1,000.
The program utilizes Ford and Sunrun’s co-developed Home Integration System. Sunrun has said this system allows consumers to tap into around 9.6 kilowatts of power at any given time and unleash the storage capacity of more than 10 home batteries, based on an average energy use of 30 kilowatt hours per day.
Only three customers were included in the pilot program this summer, though state officials are hopeful that the program and similar solutions can be scaled up to help meet statewide energy demands.
Notable quote: “As a member of the Baltimore Commission on Sustainability, I’m excited to be an early adopter of this technology and participate in this vehicle-to-grid program with BGE and Sunrun,” Baltimore City resident Morgan Grove said in a statement. “I bought the Ford F-150 Lightning for several reasons, one of them being the ability to power our home during an outage. Now, I can also earn money by sending energy directly to the grid.”
CENTER-RIGHT GROUPS CALL FOR PROTECTING INVESTING AT CLIMATE WEEK: Center-right industry groups and former Republican lawmakers said investors should be able to make decisions in clean energy without government influence.
“The government shouldn’t be involved in instructing companies or investment firms or individuals in what kind of risks they should take into account or what opportunities they seek when they invest,” former Florida Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo said on the main stage of New York Climate Week.
Inherent Group CEO and CIO Tony Davis noted the forecasted growth of the clean investment globally. “Last year’s 90 percent-plus of all new energy generation was renewables, and why is that? Because it is better technology,” he said. “They are cheaper and they also provide energy security.”
The appeal comes as renewable energy sources have been targeted under the Trump administration through the slashing of tax credits, stymying of offshore wind development, and rollback of environmental and climate-change related policies .
ICYMI – TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WEIGHS STAKE IN LITHIUM MINE: The Trump administration is in conversations about obtaining a small equity stake in a Canada-based company that is currently renegotiating the terms of a government loan for its Thacker Pass mine in Nevada.
The details: Lithium Americas confirmed on Wednesday that it is currently in discussions with the Department of Energy and General Motors Holdings, its joint venture partner in the mining projects, regarding its $2.26 billion loan. Last week, the Washington Free Beacon reported that the project was in jeopardy after DOE officials questioned whether the mine was viable and able to compete with China.
Days later, a White House official told Reuters that Trump supports the project and wants to see it succeed. However, “there’s no such thing as free money,” the official said.
As part of the negotiations, Lithium Americas and GM are seeking a small modification to their loan agreement that would allow them to repay the funds over a longer period of time. The administration is now considering an extension in return for a stake of Lithium Americas.
It marks the latest effort from the administration to take direct control of the critical mineral supply chain in the U.S. Earlier this summer, the Department of Defense took a 15% equity stake in rare earth producer MP Materials.
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