WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Monday, readers! It’s official, the 2026 Olympic Games have wrapped, with the United States’ men’s hockey team securing another gold for Team USA. If you’re sad about the games ending, don’t worry, the Paralympic Games open March 6.
We’re seeing reports that Energy Secretary Chris Wright will be briefing Republicans and Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee this afternoon. He is expected to discuss Venezuela and Venezuelan oil. The briefing comes less than two weeks after his visit to the country. Stay tuned for more.
Meanwhile, also on Capitol Hill, the Supreme Court has decided to take up a plea from oil and gas companies to toss out a local climate change lawsuit in Colorado. The high court’s ruling could have a significant influence on states and cities’ efforts to make fossil fuel firms legally responsible for the effects of climate change.
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.
SCOTUS TAKES ON CLIMATE LAWSUIT: The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case brought against oil and gas companies, claiming they should be held accountable for damages caused by climate change.
The Supreme Court will review a ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court in Suncor Energy Inc. v. County Commissioners of Boulder County.
The case was filed by the city of Boulder and Boulder County, which argued that oil and gas companies have misled the public about their products’ contribution to climate change. Boulder claims these companies should be held responsible for damages caused by extreme weather such as wildfires and floods.
Suncor Energy and Exxon Mobil are appealing the Colorado Supreme Court ruling in May 2025, which ruled that federal law did not preempt Boulder’s claims.
In a statement, Boulder County Commissioner Ashley Stolzmann said, “The oil companies have tried every avenue to delay our climate accountability case or move it to an out of state court system.”
“As everyone continues to face rising costs that put budgets under pressure, we must hold oil companies accountable for the significant harm they’ve caused our communities. We move forward with renewed energy and purpose for the next step toward justice,” Stolzmann said.
There have been dozens of similar cases across the country against other energy companies aimed at holding them accountable for damages caused by climate change. The result of the high court’s ruling could have sweeping ramifications for those lawsuits.
Learn more about the Supreme Court’s order list here.
DATA CENTERS NEED RENEWABLES, CLEAN ENERGY GROUP INSISTS: Power-hungry data centers likely will need to lean on renewables such as wind and solar to get their artificial intelligence operations up and running quickly, executives with the American Clean Power Association said today.
The details: ACP CEO Jason Grumet and newly appointed chair of the board of directors Dave Carroll highlighted the importance of renewables during a briefing with reporters this morning, as states and utilities look to quickly secure reliable electricity while preventing consumer costs from soaring.
Concerns are growing that the rapid deployment of large-load facilities like AI data centers will put pressure on the aging, and already strained, electric grid – increasing homeowners’ electricity bills in the process. In an effort to prevent this, the Trump administration has called for Big Tech and data center developers to pay for their own electricity and backed new generation projects that could pump excess energy back into the grid.
While the White House might prefer these energy projects to use fossil fuels or advanced technologies, such as nuclear energy, ACP leaders pointed out that those projects won’t meet the immediate needs data centers have.
Carroll, CEO and chief renewables officer for ENGIE North America, explained that data center developers are broadly in favor of using the “all of the above” strategy to support their operations, using natural gas, nuclear, and renewables.
“I think nuclear…is going to be something that will take quite some time to move forward. Even natural gas, there is a recognition that it’s five, five plus years before you’re having a really meaningful addition to the grid associated with it,” Carroll said.
As a result, Grumet said, AI will need to lean on cleaner technologies “for the remainder of the Trump administration.”
What we’re seeing: Several data center developers have already announced plans to utilize renewables. Earlier this month, French energy major TotalEnergies signed two long-term power purchase agreements to deliver 1 gigawatt of solar capacity for Google’s data centers in Texas.
Last week, clean energy firm Zeo Energy signed a memorandum of understanding with Creekstone Energy to develop 280 megawatts of solar power and long-duration storage for its data center under construction in Utah.
Also this month, a bitcoin mining and AI data center project in South Texas – Soluna Holdings’ Project Kati – received approval to start energizing its project with 83 megawatts of wind-powered energy.
ENERGY DOMINANCE COUNCIL TO HOST INDO-PACIFIC FORUM: The Trump administration’s National Energy Dominance Council will host the inaugural Indo-Pacific Energy Security Ministerial and Business Forum in partnership with Japan next month.
Council chairman and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, vice-chairman and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin will head to Tokyo next month to meet with Indo-Pacific leaders, aiming to secure new U.S. investments and advance energy deals.
In a press release, the EPA said the forum is expected to “facilitate the announcement and advancement of major commercial energy deals, investments, and cooperative frameworks that will grow the United States economy, invest in American energy workers and secure our Energy Dominance.”
NUCLEAR FUEL SUPPLIER WARNS OF SHORTAGE: Centrus Energy, one of the largest suppliers of enriched uranium fuel to the U.S., is warning that growing domestic demand combined with recent bans on imports from Russia will put the country between a rock and a hard place with fuel shortages.
In a recent interview with the Financial Times, CEO Amir Vexler said there is already a gap between supply and demand for the current market – meaning reactors that are operating now. As the Trump administration seeks to rapidly build out new nuclear power, that gap will only grow given the U.S.’s heavy reliance on foreign imports for the critical fuel.
“I feel the market is strained and will continue to be strained until large amounts of new capacity are going to come online and that will be in the next decade,” Vezler told the outlet.
There are currently no U.S.-based commercial suppliers of highly enriched uranium fuel, though companies like Centrus are seeking to rapidly expand their domestic operations. Centrus is in the process of building a facility in Ohio, which it hopes will help meet a $2.3 billion backlog in sales of the fuel, according to the outlet.
U.S. SEES RECORD BATTERY STORAGE GROWTH: Last year, the U.S. energy storage industry installed a record-breaking 57.6 gigawatt-hours of new capacity, the largest amount added in a single year, according a new report released by the Solar Energy Industries Association and Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.
The report found that, as of 2025, roughly 137 gigawatt-hours of utility scale storage has been installed nationwide, while 19 gigawatt-hours of commercial and industrial storage and 9 gigawatt-hours of residential storage have also been installed.
SEIA pointed to the record-breaking installations last year as evidence that battery storage will be a “cornerstone” for the American energy industry, despite the administration’s efforts to stifle clean energy growth.
Key quote: “Whether it’s paired with solar or standing on its own, energy storage lowers consumer costs, makes the grid more reliable, and keeps the power on in homes during outages,” Darren Van’t Hof, SEIA Interim President and CEO, said. “Deployment is rising fast, but without a course correction from federal actions targeting the industry, Americans will face higher electricity prices and a less resilient energy system.”
U.S. POWER PLANT RETIREMENTS: The U.S. Energy Information Administration said that nearly 11 gigawatts of electric generating capacity from power plants are set to retire this year.
EIA said most of the retirements will be from coal-fired power plants or steam turbines and simple cycle natural gas.
However, EIA noted that these retirements are subject to change, as the administration has stopped coal plants from retiring. The Department of Energy over the past year has used emergency powers to keep coal plants running past their retirement dates to address energy demand.
Last year, 12.3 GW of coal-fired capacity were set to retire, but EIA said only 4.6 GW retired. Now, 6.4 GW of coal-fired capacity is planned to retire this year.
INTERIOR DEPARTMENT HITS NEPA: The Interior Department is clawing back a significant amount of its regulations enforcing the National Environmental Policy Act, as part of the administration’s broader efforts to accelerate the federal permitting process.
The details: Interior announced early this morning that it was rescinding more than 80% of its NEPA regulations. The ones that remain in place focus on when and how the agency complies with NEPA and which NEPA processes should be used in various decision-making processes.
The agency said the reforms will “significantly reduce delays and costs” for projects, reducing paperwork and shortening review times. It will not, however, eliminate environmental reviews.
“For decades, NEPA has been twisted into a weapon to block American energy, infrastructure, and conservation projects,” Burgum said.
Some environmentalists have warned that the changes will shrink the public’s ability to offer comments on government reviews of various projects.
Quick reminder: NEPA was signed into law in 1970 and requires all federal agencies to consider and review the environmental effects of proposed projects requiring federal approval. While supporters of the bedrock environmental law say it is key to avoiding the endangerment of public lands and wildlife, as well as curbing climate change, critics claim it does more harm by acting as red tape and slowing domestic infrastructure development, including for clean energy projects.
You can read Callie’s full breakdown on the law here.
EAST COAST HIT BY BLIZZARD: Millions of people across the Northeast are facing extreme winter weather today.
The Winter Storm Hernando has intensified into a “bomb cyclone” storm as it moves along the Northeast of the country, bringing heavy snow and powerful winds.
More than 50 million people across several states are under winter weather alerts and blizzard warnings. New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island have declared states of emergency.
According to AccuWeather, the strongest part of the storm is expected to hit the coastal areas of New York and southeastern New England for much of the day. While snow may ease up in New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, strong coastal winds will continue.
The storm marks the first blizzard to hit New York since 2017. As of Monday, nearly 15.1 inches of snow have fallen on Central Park, AccuWeather said.
Thousands of flights canceled, and the storm has left more than 600,000 customers across the Northeast without power.
A LOOK AHEAD:
Feb. 23 – 25 The American Public Power Association is holding its annual Legislative Rally in Washington, D.C., meeting with federal policymakers to discuss energy priorities.
Feb. 23 The USLNG Association is holding an event in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the 10th anniversary of LNG cooperation with Europe, featuring remarks from several European energy ministers and Department of Energy officials.
Feb. 24 President Donald Trump will be delivering his State of the Union address to Congress.
Feb. 24 The Progressive Policy Institute is holding a webinar on permitting reform, featuring remarks from California Democratic Rep. Josh Hardner.
Feb. 24 The CHARGED Initiative is holding a webinar detailing a new report on proactive investments for electrification.
Feb. 24 The House Rules committee will be picking up two consumer choice and home appliance related bills.
Feb. 24 The Senate Armed Services committee is hosting a hearing on rebuilding American critical minerals supply chains.
Feb. 24 The House Science, Space, and Technology subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight is holding a hearing titled “Powering America’s AI Future: Assessing Policy Options to Increase Data Center Infrastructure.”
Feb. 24 The House Natural Resources subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources is holding a legislative hearing on several domestic critical minerals and mining bills.
Feb. 25 – 26 The American Council on Renewable Energy will be holding its 2026 policy forum in D.C. Callie Patteson will be moderating a panel on how to secure clean, reliable and affordable energy on Wednesday.
Feb. 25 The Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability at Duke University will be holding a summit titled, “From Billions to Trillions: Reducing Risks for Energy and Climate Finance.”
Feb. 25 The Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee is holding a hearing to consider the nominations of Stevan Pearce to serve as director of the Bureau of Land Management and Kyle Haustveit to serve as Under Secretary of Energy. They will also consider the renomination of David LaCerte to serve on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
RUNDOWN
Grist Electric buses are passing a brutal cold-weather test in Wisconsin
Bloomberg Wall Street’s Oil Deals Have Climate Activists Resorting to New Tactics
Inside Climate News What Happens If New York Buildings Use Less Gas?
