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 MEETS WITH OIL AND GAS EXECUTIVES: The White House has confirmed to Daily on Energy that the president met with several oil and gas executives yesterday to discuss measures the administration could take to keep the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in place for months if needed. 

The meeting, first reported by Axios, took place at the White House and featured several administration officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Vice President J.D. Vance. 

A White House official confirmed that the meeting covered many topics, including domestic production, progress in Venezuela, oil futures, natural gas, and shipping. 

The official said the meeting also covered “steps President Trump has taken to alleviate global oil markets and steps we could take to continue the current blockade for months if needed and minimize impact on American consumers.” 

From our view: This is a significant indication that the administration is aware the war in Iran could stretch on for months, and is preparing for the fallout of high oil and gasoline prices. Surging prices would prove to be a major political challenge for the administration and Republican Party ahead of the November midterm elections, as polling released today found that 50% of likely voters said they would back a generic Democratic candidate for Congress.  

Where prices stand: As of Wednesday, the national average price of gasoline was at around $4.23 a gallon, according to AAA. This is the highest prices have been since the war began, as well as since 2022. 

Oil prices also spiked today, on the news that Trump has told aides to prepare for a lengthy blockade of the strait. 

Right around 3 p.m. EDT, both international and domestic benchmarks were up by around 7%. Brent Crude had jumped by 6.87% and was nearing the $120 line, selling at $118.90 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate was also up by 7% and priced at $106.93. 

CRUDE TANKER PASSES THROUGH THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ: The first crude supertanker has made its way through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Bloomberg. 

The supertanker Idemitsu Maru carried about 2 million barrels of Saudi crude as it headed to Japan. The tanker exited the waterway yesterday late afternoon after two months since the war effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz. 

Bloomberg said it was the only non-Iranain large crude tanker to leave the region in 10 days and the first tanker linked to Japan to cross the waterway since late February. 

BURGUM BLASTS COURT RULING AGAINST WIND AND SOLAR PERMITTING DELAYS: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum lambasted a district court ruling from last week that ordered the agency to end a number of policies that delayed federal permitting for wind and solar projects on federal lands.

The details: During a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing this morning, Burgum was pressed several times as to whether the administration would comply with the recent court decision. 

The secretary did not directly answer the question, telling ranking member Sen. Martin Heinrich that the administration opposes the ruling. 

“First of all, we disagree vehemently with, with a [District Court] judge’s view that somehow having appropriate reviews of energy projects and our internal procedures is —” Burgum said, before Heinrich cut him off. 

The New Mexico Democrat said the agency has slow-walked permits for certain projects and asked a second time if Burgum would follow the court ruling.

Burgum, again, did not directly answer if the agency would comply with the injunction, instead saying, “The solicitor’s department will respond to any act of litigation. But as I said, we disagree. We disagree with this.” 

Quick reminder: Last week, a federal judge in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction in favor of a group of clean energy advocacy and trade groups that claimed the administration had unlawfully implemented policies preventing the development of renewable energy resources.

These policies included requiring nearly every step of the federal permitting process for wind and solar to receive direct approval from the interior secretary, prohibiting renewable developers from using an online government tool aimed at streamlining environmental reviews, and an order that effectively barred wind and solar projects on federal land.

Read more from Callie here. 

MICHAEL BENNET PUSHES BILL TO UNDO TRUMP POLLUTION PLAN: Democrat Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado is leading a measure to overturn the Trump administration’s disapproval of the state’s pollution plan. 

The senator’s Congressional Review Act resolution is set to begin being considered on the Senate floor this evening. The measure would overturn the Environmental Protection Agency’s disapproval of Colorado’s revised 2022 Regional Haze State Implementation Plan. 

The agency rejected the plan in January after the state attempted to close several coal plants, which the agency said does not comply with the Clean Air Act and is not necessary to meet requirements. It also noted that the coal plant shutdowns may disrupt the grid. 

The Regional Haze plans direct states to implement pollution control plans to improve haze and air quality at national parks. 

It is unlikely Bennet’s CRA will pass a Republican-controlled Senate. But we will be watching closely to see the partisan breakdown of the vote.

HUNDREDS OF NEW POWER PLANTS SEEK TO CONNECT TO PJM GRID: PJM Interconnection has started processing more than 800 applications from power plants seeking to connect to the largest power grid in the U.S., after sorting through a years-long backlog of requests to help new generation come online faster. 

The details: PJM announced earlier this morning that it received 811 applications from new generation projects, capable of generating around 220 gigawatts of electricity.

PJM has spent the last several months doing away with its old first-come, first-served interconnection model, and is now prioritizing projects which are in the best position to come online the fastest that also have financial security and proof of site control. This change is primarily intended to decrease the time it takes to connect new generation to the grid.

The projects that have applied for interconnection now face a one-to-two year review process, which starts with a validation phase that confirms they have all the necessary technical and financial information to move forward. 

A diverse mix of generation resources have applied, including 349 storage projects, 157 natural gas, 142 solar power, 65 wind, 45 solar-storage hybrids, 27 nuclear, 11 hydro, and 15 other energy-related projects.  

Why this matters: New generation comes at a critical time for PJM, which is facing grid strain from the soaring demand brought on by electrification and the rapid development of large loads, such as artificial intelligence data centers. 

Between 2024 and 2030, PJM projects, electricity demand will increase by more than 30 gigawatts. PJM officials have long been warning that demand is outpacing supply in the region, with the grid facing serious shortages as soon as 2027. If the demand is not met, this could result in even higher electricity prices and blackouts.

Key quote: “These numbers represent significant interest from developers resulting from strong market signals, and our reformed process is designed to prioritize viable projects that can move to construction and operations with greater speed and certainty,” PJM interim president and CEO David Mills said.

EPA TO GIVE $80 MILLION TO MANAGE WATERWAYS: The Environmental Protection Agency announced it will provide $80 million to assist communities on stormwater and sewer infrastructure. 

As part of the EPA’s Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grant program, it will provide funding for states across the country to help manage stormwater to help prevent contaminants from polluting the waterways. The EPA will provide states funding from both fiscal year 2025 and 2026. 

The agency said that managing stormwater can help prevent contaminants like trash, chemicals, and oils from reaching waterways. 

GLOBAL FOREST LOSS IMPROVEMENT: New data shows that tropical forest loss declined significantly, by 36%, last year after hitting record losses in 2024. 

The University of Maryland published new data in the World Resources Institute, finding that, in 2025, the world lost 10.6 million acres of tropical forest, which is about the size of Denmark. It added that even with the decline, forest loss is still 46% higher than it was 10 years ago. 

And global forest loss is far above the level needed to meet the 2030 goal of stopping and reversing forest loss, it wrote. 

“A drop of this scale in a single year is encouraging — it shows what decisive government action can achieve,” said Elizabeth Goldman, co-director of Global Forest Watch at the World Resources Institute. 

“But part of the decline reflects a lull after an extreme fire year. Fires and climate change are feeding off each other, and with El Niño on the horizon for 2026, investments in prevention and response will be critical as extreme fire conditions become the norm,” Goldman added. 

ICYMI – MASSACHUSETTS WIND FARM SWITCHES ON: One of the offshore wind farms targeted by the Trump administration last year has officially turned on its power, marking a major win for the offshore wind industry. 

The details: On Monday, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey announced that the state had activated two long-term power contracts for the Vineyard Wind project. The governor said these power purchase agreements will stabilize electricity prices for consumers in Massachusetts, saving customers roughly $1.4 billion on bills over the next 20 years. 

Vineyard Wind is an 806 megawatt offshore wind farm located roughly 14 miles off the coast of Massachusetts. It first began producing power in January 2024 and completed construction in March. 

Previously, Vineyard Wind had been selling its electricity directly on the wholesale market in New England, which can lead to higher prices. Under the new contracts, its power will be sold at a fixed cost of $69.50 per megawatt-hour, according to local paper New Bedford Light.  

Notable quote: “Especially as President Trump is taking energy sources off the table and increasing prices with his war in Iran, we should be leaning into more American-made wind power to lower costs, create jobs, and make our country more energy independent,” Healey, a Democrat, said in a statement. “Massachusetts is uniquely positioned to lead on this and deliver major savings to our residents.”

RUNDOWN

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