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TRUMP PROVIDES DPA FUNDING TO SUPPORT AND BOOST COAL: President Donald Trump is expected to announce millions in funding to support and boost coal-fired power plants and coal exports. 

Trump plans to provide $425 million in Defense Production Act funding to support coal plants across the country and $75 million to help construct a coal export terminal in California. 

Trump has previously used the DPA in April to boost domestic production of oil products, natural gas, coal, and the deployment of large-scale energy and grid-related infrastructure. 

As part of the announcement, the president will also provide about $200 million in Energy Department grant funding to build two new coal plants in Alaska and West Virginia and to restart a plant in Maryland. The DOE has been at the forefront of keeping aging coal plants from retiring as part of a move to prevent blackouts during peak winter and summer seasons. 

The president is expected to be joined by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin. The administration’s action is part of a broader effort to tackle energy demand and cost with fossil fuel sources. 

Read more by Maydeen here.

DOE AND JAPAN PARTNERSHIP ON AI: The Department of Energy announced a $1 billion partnership with Japan as part of the administration’s Genesis Mission initiative. 

As a reminder: Trump signed an executive order last November to launch the “Genesis Mission,” an initiative led by the DOE aimed at conducting scientific research and development on artificial intelligence.

The DOE’s partnership with Japan will bring together twelve DOE National Laboratories, a DOE Office of Science User Facility, and twelve Japanese research institutions to focus on quantum information science, fusion energy, biotechnology, advanced materials, particle physics, and autonomous laboratory systems.

“For generations, DOE’s National Laboratories have set the global standard for scientific excellence, delivering breakthroughs that transformed industries, advanced human knowledge, and strengthened prosperity around the world,” DOE Under Secretary for Science and Genesis Mission Lead Dr. Darío Gil said in a statement. 

“By combining their unparalleled capabilities with Japan’s world-class scientific institutions, we are helping define how science will be conducted in the age of AI,” he continued. 

OIL PRICES FALL AMID LATEST DE-ESCALATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST: Oil prices were down by more than 3% this afternoon, as hopes for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz were reignited after Israel and Lebanon agreed to their own ceasefire.

Israel and Lebanon agreed to the ceasefire late yesterday, which could help advance negotiations between Washington and Tehran. A recent Wall Street Journal report also indicated that Trump has privately told aides he is reluctant to restart a full-scale war with Iran, despite heightened tensions and increased clashes in recent days. 

However, the president has reportedly said he would consider ending the existing ceasefire deal with Iran if American troops are killed. 

The news appears to have given traders a boost of confidence that a deal is on the horizon, sending oil prices back to the low $90s. Just after 2 p.m. EDT, Brent Crude had dropped 3.24% and was priced at $94.74 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate was also down 3.61%, selling at $92.55 a barrel. 

Still, some analysts are warning caution given how the conflict has gone so far. 

“We have seen many rounds of calm in the past that ended with a return to escalation,” Samer Hasn from XS.com said in a note obtained by the Wall Street Journal. 

“Unless we receive a signed, written, and binding agreement, we should expect ongoing escalation that will maintain the strait’s closure and drive oil prices higher,” Hasn said. 

LITHIUM STARTUP TO BUILD ‘BATTERY MECCA’ IN TEXAS: A lithium start-up company, backed by General Motors, is planning to build a massive factory in East Texas, with the hopes of onshoring the domestic supply chain for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathodes – a crucial component of any lithium-ion battery. 

The details: The start-up, EnergyX, confirmed to the Financial Times that it will be building its factory in Hooks, Texas, and that it could be open as early as 2028. This is right next to the company’s Project Lonestar lithium plant and the Red River Army Depot. EnergyX controls around 50,000 acres of lithium mining rights in a region stretching across Texas to Florida. 

“The location is really critical,” EnergyX CEO Teague Egan told the outlet. “It’s part of the bigger vision I’m calling Battery Mecca.”

LFP cathodes are made with lithium, iron, and phosphate, and are a crucial part of batteries.

Currently, EnergyX has enough capacity to produce around 250 metric tons of lithium carbonate at its Lonestar facility each year. With the new factory, the start-up will significantly expand its operations to be able to produce 15,000 metric tons of LFP cathodes annually. 

The venture, which is being developed alongside battery materials firm Wildcat Discovery Technologies, will take quite a bit of capital. EnergyX estimates it will cost $230 million. The companies are hoping to support their project with funds from the Department of Energy. Recently, they applied for a $500 million grant dedicated for expanding critical mineral processing and battery manufacturing in the U.S. 

TEXAS ELECTRICITY DEMAND SOARS: Electricity demand in the Lone Star state surged by nearly five times the national average, as data center developers have rushed to build in the state, according to new data obtained by Reuters. 

The data, released by Hitachi Energy today, shows that the Texas grid, managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, saw the largest jump in electricity demand out of any grid system in the U.S. over the course of six months ending in March. Specifically, ERCOT’s power demand grew by 9%. The state also saw the largest share of new power added to its grid. 

Between October 2025 and March of this year, roughly 28 gigawatts of new power generation was added to the national grid. ERCOT and MISO account for roughly half of this new generation, which was primarily made up of solar and battery storage.  

MILESTONE IN THE WAR ON DATA CENTERS: Residents in a city near Los Angeles have become the first in the country to place a ban on data centers. 

As part of California’s primary elections on Tuesday, nearly 86% of voters in Monterey Park voted in favor of a measure that would ban data centers citywide to “protect air quality, drinking water resources and public health” and “prevent impacts to electricity and water rates.” 

Public pushback has been growing against data center expansion, with measures across the country placing restrictions on the tech facilities. Many communities have raised concerns about how data centers will affect their energy bills, water supply, noise pollution, and much more. 

According to BallotPedia, there are five measures in California, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin aimed at limiting or prohibiting data center development. 

ICYMI – A WATER WARNING FOR D.C.: The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority introduced new water conservation recommendations ahead of the summer season. 

DC Water yesterday released measures for customers to save water this summer. It recommends that customers wash full loads of laundry, turn off faucets while brushing their teeth, keep their showers short, and many other measures. 

The measures follow the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ Drought Coordination Committee issuing its second-most serious level drought warning in its four-tiered Regional Drought Response Plan. 

It has been the driest year in the district since 2002, according to the National Weather Service. The city had 23.31 inches of precipitation in total that year, compared to 16.65 inches so far this year.

Read more about the district’s efforts to conserve water by Washington Examiner’s Max Grinstein here. 

RUNDOWN 

Politico Oil industry warns Trump administration of price spikes within weeks

The Associated Press Takeaways from how water pollution in Iowa can deflate summer fun

Reuters US Senate faces tough vote on nationwide E15 gasoline sales expansion