WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Friday, Daily on Energy readers! To kick things off, we’re taking a look at a major development yesterday evening, with the Permitting Council wrapping up a decade-long permitting process for the Alaska LNG project 🛢️🏔️. The long-awaited and controversial project has been a priority for the Trump administration, which is trying to increase energy exports and expand LNG production.
Our editor, Joe Lawler, also lends us a hand in today’s coverage. We break down the latest on the United States-Venezuela conflict 🇺🇸🇻🇪. Meanwhile, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has delayed granting the monarch butterfly federal protections 🦋. Keep reading to learn more.
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.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Yesterday, Ionic Mineral Technologies announced it had found about 16 types of critical minerals, including rare earths, at its site in Utah, potentially making it one of the most significant mineral reserves in the country.
When asked about the newly discovered mineral deposit, Barbara Humpton, the CEO of USA Rare Earth, said, “The U.S. is nowhere near tapped out.”
“And the fact is that for too long, we just said, ‘we’ll outsource all of this to China.’ Who knows what’s in that ionic clay in Utah, but I guarantee you we will find value there, and this value chain will continue to grow,” Humpton said at an Axios event last night.
ALASKA LNG PERMIT COMPLETED: The Permitting Council yesterday evening announced it completed federal permitting for the Alaska liquefied natural gas project, which is expected to transport nearly 20 million metric tons of natural gas annually.
Project details: The project will consist of an 800-mile pipeline, starting in Prudhoe Bay, along the Arctic Ocean, where the existing Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, also around 800 miles long, begins. It will also construct a liquefaction facility to cool and condense the exported gas.
The permitting process took nearly 10 years to complete, beginning in February 2014. The pipeline project is slated to cost around $44 billion.
The project has been a top priority for the Trump administration as part of its broader effort to develop Alaska’s North Slope natural gas resources and increase energy exports.
Read more by Callie here.
HOUSE PASSES PIPELINE PERMITTING REFORM BILL: To close out a week of permitting reform legislation, the House voted 213-184 today to approve the Improving Interagency Coordination for Pipeline Reviews Act, which would designate FERC as the lead agency for conducting NEPA reviews for natural gas pipelines or LNG export terminals.
Read Callie’s rundown of the other bills passed this week here.
Of course, next week is supposed to be the main event, with the expected floor consideration of the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act, better known as the SPEED Act, the NEPA reform authored by House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DELAYS PROTECTION FOR MONARCH BUTTERFLIES: The Fish and Wildlife Service delayed its decision on whether to place federal protections on the monarch butterfly.
Last December, the Biden administration announced it would add the monarch butterfly to the Endangered Species Act. The Fish and Wildlife Service at the time said it would add the species to the list by the end of 2025, following its public comment period.
However, the Associated Press reports that the administration listed the proposal as a “long-term action” in a September report on federal regulations’ status from the Office of Management and Budget. That means that it is not coming before next September.
A spokesperson for the agency told the publication, “The administration remains committed to a regulatory approach that is transparent, predictable and grounded in sound science.”
“Any listing must follow the (Endangered Species Act’s) statutory requirement that determinations be based on the best scientific and commercial data available. At the same time, the administration continues to emphasize voluntary, locally driven conservation as a proven tool for supporting species and reducing the need for additional federal regulation,” they added.
The Endangered Species Act establishes protection for fish, wildlife, and plants. It provides those species with special protection from being harmed or killed.
DRILL BABY DRILL UPDATE – RIG COUNT DOWN 41 ON THE YEAR: The number of active drilling rigs in the U.S. dropped by one this week to 548, according to Baker Hughes, and is now down 41 on the year.
Specifically, the number of gas drilling rigs fell by two, while one oil rig was added.
There are 304 rigs in the Permian Basin, down by 55 in the past year.
As for updates on the administration’s pro-drilling agenda, the administration this week held its first lease sale in the renamed Gulf of America. Read Maydeen’s coverage here.
EIA SAYS US CRUDE OIL PRODUCTION TO SLIGHTLY DECREASE NEXT YEAR: The Energy Information Administration’s short-term energy outlook predicts that domestic crude oil production will average 13.5 million barrels per day next year, declining by 100,000 barrels per day compared to this year.
EIA said next year there will be “modest production increases” in Alaska, the Gulf of America, and the Permian, which will help to offset declines in parts of the country.
Additionally, the EIA projected that the average price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil will be $65 per barrel in 2025 and $51 per barrel in 2026, both of which are lower than the 2024 average price of $77.
GLOBAL EV SALES GROW IN NOVEMBER: Global sales of electric vehicles increased in November, with 2.0 million EVs sold worldwide.
Benchmark Mineral Intelligence said global EV sales from January to November 2025 were up 21% compared to the same time last year. China saw growth of 19%, Europe was up 33%, and North America was down 1%.
Europe led the growth due to new incentives and a wider selection of models.
“France and Italy both saw renewed momentum from national support, while the UK expanded its subsidy list to support further uptake,” said Rho Motion data manager Charles Lester.
China continues to dominate the EV sector, with companies selling 11.6 million units year-to-date. The Chinese EV company BYD set a record last month, exporting 131,936 units. Sales of BYD have also increased by more than 4 times in Europe this year, while in Southeast Asia and South America, they have risen by more than 50%.
VENEZUELA WATCH – UNITED STATES PLANS MORE SEIZURES OF TANKERS: The U.S. is preparing to seize more tankers shipping oil off the coast of Venezuela, Reuters reported, citing six anonymous sources, following the successful boarding of the vessel Skipper earlier this week.
The U.S. has a target list of sanctioned tankers, and the Department of Justice and Homeland Security have been planning to take them over for months, according to the publication.
One trader said that at least one shipper has already held off on three major shipments of oil cargoes to Asia.
Nevertheless, oil prices were down today, with international benchmark Brent crude down about 0.7% as of this morning.
Skipper headed to Houston: Reuters also reported that the Skipper is headed toward Houston with its estimated 1.8 million barrels of crude.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE BELLWETHER? ARIZONA CITY REJECTS DATA CENTER: The Chandler City Council unanimously rejected a zoning proposal for a data center project Thursday night, following heated pushback from local residents.
Former Arizona senator Kyrsten Sinema, who now co-chairs a pro-artificial intelligence industry group, had spoken to the council in favor of the project.
Why it’s notable: Many industry analysts have said they expect an increase in anti-data-center sentiment next year, before the midterm elections, as voters worry about the costs, in terms of electricity prices and water use, imposed by massive data centers.
At the same time, the rapid expansion of data centers and investment in AI has been one of the major bright spots for the U.S. economy over the past year.
The vote in Chandler could be a harbinger of increased trouble getting data centers built.
RUNDOWN
NBC News Polar bears are rewiring their own genetics to survive a warming climate
Inside Climate News Sharks and Rays Gain Landmark Protections as Nations Move to Curb International Trade
Time What Climate Change Means for White Christmases
