WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Groundhog Day, readers! The verdict is in: Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today, which means there are six more weeks of winter ❄️🥶🌨️. In more important news – we are just four days away from the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies in Milan! ⛷️🥇🥈🏅 ⛸️ We hope you’re ready for Callie’s take away of the day once the games are underway.
The offshore wind industry saw a clean sweep of court wins over the Trump administration’s December stop work order on five underconstruction wind farms. We have the latest below.
Plus, the crackdowns on Russia and its energy revenue keep coming as India has agreed to stop purchasing crude oil from Moscow. 🇮🇳🛢️🇷🇺 Keep reading to find out 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.
TRUMP’S WIND CRACKDOWN BLOWN AWAY IN COURT: A federal judge has allowed Sunrise Wind to resume construction, marking the fifth court win for the offshore wind industry – a clean sweep following the Trump administration’s December stop work order.
The details: Earlier this afternoon, Judge Royce C. Lamberth granted Ørsted an injunction, allowing the Danish wind developer to resume construction on the New York wind farm. Sunrise Wind was roughly 45% complete at the time the Interior issued its stop work order, pausing the leases for five projects over national security concerns. Ørsted told the court that the pause on construction was costing the project $2.5 million a day.
The pause also affected Vineyard Wind 1, Revolution Wind, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Commercial, and Empire Wind 1. All four projects were also allowed to resume construction by federal judges last month.
Today’s ruling is a major blow for the Trump administration, which has used a whole-of-government approach to suppress the offshore wind industry.
Some reaction: “Taken together, these five offshore wind projects represent nearly 6 gigawatts of new electricity now under construction along the East Coast, enough power to serve 2.5M American homes and businesses,” Hillary Bright, executive director of nonprofit Turn Forward, said in a statement. “At a time when electricity demand is rising rapidly and grid reliability is under increasing strain, these projects represent critically needed utility-scale power sources that are making progress toward completion.”
Read more from Callie here.
INDIA AGREES TO STOP BUYING RUSSIAN OIL: India has agreed to stop purchasing Russian oil as part of a trade deal reached with the United States.
Trump announced earlier today that he spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where the two agreed on a trade deal that would lower tariffs on both countries’ goods and end New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil.
The president said India has “agreed to stop buying Russian Oil, and to buy much more from the United States and, potentially, Venezuela.” As part of the deal, the U.S. has agreed to reduce tariffs on India from 25% to 18%. The president said India will move to cut its tariffs on U.S. goods and will purchase over $500 billion in U.S. energy, technology, agriculture, coal, and other products.
On X, Modi wrote, “Delighted that Made in India products will now have a reduced tariff of 18%. Big thanks to President Trump on behalf of the 1.4 billion people of India for this wonderful announcement.”
Some background: India’s decision to end its purchases of Russian oil could have a significant impact on the Kremlin, as it is the second-largest importer of Russian oil after China. The Trump administration has imposed steep tariffs on India to end its purchasing of Russian oil, as the revenue is used to fund the war in Ukraine.
Read more by Maydeen here.
More on trade: India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced yesterday that the country will slash tariffs on capital goods necessary to process critical minerals and make lithium-ion battery cells, Reuters reports.
As part of India’s annual budget, the country will also reduce tariffs on sodium antimonate, used in solar glass production, and on monazite, a source of rare-earth elements used in permanent magnets for electric vehicles.
The move by India is aimed at reducing reliance on China, which controls global processing capacity for critical minerals essential to the automotive and energy industries. India’s reduction in duties is also focused on easing costs for exporters hit by Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
VENEZUELAN OIL EXPORT SPIKE: Shipping data recently reviewed by Reuters revealed that exports of Venezuelan oil nearly doubled last month, as the U.S. government has taken over the sale of the country’s heavy crude.
According to the outlet, Venezuela’s oil exports rose to roughly 800,000 barrels per day (bpd) in January, from 498,000 bpd in December. China, which had been the number one consumer of Venezuelan crude, lost its position to the U.S. last month.
In January, the U.S. imported 284,000 bpd, 220,000 of which were transported by Chevron. Only 156,000 bpd were shipped to China, and none were exported to Cuba.
OIL PRICES DROP: The price of domestic and international oil fell by around 5% today, as concerns about potential intervention from the U.S. in Iran began to ease.
Just before 2:30 p.m. EST, Brent Crude was down by 4.96%, selling at $65.88 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate had also dropped by 5.47%, and was priced at $61.64 per barrel.
The downward pressure came after Trump told reporters this weekend that Iran was “seriously” talking with his administration. Prices spiked late last week after the president threatened to intervene if the country did not agree to a nuclear deal or continued to kill protesters.
A STRATEGIC CRITICAL MINERAL RESERVE: Trump is set to launch a multibillion-dollar strategic critical minerals stockpile to further reduce the United States’s reliance on China for rare earths and other metals crucial to developing artificial intelligence, batteries, jet engines, and smartphones.
The details: The stockpile of minerals, which has been dubbed Project Vault, is expected to cost around $12 billion and use roughly $1.67 billion in private capital as well as a $10 billion loan from the U.S. Export-Import Bank. The EXIM Bank was expected to vote on Monday to authorize the loan under a 15-year agreement.
The venture is expected to be similar to the U.S.’s existing crude oil stockpile, known as the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. More than a dozen major tech and manufacturing firms are expected to sign on to purchase rare earths and minerals such as gallium and cobalt to fill the reserve, including General Motors, Stellantis, Boeing, GE Vernova, and Google.
By participating in the project, these companies will be able to insulate their operations from volatile market prices without having to maintain their own mineral supplies.
A White House official confirmed the news, first reported by Bloomberg, to Callie this morning. You can read more details about the proposed venture here.
STEP CLOSER TO DRILLING IN ANWR: The Department of Interior is accelerating its effort to allow drilling in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, taking a crucial step toward deciding what plots of land will be made available for oil and gas leasing.
The details: The agency’s Bureau of Land Management is publishing a call for nominations and comments in the Federal Register this week, requesting feedback on what tracts of land should be made available in a lease sale this winter. Last week, Daily on Energy reported that the agency would be holding its first sale in the 1.56 million-acre area along the edge of the Beaufort Sea this year.
Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the BLM is required to hold no fewer than four lease sales in the Coastal Plain by 2035, with each sale offering at least 400,000 acres. Those interested in submitting comments, concerns, or nominations for the sale have until March 5 to do so.
Some history: Congress first authorized drilling in ANWR in 2017, though little movement has been seen since. During his first administration, Trump approved nine lease sales in the region. The Biden administration ultimately suspended seven of these, while two were canceled by bidding companies.
Worth remembering: While oil and gas operations in the region have been opposed by environmentalists and climate activists, Kaktovik, the sole small Native community in the Coastal Plain, is broadly in support of bringing “drill, baby, drill” to their back yard.
Kaktovik, like other villages and cities in Alaska’s North Slope, relies heavily on tax revenue generated by resource development projects such as oil and gas drilling. More than 95% of North Slope Borough’s budget comes from this revenue.
“For the people of Kaktovik, responsible onshore development on ANWR’s Coastal Plain is about our ability to provide for our families and sustain our community for generations to come,” Kaktovik Mayor Nathan Gordon, Jr., said in a statement. “As the only community located within ANWR, our voices must be central to this process.”
For more on why Kaktovik favors drilling in the Coastal Plain, check out Callie’s reporting here.
EPA ISSUES GUIDANCE BACKING FARMERS RIGHT TO REPAIR EQUIPMENT: The Environmental Protection Agency today issued new guidance, clarifying that farmers and equipment owners can repair their own equipment, as manufacturers have in recent years limited access to repair tools and software.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the new guidance alongside Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler.
Zeldin said manufacturers have “misused” the Clean Air Act, which regulates emissions for farm equipment, “by falsely claiming that environmental laws prevented them from making essential repair tools or software available to all Americans.” The misinterpretation has limited farmers and independent repair shops from fixing equipment.
The EPA’s guidance allows farmers and equipment owners to temporarily override emission systems for repairs as long as it is returned to compliance. It would apply to all nonroad diesel equipment with advanced emission control technologies, including diesel exhaust fluid systems. Farmers will also not be required to rely solely on authorized dealers for equipment repair.
The guidance comes after agricultural equipment manufacturer John Deere asked the EPA to issue guidance confirming that temporary emission control overrides are allowed.
Read more by Maydeen here.
A LOOK AHEAD:
Feb. 2 – 5 Energy solutions conference DTECH 2026 is taking place in San Diego, California.
Feb. 3 – 5 RE+ Northeast, an annual clean-energy industry conference and trade show, will be held in Boston, Massachusetts.
Feb. 3 The Center for Strategic and International Studies will hold a webinar titled: “Powering the Future: the U.S. and Indian Landscape in 2030.”
Feb. 3 The Bipartisan Policy Center is holding its 2026 Permitting Summit in Washington D.C.
Feb. 3 The House Natural Resources subcommittee on federal lands is holding an oversight hearing called “Fix Our Forests: The Need for Urgent Action One Year After the L.A. Wildfires.”
Feb. 3 The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on energy is holding an oversight hearing on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Feb. 3 The House Appropriations subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies is holding a hearing on the Department of Agriculture, featuring Inspector General John Walk as a witness.
Feb. 4 Secretary of State Marco Rubio will host senior officials from dozens of countries for the Trump administration inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial.
Feb. 4 The Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on Europe and regional security Cooperation is holding a hearing to examine European energy security.
Feb. 5 The 2026 Renew Wisconsin Summit will be held in Madison, Wisconsin.
Feb. 5 The Environmental and Energy Study Institute is hosting a briefing about state-led energy solutions.
Feb. 6 The Winter Olympics begin!!!
RUNDOWN
Washington Examiner California seeks to fill the gap left by terminated electric vehicle tax credits
Grist Trump’s ‘get-out-of-jail-free card’ for polluters faces its latest test in court
Associated Press Mexico’s push for US natural gas sparks community opposition and threatens its climate pledges
