Daily on Energy: EPA sued over Endangerment Finding, Potomac clean-up controversy, and Pritzker embraces nuclear

In other news, Energy Secretary Chris Wright is in Paris this week, where he accused countries that prioritize net-zero goals by phasing out fossil fuels of committing “economic suicide.” Keep reading to see what else the energy secretary had to say. 

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.

GREEN AND HEALTH GROUPS SUE EPA OVER ENDANGERMENT FINDING: Over a dozen environmental and public health groups filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency over its repeal of the 2009 Endangerment Finding. 

A coalition of green and public health groups filed a lawsuit in the D.C. Circuit against the EPA, arguing that the Clean Air Act requires the agency to limit car emissions in light of the Supreme Court ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA.

The plaintiffs include Earthjustice, American Public Health Association, American Lung Association, Environmental Defense Fund, Sierra Club, and many others. 

Key quote: Earthjustice senior attorney Hana Vizcarra said, “With this action, EPA flips its mission on its head.”

​​“It abandons its core mandate to protect human health and the environment to boost polluting industries and attempts to rewrite the law in order to do so,” Vizacarra said. 

The coalition’s lawsuit could mark the first of many to come in the coming months, which will all be consolidated in the same case in the D.C. Circuit. 

Read more by Maydeen here. 

POTOMAC RIVER CLEANUP UPDATE: There’s no end in sight for the blame game between the federal government and Maryland authorities over the massive sewage spill in the Potomac River, as Maryland Gov. Wes Moore accused President Donald Trump of “lying” to the public today. 

What’s new: In a post shared to X this afternoon, Moore insisted that the federal government is responsible for cleaning up the wastewater leak. 

“For the past century, the federal government has been responsible for the Potomac Interceptor – not Maryland. The sewage pipe is on federal land,” the Democratic governor wrote. 

He also hit at the White House’s claim that the state did not promptly notify federal authorities about the incident. Moore said Maryland agencies and DC Water recently held a two-hour legislative hearing on the issue, and while the Environmental Protection Agency was invited, it did not attend. 

White House hits back: Not long after Moore’s post was published, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called on Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, D.C., to ask the federal government for assistance in the clean-up. 

She accused Moore and his administration of abandoning and neglecting the pipeline infrastructure that cracked and caused the spill last month. 

Leavitt also confirmed that Trump is worried the Potomac River will still “smell like poop” during the America 250 events later this summer. 

ILLINOIS GOVERNOR EXPANDS NUCLEAR ENERGY GOALS: The Democratic governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, is betting on nuclear energy after lifting the state’s long-standing moratorium on the construction of large-scale nuclear power plants last fall. 

The details: Pritzker issued an executive order earlier today that outlined his new goal for building more nuclear energy to meet growing demand and help lower electricity prices. The order sets a “new nuclear energy framework” for the state, prioritizing reliability, safety and affordability. 

Through the order, the governor is calling for the deployment of at least two gigawatts of new nuclear capacity – enough to power around two million homes – with construction beginning by 2033. To meet this target, the order has called on the Illinois Power Agency, Illinois Commerce Commission, and other state agencies to begin evaluating potential nuclear sites immediately. 

“For Illinois households and businesses, expanded supply will make electricity less expensive, more reliable, and clean – while creating thousands of jobs and maintaining our state’s status as a net energy exporter,” Pritzker said today. 

For our view: Today’s announcement is the latest evidence that Democrats are fully embracing nuclear energy, decades after leading the effort to block development of the carbon-free power source. Nuclear energy increasingly is one of the sources of energy with the most bipartisan support in the U.S. today. Democratic leaders like Pritzker and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul have created pathways to build more nuclear energy in their states in order to meet growing demand while still hitting emissions reduction goals. 

Keep an eye out for more reporting from Callie on this trend later this week. 

CHRIS WRIGHT BLASTS NET-ZERO AMBITIONS: Energy Secretary Chris Wright threw cold water on the European Union’s efforts achieve climate neutrality by 2050, meaning it has an economy with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, saying there is “zero chance” of that goal being realized. 

The details: Wright made the remarks in Paris this week while attending the International Energy Agency’s ministerial meeting. 

“We don’t need a net-zero scenario, that’s ridiculous,” Wright said on Tuesday. 

He said it again earlier today, according to Bloomberg energy and commodities columnist Javier Blas, who reported that Wright said net-zero by 2050 has “zero point zero chance of happening.” 

The energy secretary accused countries of prioritizing net-zero goals and committing “economic suicide” by phasing out fossil fuels and accelerating the deployment of renewable alternatives. 

“We would prefer our allies not do that, but we don’t want an energy agency focussed on energy subtraction,” Wright said. 

A threat to walk: The U.S. has been a member of the IEA since it was founded in the mid-1970s. But Wright indicated that the Trump administration was willing to end the U.S.’s participation over climate change-related policy. 

Yesterday, Wright said the administration was “definitely not satisfied” with the agency and said there must be reforms if the U.S. is to remain a long-term member.  

RENEWABLES MADE UP MAJORITY OF RECORD CAPACITY ADDITIONS LAST YEAR: Renewable energy projects made up the largest percentage of new utility-scale generation added in the U.S. last year, despite the Trump administration’s efforts to suppress clean power sources. 

The Business Council for Sustainable Energy and BloombergNEF published the 2026 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook today, which found that the U.S. built the most new power-generating capacity in more than two decades last year. In total, roughly 54 gigawatts of new utility-scale generation and storage capacity was commissioned. 

Renewables dominated the new generation, making up 61% of new capacity. Around 27 gigawatts of utility-scale solar alone was added. Utility-scale energy storage also grew by 35% year over year, with 15 gigawatts added in 2025. 

TRUMP SET TO TOUT JAPAN’S CRITICAL MINERAL INVESTMENT IN GEORGIA: The president will be in Georgia tomorrow, where he is expected to tout investments from his latest trade deal with Japan, Semafor reports. 

Trump announced yesterday that the administration has struck a trade deal with Japan, which will invest in three energy projects. 

Japan will invest nearly $36 billion in three projects for developing natural gas, oil, and critical minerals in the United States. The investment is part of a $550 billion fund that Japan agreed to as part of a deal to avoid tariffs. 

The projects: The investment will go toward building a natural gas power facility in Ohio, expected to be one of the largest natural gas plants in the country, with a capacity of 9.2 gigawatts. The funds will also help to develop a deepwater crude oil export terminal in Texas. 

Lastly, the investment will also go toward the creation of a synthetic industrial diamond manufacturing facility in Georgia. Diamond grit, dust, and powder are critical mineral raw materials used in the semiconductor, automotive, and oil and gas industries. 

DOI EXPANDS WEST VIRGINIA’S AUTHORITY OVER COAL MINING ON FEDERAL LAND: The Department of the Interior has expanded West Virginia’s authority to regulate coal mining on federal lands, as part of an agreement signed today. 

DOI said that, before the agreement, the state regulated privately owned coal tied to federal lands. Now, the state’s authority includes federally owned coal leased by the Bureau of Land Management. 

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection will oversee the permitting, inspection and enforcement for private and federally leased operations. 

In a press release, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said, “By empowering West Virginia to take the lead, we’re streamlining regulations, boosting certainty for coal producers and supporting jobs and investment that strengthen our economy and energy security.” 

The move aligns with the Trump administration’s efforts to bolster fossil fuel energy sources like coal, while sidelining renewable energy. 

UBER TO OFFER EV CHARGER INCENTIVES: Uber is offering incentives to other companies to install electric vehicle charging stations in the U.S. and Europe. 

The New York Times reports that the rideshare company said it would guarantee minimum usage for chargers installed in neighborhoods where its drivers live or often pick up and drop off passengers. The initiative is meant to help charging operators recover their investment in new stations quickly. 

Pradeep Parameswaran, Uber’s global head of mobility, told the publication that it plans to get at least 1,000 chargers built. 

Uber’s support would be available to anyone, including renters and urban residents. The company said it hopes to get new stations in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, London, Paris, and Madrid.

U.S. REFINERS EYE VENEZUELAN CRUDE: Several U.S.-based oil refiners are reportedly considering buying heavy crude directly from Venezuela, rather than going through traditional routes. 

The details: Sources familiar with the efforts told Reuters this week that U.S. refiners Phillips 66 and Citgo Petroleum are weighing starting direct purchases from the South American country as early as April. 

While the U.S. has granted licenses to trading houses Trafigura and Vitol to export Venezuelan oil, the two refineries are looking at cutting out the middle man for their own operations. 

One source told Reuters that Phillips 66 is looking at obtaining compliance and internal clearance to purchase crude from state-run PDVSA and transport it itself to its Gulf Coast facilities. Most recently, the firm had been buying Venezuelan oil from Vitol. 

Rather than purchasing and obtaining the crude in Venezuela, Citgo Petroleum is reportedly looking into whether PDVSA can deliver the oil to its Gulf Coast refineries. Last month, the company made its most recent purchase of Venezuelan crude through Trafigura. 

PLUS…OIL UP ON IRAN NEWS: International and domestic benchmarks for oil rose by more than 4% this afternoon, as tensions rose again between Iran and the U.S. following nuclear talks this week. 

Where things stand: Yesterday, U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held nuclear talks in Geneva with their Iranian counterparts. While Iran described the talks as “constructive,” Vice President J.D. Vance said Iran failed to address red lines that the U.S. still has. 

He also insisted that the president has the right to use military force against Iran if necessary. 

“We do have a very powerful military — the president has shown a willingness to use it,” Vance said.

Price reaction: Following Vance’s remarks, oil prices shot up, signalling that the market is concerned about oil flow disruptions if the conflict escalates. 

Just after 3 p.m. EST, West Texas Intermediate had risen by 4.41% and was priced at $65.07 per barrel. Brent crude jumped by 4.11%, crossing the $70 line and was selling at $70.19. 

RUNDOWN 

Grist What’s behind your eye-popping power bill? We broke it down, region by region.

New York Times As Trump Obliterates Climate Efforts, States Try to Fill the Gap 

Latitude Media Is the gas turbine bottleneck solving itself?