WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Monday, readers! The holiday season is in full swing in Washington, D.C., from buzzing Christmas markets to free ice skating at the Fort Dupont Ice Arena for local residents ⛸️. Callie’s been getting in the holiday spirit by baking rum cakes for family and friends 👩🏻‍🍳, while Maydeen has been on the hunt for the best holiday-themed bar and restaurant in the city 🎄. Let us know if you have any recommendations!  

Manufacturers and energy developers may just get an early holiday gift this year if the House can successfully pass permitting reform before lawmakers leave Washington later this month. In today’s newsletter we look at what to expect over the next two weeks. 

Plus, drivers continue to see some relief for their wallets as gas prices remain below $3 per gallon and likely will stay there heading into 2026 ⛽. 

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.

PERMITTING REFORM HEADS TO HOUSE FLOOR: House Republicans are rushing to pass meaningful permitting reform before breaking for the holidays, starting with a bill that would limit the scope of the Clean Water Act. 

The details: This week, the House is considering H.R. 3898, the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today Act, also known as the PERMIT Act. This bill, introduced by Georgia Republican Mike Collins in June, specifically targets federal and state permits issued for pipeline and dam projects under the Clean Water Act. 

Among its proposed changes, the bill would redefine which waters are protected under the law, excluding waste treatment systems, groundwater, and converted cropland, as well as ephemeral features that flow only in direct response to rain. 

It would also double the duration of general wastewater discharge permits from five years to 10 and remove permit requirements for pesticides discharged into waterways if they were authorized for use under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. 

Additionally, the bill would slash the statute of limitations for organizations or individuals to challenge a permit in court, limiting that timeline to just 60 days after the approval was issued. 

Republicans have touted the legislation as a pathway for streamlining federal reviews and providing greater regulatory certainty under the law. Environmentalists, however, claim the changes would weaken clean water protections and make it easier for polluters to dump harmful waste. 

What’s next: As we previewed last week, the House will soon take up the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act, better known as the SPEED Act. Introduced by House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman, the SPEED Act proposes some of the strongest changes to how federal agencies issue permits for energy and infrastructure projects and how those approvals can be challenged in court. 

The bill does use very technology-neutral language, meaning the reforms would apply to all new projects, regardless of the resources used. Democrats are still looking to include strict language to protect renewable energy projects from the Trump administration’s crackdown, while some conservatives want to include provisions that would allow the administration to target clean energy. 

The SPEED Act is expected to see a vote on the House floor next week. 

GAS PRICES CONTINUE TO PLUNGE: Prices at the pump are continuing to fall, with the national average price of gasoline dropping by roughly 5 cents over the last week. 

Data released by petroleum analysis firm GasBuddy today puts the national average price of gas at $2.90 per gallon – over 7 cents less than this time a year ago. Diesel prices are also dropping, with some cities seeing averages reaching the low $2 range, GasBuddy estimated. 

“Gas prices continued to decline in most states last week, while some price-cycling states saw temporary spikes to restore margins,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said in a statement. “With the national average falling further, we’re now at multi-year lows heading into Christmas.” 

The biggest price drops seen in the last week were in Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Michigan, and Washington, which all saw prices at the pump drop by at least 12 cents. 

Oklahoma continues to see the lowest gasoline prices in the country, averaging at around $2.30 per gallon. Meanwhile, California, Hawaii, and Washington still see the highest prices, with all three states still well above $4 per gallon. 

Barring any major disruptions, GasBuddy is expecting prices to remain low heading into 2026. 

HUNDREDS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ORGS CALL FOR PAUSE ON DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT: More than 230 environmental groups and climate advocates are calling on Congress to impose a moratorium on data center development, in an attempt to curb soaring energy demand and rising electricity prices. 

The details: The coalition, led by Food & Water Watch, sent the letter to members of Congress today, insisting that the rapid build-out of data centers is “disrupting” communities nationwide and threatening “economic, environmental, climate and water security.” 

“The rapid expansion of data centers across the United States, driven by the generative artificial intelligence (AI) and crypto boom, presents one of the biggest environmental and social threats of our generation,” the letter reads. “This expansion is rapidly increasing demand for energy, driving more fossil fuel pollution, straining water resources and raising electricity prices across the country.” 

The environmental groups pointed out what they described as five “harms” of data center growth including: 

• Growing electricity consumption 
• Massive water consumption 
• Contribution to climate change (use of fossil fuels to meet electricity demand) 
• Soaring electricity costs 
• Job losses associated with AI advancements.

Some of the groups that signed on to the letter include Greenpeace USA, U.S. Climate Action Network, Consumer Watchdog, Friends of the Earth US, Our Revolution, and the Climate Defense Project. 

From our view: The call for a pause on data center construction will likely be met with pushback from the Trump administration, which has aggressively called for the build-out of AI capabilities in order to get ahead of China. As concerns regarding affordability begin to dominate messaging heading into the midterm elections, however, the environmental organizations may be able to convince lawmakers of the need to slow the rapid growth. 

SCOTUS HEARS ARGUMENTS ON PRESIDENT’S POWER OVER INDEPENDENT AGENCIES: The Supreme Court today heard arguments in a case over Trump’s firing of former Federal Trade Commission Democratic commissioner Rebecca Slaughter – a case with major implications for presidential power over independent agencies. 

Trump fired Slaughter in March without cause. Slaughter and her lawyer argued that, as a commissioner at an independent agency, she was protected from firing by the president without cause. 

Slaughter’s lawyer, Amit Agarwal, told the justices that if the court abandoned past precedent, “dozens of institutions that have been around for a long time, that have withstood the test of time, that embody a distillation of human wisdom and experience, all of those would go south.”

However, reports said the high court appeared poised to expand the president’s power over independent agencies, with the conservative majority agreeing that the president should be able to remove agency heads. 

The ruling in the case could affect several independent agencies, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

EUROPE SET TO PROPOSE FURTHER WEAKENING ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS: The European Union is reportedly considering weakening its environmental reporting regulations even more, a move that would be a major win for the Trump administration and its efforts to soften Europe’s focus on climate. 

The details: A draft EU document reviewed by Reuters reveals that the European Commission has drafted proposals to reduce bureaucratic barriers for industrial facilities and farmers as it pertains to their efforts to reduce pollution. 

The document, which is expected to be published Wednesday, indicates that the Commission will propose ending requirements for individual industrial facilities and livestock farms to have an “environmental management system,” which would require a detailed description of their plans to reduce pollution and waste. 

The EU is not proposing doing away with a management plan entirely, Reuters reported, instead requiring companies and farms to submit one EMS that could cover all their sites and facilities. It would also not require them to disclose the use of hazardous chemicals – an existing requirement. 

Additionally, the proposal reportedly would do away with requirements for these industrial facilities to detail a “transformation plan” aligning their operations with climate-related goals and targets. 

CHINESE FIRMS COMMIT $80B IN CLEAN TECH INVESTMENTS OVERSEAS: Climate Energy Finance released a report which found that Chinese firms have committed nearly $80 billion in clean technology investments overseas over the past year. 

According to Reuters, the report said that China’s total overseas direct investments in green technology total more than $180 billion since the start of 2023. China is a dominant player in the clean energy space, leading the work in technologies like critical minerals, solar, and batteries. 

In response to the United States’ sweeping tariffs, other countries have shifted to China to deepen cooperation on clean technology. 

Caroline Wang, the report’s author and CEF China engagement lead, said that “China’s got a supply glut when it comes to green technology, like solar panels and batteries, because of a structural supply-demand mismatch, so they need overseas markets to absorb their products.”

ICYMI – MAHA ACTIVISTS LOBBY TRUMP TO FIRE EPA ADMINISTRATOR ZELDIN: Activists in the “Make America Healthy Again” movement have released a petition calling on Trump to remove Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin from his post, the New York Times reported. 

The petition said that Zeldin has not been following the MAHA initiative, as he has deregulated harmful chemicals such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals.” PFAS can be found in various consumer products like kitchenware and clothing, but they have been linked to causing health risks like cancer. 

Earlier this year, the EPA delayed the deadlines for utilities to limit two types of PFAS in water. The agency also approved the use of two pesticides, which are widely considered forever chemicals. 

The organizers of the petition include Vani Hari, a MAHA influencer known as the Food Babe, and Alex Clark, the host of a health and wellness podcast. 

“This approach will inevitably lead to higher rates of chronic disease, greater medical costs, and tremendous strain on our healthcare system,” the petition reads. “It also undermines one of the fundamental missions of the EPA: to protect human health. Zeldin’s actions clearly demonstrate that his priorities are misaligned with the values of your administration and the American people.”

As of Monday afternoon, there are about 5,777 signatories. 

A LOOK AHEAD:

Dec. 8 The Environmental Law Institute held a fireside chat with Robert Keus, the founder of GreenPT, an AI-chat platform that runs on 100% renewable energy. 

Dec. 9 – 10 Advanced Energy United is holding its 2025 Leadership Forum in Arlington, Virginia. 

Dec. 9 Axios is holding an event diving into the momentum behind permitting reform, featuring remarks from North Dakota Republican Rep. Julie Fedorchak, Democratic Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper, and Hawaii Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz. 

Dec. 9 SAFE is hosting a webinar titled “Price Support Policies for Critical Minerals.” 

Dec. 9 The Senate Energy and Natural Resources subcommittee on National Parks is holding a legislative hearing. 

Dec. 9 The House Committee on Rules is meeting to discuss several permitting related bills headed to floor votes this week, including the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today Act (PERMIT Act) which would limit the scope of the Clean Water Act. 

Dec. 10 The United States Energy Association is holding a virtual press briefing on licensing and permitting reform. 

Dec. 10 The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is holding a business meeting to vote on the nominations of Lee Beaman to serve on the Board of Directors for the Tennessee Valley Authority and Douglas Weaver to serve on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Dec. 10 The House Natural Resources oversight subcommittee is meeting to discuss the “abuse of the Equal Access to Justice Act by Environmental NGOs.” 

Dec. 11 The Atlantic Council is hosting a 2025 Critical Minerals Supply Chains Summit. 

Dec. 11 The House Natural Resources subcommittee on federal lands is holding a legislative hearing.

RUNDOWN 

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