WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Monday, readers! Today marks the start of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. While the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration is predicting it will be a below-normal season, it’s smart to remain aware of how to prepare yourself and your home in the case of a strong storm. 🌀⛈️🌊 You can read more here. 

Congress is coming back from its May break this week, and the House is kicking things off with a vote on a bill aiming to accelerate the deployment of geothermal energy projects. ⚡🪨🔥 The bill is expected to pass with bipartisan support, so all eyes will be on the lower chamber when that hits the floor. 

Plus, today’s newsletter takes a closer look at California’s controversial single-use plastic law, as companies had until today to comply with the state’s strict regulations approved just last month. 🥤♻️🗑️ Read on for 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.

HOUSE TAKES ON BIPARTISAN GEOTHERMAL BILL: The House of Representatives is expected to vote as soon as tomorrow on a geothermal energy omnibus bill, which is made up of several Republican and Democratic-authored bills. 

Leadership is expected to put the bill to a vote under suspension of the rules, which fast-tracks legislation as long as it obtains a two-thirds majority. The vote could be the most significant show of bipartisanship as Congress tackles surging energy prices and broader permitting reform ahead of the midterm elections. 

What’s in the bill: The base of the bill was first introduced by Republican Rep. Jeff Hurd of Colorado and would require Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to, within 60 days, appoint a geothermal ombudsman who would act as a liaison between officials and offices within the Bureau of Land Management in order to streamline permitting for geothermal projects. It would also require the Interior Secretary to establish a geothermal permitting task force within 60 days, which would support the ombudsman. 

The bill would also require the secretary to process applications on geothermal-related projects – such as leasing, drilling permits, or other authorizations – within 60 days. This provision was added in from a separate bill introduced by Republican Utah Rep. Celeste Maloy. 

Hurd’s bill was also amended to include a provision from a bill put forth by Democratic Nevada Rep. Susie Lee, which would expand a categorical exclusion from National Environmental Policy Act requirements for certain geothermal projects.

We’ll be following this week’s vote closely and will provide updates as they come! 

OIL PRICES BACK UP WITH CEASEFIRE DEAL OUT OF SIGHT: We’re at the start of another month and there is still no extended ceasefire deal between Washington and Tehran. Strikes between the U.S. and Iran picked back up over the weekend. Plus, Iranian state media reported that Tehran was halting indirect negotiations, as a response to Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon. 

The heightened tensions shot up international and domestic oil prices by around 6% earlier today, though prices pulled back from highs after President Donald Trump said he was able to convince Israel and Hezbollah to back down this afternoon. 

“I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel, and there will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back,” Trump said in a post to Truth Social. “Likewise, through highly placed Representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop — That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel.” 

Oil prices didn’t fully reverse the gains seen today, as prices were still up by around 5% after 3 p.m. EDT. 

Brent Crude was up by 4.53%, selling at $95.25 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate had jumped 5.84% and was priced at $92.46 a barrel. 

CALIFORNIA BEGINS CRACKDOWN ON PLASTIC POLLUTION: Today is the day that businesses in California have to comply with the controversial new law meant to significantly reduce single-use plastic packaging.

The rules: The law, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2022, requires a 25% reduction in single-use plastic packaging and food service by 2032. It also requires that 100% of packaging sold in the state be compostable or recyclable in that same time frame. About 65% of single-use plastic packaging needs to be recycled. 

Regulations under the law were approved and finalized on May 1 and companies were given until June 1 to be in compliance, registering and reporting how much packaging they sell in the state. They typically can register through a producer responsibility organization to do this,  directly report to state regulators, or provide evidence they qualify for an exemption. 

State agency CalRecycle has said that, as of May 26, just under 3,000 producers had registered to meet the new requirements, according to Bloomberg. State officials previously estimated that 5,700 would be required to do so. 

The law would also require producers to pay $500 million each year to a state plastic pollution mitigation fund. If the state finds any producers not in compliance, the law gives officials the authority to impose civil penalties as high as $50,000 per day per violation. 

Backlash and confusion: The law has been criticized by packaging groups and environmentalists, as many remain confused or concerned about the regulations released so far, according to a new Bloomberg report. Some industry groups claim that it is not clear on what a “producer” is, as grocery stores using packaging to wrap sandwiches in house may be considered a producer, while those selling prepacked food might not. 

Environmentalists and advocates for the law have even pushed back against the existing rules, claiming the final regulations have created many exemptions for plastic packaging producers. 

One former state official even warned that the rules are doing too much too fast, and could result in medium-sized businesses paying tens of millions of dollars, Bloomberg reported.  

BP SHAKEUPS CONTINUE: British oil major BP is seeing yet another leadership shakeup, with its head of global gas and low-carbon energy business leaving the company. 

William Lin is leaving his office in the third quarter of this year, after 30 years with BP, according to the Financial Times. 

“During more than three decades with BP, William has built an exceptional career and made a significant and lasting contribution,” the company wrote in an internal message sent regarding Lin’s departure. 

It marks the latest major change to the oil major’s senior leadership team, just one week after the company ousted its board chair Albert Manifold over concerns regarding his conduct. 

There was no immediate indication whether Lin’s departure was related to Manifold’s ousting. 

EU CLIMATE CHIEF SAYS INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE SUMMITS ARE FALLING SHORT: The past decade-plus of international climate conferences have fallen short of action needed to mitigate climate change, European Union climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said today. 

“If you look at ​what the problem actually needs ​and where the bar should then be, and what most of the COPs ​of the last five, six, ​seven, eight years have delivered, then you ‌just ⁠have to admit that that was underwhelming," Hoekstra said in Brussels today, according to Reuters.

He stopped short of saying the conferences needed to be scrapped entirely, saying there is still a need to continue working at the COP summits. 

Our view: This isn’t a new sentiment. But it is notable that the leading official for reducing climate change in Europe is in agreement with climate and energy analysts across the globe who have said conferences like COP are no longer fit for purpose. 

Callie took a closer look at this idea during the COP29 conference in 2024, which was hosted in Baku, Azerbaijan. At the time, some observers suggested nations might be more productive by focusing on smaller, regional meetings rather than a sweeping global summit.  

“I think the better question is, is there a future with COP?” Jeremy Bassis, a professor of climate and space sciences and engineering at the University of Michigan’s College of Engineering, said at the time. “I think it’s pretty clear that COP has not accomplished, theorated what it was designed for. And so I think it’s worth taking a step back and rethinking how we’ve been pursuing some of these agreements and how we’ve been trying to engage the international process.” 

LOTS OF NEWS ABOUT RUSSIA: A few new developments out of Russia are relevant for broader energy markets. 

Aviation fuel exports banned: Russia imposed a ban on exports of aviation fuel until Nov. 30, in a bid to stabilize domestic markets in light of Ukrainian drone strikes on energy infrastructure. Gasoline exports have already been limited, and the government is reportedly weighing doing the same for diesel. 

Did a Ukrainian drone hit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant? Russia’s state nuclear energy company, Rosatom, said that a Ukrainian drone exploded after tearing a hole in the turbine hall of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which Russia occupies. 

The International Atomic Energy Agency also said it observed damage at the plant. 

Ukraine, though, denied any attack, according to France24. 

The nuclear plant has been surrounded by fighting since the start of the war, leading to many warnings from the IAEA.

Putin is warned that war funding is unsustainable: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s finance advisers have warned him that the spending on the war in Ukraine has created an unsustainable budget shortfall, Bloomberg reports. 

Up until now, higher energy prices have helped fund the war effort and kept Russia in a relatively strong position. 

But, officials told Putin that the price of oil would have to stay above $100 a barrel for a year to keep the economy afloat, and even that would not address underlying problems with the banking sector and overall commerce. 

Related…France and U.K. seize shadow fleet tanker: The French navy, working with the United Kingdom, boarded the Russian shadow fleet tanker Tagor Sunday in the Atlantic Ocean.

It’s the latest in a string of such seizures by the French. The Kremlin denounced it as “piracy.”

A LOOK AHEAD

June 1 – 4 The 2026 CleanPower expo and conference is being held in Houston, Texas. 

June 1 The Atlantic hurricane season begins 🌀

June 2 – 4 The Edison Electric Institute is hosting its 2026 conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

June 2 The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry is holding a hearing to examine oversight of the U.S. Forest Service. 

June 2 The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation subcommittee on Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries is holding a hearing to examine the blue economy, focusing on advancing American fisheries, maritime strength, and coastal economies.

June 3 – 4 The Second Annual Research Conference on Global Lead Exposure is being held in London. 

June 3 – 4 The 11th annual Washington Energy Summit is being held at the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C., featuring remarks from Republican Montana Sen. Steve Daines and Ohio Republican Rep. Bob Latta. 

June 3 The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is holding a hearing to examine the White House’s budget request for the Federal Highway Administration. 

June 3 The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries is holding a legislative hearing.

June 3 The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment is holding a hearing tackling the Clean Air Act. 

June 4 The House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Environment is holding a hearing focused on environmental protection.

RUNDOWN 

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