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WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon Daily on Energy readers, and Happy Lunar New Year! 🧨🐎🧧
The Potomac River wastewater spill is getting messy, as state officials and the federal government are pointing fingers as to who is responsible for the incident, and who should be responsible for cleaning it up. 💦🧽 President Donald Trump entered discussions on the issue over the long weekend. We have the latest on the unfolding drama below.
In today’s edition of Daily on Energy, we’re also taking a closer look at new polling which has found that most Americans are in support of building out data centers – that is, until you mention the president. 👍👎 Keep reading 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.
TRUMP CHIMES IN ON POTOMAC SEWAGE SPILL: President Donald Trump is playing the blame game over the massive sewage spill in the Potomac River, one of the largest wastewater spills in U.S. history, pointing fingers at the state of Maryland and Democratic leaders.
However, Maryland officials are pushing back, pointing out that the origin of the wastewater leak is out of the state’s jurisdiction and is managed by the federal government and Washington, D.C., authorities.
Quick reminder: On Jan. 19, a section of the Potomac Interceptor sewer line collapsed into the Potomac River just outside Cabin John, Maryland. The incident caused the release of hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage into the river, which runs around Washington and into the Chesapeake Bay.
The details: In a post to Truth Social yesterday, Trump said the ecological disaster was the result of “Gross Mismanagement of Local Democrat Leaders, particularly, Governor Wes Moore, of Maryland.”
He accused Maryland officials of failing to handle the situation and said he would be directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to step in and deploy assets to contain the spill.
Trump then appeared to backtrack earlier today, saying Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., authorities, whom he again said were “responsible” for the incident, must handle it immediately. If the states and the district are unable to contain the spill, Trump said, he would consider having the federal government interfere if asked "politely."
The pushback: While Trump has insisted that the federal government has zero involvement in the cleanup, Maryland officials claim the president bears some of the responsibility.
“The President has his facts wrong — again. Since the last century, the federal government has been responsible for the Potomac Interceptor, which is the origin of the sewage leak,” Ammar Moussa, spokesman for the Maryland governor, previously told the Washington Examiner. “Apparently the Trump administration hadn’t gotten the memo that they’re actually supposed to be in charge here.”
The state also alleged to Anna Kramer with NOTUS that the Environmental Protection Agency refused to participate in a major hearing on the spill last Friday.
The administration has rebutted Maryland’s claims, with a White House official telling the Washington Examiner that Maryland bears primary regulatory responsibility for the Potomac River waters within its borders.
Meanwhile, partial shutdown: FEMA, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security, has been affected by the partial government shutdown that began on Saturday.
FEMA officials have noted that the Disaster Relief Fund has sufficient funds to respond to major disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes. However, funding for disaster recovery for states may be delayed and a number of employees could be furloughed.
FEMA Associate Administrator Gregg Phillips told Congress last week that "A government shutdown would severely disrupt FEMA's ability to reimburse states for disaster relief costs and to support our recovery from disasters.”
Congress is currently in recess until Feb. 23.
DATA CENTERS COULD BE A MAJOR CAMPAIGN ISSUE, NEW POLLING SHOWS: New polling from Politico has found that the continued rapid development of data centers could have a significant impact on the midterm elections, as political leaders like Trump become more involved.
The details: The polling, released today, found that a plurality of potential voters (37%) are in support of new data centers being built in their area, with a significant majority (62%) being willing to support the facility even if it increased their energy bills by $5 a month.
Of course, that overall support slightly dwindles as the potential increase of their bills grows. The poll found that if a data center were to increase monthly bills by $50, only 33% would be in favor, while 49% would oppose.
Support for data centers also declines if the expansion of the facilities is backed by the president, the survey found. To calculate the effect of political leaders on support, the survey first asked respondents if they supported or opposed a plan to build more data centers in general. For this question, around 50% said they would be in support. They were then asked if they would support an effort from Trump to build more data centers for artificial intelligence developments. In this case, only 35% said they were in support. The biggest drops were seen among Democratic and undecided voters.
Key quote: “It would seem that the Trump brand is particularly toxic for those groups, consistent with overall polling trends in past months,” University of Michigan professor emeritus of public policy Barry Rabe told Politico.
LATEST ON CUBA: The U.S. is currently in talks with the Cuban government as it faces an energy crisis due to the Trump administration’s oil embargo.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One yesterday that, “We’re talking to Cuba right now, and Marco Rubio is talking to Cuba right now.”
Cuba should “absolutely make a deal because it’s a humanitarian threat,” Trump said. “In the meantime, there’s an embargo, there’s no oil, there’s no money, there’s no anything.”
After the U.S. captured Venezuela‘s former dictator Nicolas Maduro, the Trump administration stopped sending Venezuelan oil to Cuba. Trump has threatened to place tariffs on any country that sends oil to Cuba.
The Mexican government, which became Cuba’s primary supplier of oil, faced a major dilemma about whether to send oil to Cuba. The Mexican government has decided to halt oil shipments to Cuba.
Now, Cuba faces a dire fuel shortage, resulting in blackouts. It is also struggling with providing food and transportation.
Reuters reported yesterday that trash has begun to pile up in the capital of Havana. It was reported that only 44 of Havana’s 106 trash trucks have been able to operate due to the fuel shortages.
CONSERVATION GROUPS SUE DOI OVER CENSORING HISTORY AND SCIENCE AT NATIONAL PARKS: Conservation and historical groups sued the Department of the Interior, arguing that the agency has censored history and science at national parks.
The lawsuit was filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Several groups joined the lawsuit, including the Association of National Park Rangers, the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, the American Association for State and Local History, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and the Society for Experiential Graphic Design.
Trump last year signed an executive order calling on the DOI to ensure that public monuments, memorials, statues, or similar properties “do not contain descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times)...”
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum also ordered the National Park Service staff to review materials at national parks, ensuring that information focuses on the “beauty, abundance, and grandeur of the American landscape.”
As a result of the orders, the groups said, NPS has flagged materials on topics such as slavery, discrimination, the Civil Rights Movement, harm to Indigenous people, climate change, pollution, and more.
FRENCH UTILITY WARNS OF RENEWABLES’ STRAIN ON NUCLEAR: France is blaming clean sources of power, such as wind and solar, for increasing the costs associated with maintaining nuclear reactors.
The details: French utility EDF made the claim and warning in a 60-page report published yesterday, which was viewed by Bloomberg. The report echoed concerns that Europe risks entering an electricity glut as subsidized renewable energy resources flood the grid. As demand remains the same, EDF revealed, growing generation from solar and wind has forced nuclear reactors to reduce output to stabilize the grid in times of excess supply.
This process, known as nuclear modulation, roughly doubled between 2019 and 2025 largely due to new solar. As a result, it has made it more difficult for EDF to finance plans for new reactors and has made existing maintenance more expensive.
Some background: The report comes just days after France softened its renewable energy targets, lowering the country’s goal of having 133-163 gigawatts of installed capacity of wind and solar by 2035 to just 105-135 gigawatts. The country also softened its 2035 target to have an installed capacity of offshore wind from 18 gigawatts to 15 gigawatts.
ICYMI – NUCLEAR REACTOR TAKES FLIGHT: In a historic first, the Departments of Energy and War transported a miniature nuclear reactor by aircraft over the weekend.
The details: The agencies worked together on Sunday with nuclear firm Valar Atomics to airlift parts of a next-generation nuclear microreactor on a C-17 aircraft from March Air Reserve Base in California to Hill Air Force Base in Utah.
The reactor, Valar Atomics’ Ward 250, is a 5-megawatt reactor that is estimated to have a capacity to power around 5,000 homes. Energy Secretary Chris Wright later told Fox News that, following the flight, the reactor will be reassembled and running within 10-12 weeks. The Pentagon has said the reactor will be tested and evaluated at the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab in Orangeville, Utah.
Why it matters: The flight served two purposes for the Trump administration, which has vowed to bolster the nuclear energy industry. First, it supports the Energy Department’s goal to have at least three advanced nuclear reactors reach “criticality” – meaning all systems are stable and the reactor can produce power – by July 4.
Second, it acted as a show of force for the U.S. military and its efforts to get the U.S. closer to being able to deploy nuclear power in areas of conflict, “where it is most needed to give our nation’s war fighters the tools to win,” said Michael Duffey, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, according to the Wall Street Journal.
A LOOK AHEAD:
Feb. 16 was Presidents’ Day.
Feb. 17 is Lunar New Year.
Feb. 18 – 19 the International Energy Agency’s 2026 Ministerial Meeting is taking place in Paris, France.
Feb. 18 – 19 Energy Dialogues is hosting its Carbon Solutions Forum in San Diego, California.
Feb. 18 – 20 The Intersolar and Energy Storage North America 2026 Flagship Conference will take place in San Diego, California.
Feb. 18 the International Energy Agency’s third annual Energy Innovation Forum will be taking place alongside the Ministerial.
Feb. 18 Broadband Breakfast is holding a webinar on AI, nuclear power, and data centers.
Feb. 18 The Center for Global Development is holding a virtual panel titled “Every Worker Counts: Why Climate Targets Can’t Be Met Without Skilled Workers.”
Feb. 19 The Outrider Foundation is holding a webinar titled “Decision Time: AI and our Nuclear Arsenal.”
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