Category: Energy Department

The Government Is Shut Down. But Not for Fossil Fuels.

Federal workers who issue permits for oil, gas and mining operations are on the job, along with those working to repeal pollution limits.
Trump’s A.I. Challenge: Focus on Weapon Concerns or Woke-ism?

In the Biden era, the government feared AI models would guide the spread of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. President Trump signed an order on “Preventing Woke A.I. in the Federal Government.”
Energy Dept. Cancels Loan Commitment for Grain Belt Express

The project, known as Grain Belt Express, had drawn fierce opposition from some landowners and Republican lawmakers.
With One Call, Trump Alters the Fate of a Contested Power Project

Grain Belt Express, a transmission line that would cross 800 miles of the Midwest, is at the center of a number of disputes.
Energy Department to Gut Funding for Solar and Wind Projects

Stripping hundreds of millions of dollars from renewable energy and efficiency initiatives is part of a broader move to undo efforts to wean the United States off fossil fuels.
Trump’s Trade and Tax Policies Start to Stall U.S. Battery Boom

Battery companies are slowing construction or reconsidering big investments in the United States because of tariffs on China and the proposed rollback of tax credits.
After His Trump Blowup, Musk May Be Out. But DOGE Is Just Getting Started.

With members embedded in multiple agencies, the team’s approach to transforming government is becoming “institutionalized,” as one official put it.
Trump’s Tariffs and Tax Bill May Derail U.S. Battery Industry

Domestic factories that make batteries to store power to meet America’s rising energy demand depend on Chinese components and federal subsidies.
A Toxic Pit Could Be a Gold Mine for Rare-Earth Elements

Mining continues at the Continental Pit. Nearby is the Berkeley Pit, a site for acid mine drainage that poses an opportunity for extracting valuable metals.
Trump Wants to Reverse Coal’s Long Decline. It Won’t be Easy.

Coal has been displaced by cheap and plentiful natural gas and the rapid growth of wind and solar energy — forces that President Trump will struggle to do away with.
Clean Energy Was Lifting Manufacturing. Now Investment Is in Jeopardy.

With the Trump administration reversing support for low-carbon power, the business case for making wind, solar and electric vehicle parts gets weaker.
Layoffs Begin at Energy Department, Part of Trump Purge

Mass firings have rocked multiple agencies as President Trump and Elon Musk accelerate plans to drastically slash and reshape the federal work force.