E&E News

Our Biden's Billions series won an honorable mention from Syracuse's Newhouse School for national political reporting. Lot of hours and late nights from Jessie Blaeser Kelsey Tamborrino Zack Colman Bob K. Sean McMinn Lily Mihalik Bhandari David Ferris Timothy Cama and Christine Mui, tracking down the billions in federal spending meant to reshape the economy, create jobs and green the planet. Story's not over either, as spending fights are one of the defining stories of the early Trump administration. https://lnkd.in/eDYm9HWv

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E&E News and POLITICO Pro covering CERAWeek ?? Are you there? Let us know! https://lnkd.in/dddn3e-2

Navigating a Career Change Takes Courage—we’re here to help. POLITICO is offering free, 3-month access to former subscribing government professionals so you can still get industry-leading reporting on energy, climate, and environmental policy to help you navigate what’s next. ?? See if you qualify for POLITICO’s Loyalty Bridge Access today: https://ow.ly/WIQr50VcUVh

??A New Way to Stay Informed: POLITICO’s Loyalty Bridge Access?? The energy and environment policy landscape is ever-changing, and staying informed is key to making an impact—no matter where your career takes you. POLITICO is offering free, 3-month access to our professional policy intelligence tools to former subscribing government employees. If you or someone in your network is maneuvering a career transition from a government role, POLITICO is here to help: ? E&E News – Industry-leading reporting on energy, climate, and environmental policy ? POLITICO Pro – Real-time policy tracking, expert analysis, and breaking news across 22+ policy areas ? AgencyIQ – Actionable regulatory intelligence for professionals navigating the U.S. and European landscape ?? See if you qualify for POLITICO’s Loyalty Bridge Access today: https://ow.ly/XOuY50V6Z8C

**Every Friday our Executive Editor Cyril Zaneski curates a must-read list for our subscribers. Take a ?? !** President Donald Trump has unleashed a tsunami of change across the government that led Thursday to the firing of thousands of federal workers. Our veteran reporters, who have been covering environment and energy agencies through several administrations, are on the case. In a volatile time, their stories are essential reading. Here’s a sampling of their recent work. —?Cyril T. Zaneski, E&E News executive editor GREENWIRE -- Toll of Trump’s environmental justice blitz begins to take shape https://lnkd.in/dYTbJU3K ?? E&E DAILY -- ?House Agriculture chair questions Trump workforce cuts https://lnkd.in/dZAsjzHG ?? CLIMATEWIRE --?Trump set a deadline on the endangerment finding. Here’s what might happen. https://lnkd.in/dBEkhAdf ?? GREENWIRE --?Musk: ‘We do need to delete entire agencies’ https://lnkd.in/dsiggXtB ?? GREENWIRE --?‘This feels like a coup’: Feds brace for layoffs https://lnkd.in/dJ-FvBPU GREENWIRE --?NOAA ‘gag order’ restricts international fisheries engagement https://lnkd.in/dyRaUe5M E&E NEWS PM --?EPA sets staggered office return plan, rescinds telework https://lnkd.in/dpAkc8wu CLIMATEWIRE?-- FEMA chief contradicts Trump’s claims that disaster aid went to migrants https://lnkd.in/dciBXK7y GREENWIRE?-- Trump taps EPA enforcement leader https://lnkd.in/d2zSEGhN

E&E News reporter Andres P. gives CBS News an update about some GOP efforts to negotiate state #cleanair and #electricvehicle policy into #wildfire funding https://lnkd.in/d97qAgi6

Hello from Los Angeles, where I will be reporting for E&E News and POLITICO this week on a topic that deserves more attention: heavy-duty electric trucks. The structures you see behind me, next to the rising sun, are gantry cranes at the Port of Los Angeles. Every day, thousands of drayage trucks travel in and out of the port, and almost all of them run on diesel. The fumes lead to high asthma and cancer rates along the freeways where millions of people -- most of them low-income -- live. Thus a the focus on electrifying these trucks. The Biden administration put scads of money toward doing so, to improve health in disadvantaged communities and temper climate change. That funding could be clawed back by the Trump administration. Donald Trump has singled out electric heavy-duty trucks for disdain. He thinks charging them is too hard, and that they're too heavy for America's bridges. I'll be talking to politicians, port administrators, and members of the community to get their perspective on the truck transition. I'll also be touring the Port by boat and doing ride-alongs in the trucks. I also may make it to the wildfire-struck areas of Pacific Palisades and Pasadena. So stick around my feed for the next week, and do send along any questions or observations you have.

The EV transition is challenged in Georgia, where Hyundai's huge auto plant -- the largest economic-development project in state history -- is running into problems with water. Locals are crying foul because when Hyundai and its economic boosters couldn't get water nearby, they hatched a plan to reach four miles and dig their wells in another county. Hyundai expects to use 4 million gallons of water a day. That could cause the water table to drop by as much as 19 feet, endangering the livelihoods of farmers. It's a fascinating clash between EV high-mindedness and corporate underhandedness, involving legal challenges and unseated politicians. Read the story. This electric-vehicle plant is staunchly supported by Republicans (what?) and opposed by environmentalists (huh?) and injects an uncertain strain into the politics of a swing state right before the election.

Why is the feds' $5 billion effort to build EV charging stations going so slowly? I attended a conference recently for the people who oversee the building of those stations: state transportation and energy officials. They shared some of the reasons that, more than two years in, only a handful of stations have been built: - State DOTs lay pavement and build bridges -- they haven't had experience with the incredibly complex world of the electric grid. Yet they're the ones the feds put in charge. So there's been a steep learning curve. - There's an extraordinary number of players. DOTs usually manage their own staff and a few contractors. With charging stations -- which are built on private land -- there's landowners, and the businesses that host the chargers, and charging equipment providers, and others. - Electric utilities -- the ones that provide the electricity -- move VERY SLOWLY, and aren't equipped for the fluidity of the young EV charging market. - Everything is in short supply. Electric transformers, which are needed to boost the juice to these power-hungry stations, can take years to acquire. Thanks to Alexa Voytek, Erin Ervin Belt, Gabe Klein, Alex Schroeder, Lyle McMillan, Chris Berg, Francesca Wahl, Jimmy O'Dea, and Jake Brown for sharing their perspectives. These officials think that despite the hurdles, a flurry of charging-station ribbon-cuttings is imminent. Read the whole story here: