“Energy security,” the principle that when you flip a light switch the lights will turn on, is something that most Americans take for granted. But the mechanics behind it incorporate both century-old transmission towers and...more
President Donald Trump on May 2, 2025, released his fiscal year (FY) 2026 discretionary budget request outlining his administration's high-level spending priorities for the coming year. Known informally as the "skinny...more
In April, we marked the Trump administration’s first 100 days and, with it, a continued sweeping recalibration of federal energy and environmental policy with aggressive efforts to curtail government spending, restructure key...more
President Donald Trump signed an executive order (EO), "Reinvigorating America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry and Amending Executive Order 1424," on April 8, 2025, that places coal at the center of the administration's...more
On April 8, 2025, the President of the United States signed a suite of executive orders designed to extend the aims of the January 31, 2025 Executive Order (“EO”) Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation. The implementation...more
On April 8, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) directing the Department of Energy (DOE) to take steps to expand the use of its emergency authority under Federal Power Act (FPA) Section 202(c) to require the...more
On 4 March, President Donald J. Trump touted his America First energy dominance agenda in an address to a joint session of Congress. He promised “swift and unrelenting action” and noted that within his first 43 days in...more
The Trump Administration is beginning to roll out its policy plans to “dominate” the global energy space. These plans tackle energy transition issues in a dramatically different manner than did the Biden Administration,...more
A number of the new administration’s executive actions are intended to implement a significant shift in energy and environmental policy, including the following, all issued on January 20, 2025. “Unleashing American Energy”...more
The executive order aims to expedite energy projects, boost domestic production, and strengthen U.S. energy independence through streamlined regulatory reforms. On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued the “Declaring a...more
Date Issued: Jan. 20, 2025 This executive order puts forth a federal energy policy agenda that seeks to establish American energy dominance through a combination of new policy actions, as well as rescinding several...more
On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued several Executive Orders and memoranda (the “EOs”) signaling a significant policy shift favoring robust and market-based energy production (mostly relying on fossil fuels), while...more
The first day of any presidential administration is filled with both ceremony and bureaucracy. The first day of the second Trump Administration was no different....more
Yesterday, at his Senate confirmation hearing, Chris Wright, nominee for U.S. U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary, advocated for a forward-thinking “all-of-the-above” energy strategy, integrating fossil fuels with...more
Good morning! This is Akin’s newsletter on climate change policy and regulatory developments, providing information on major climate policy headlines from the past week and forthcoming climate-related events and hearings...more
After two years of continuous behind-the-scenes work, Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va), who chairs the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, joined by Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), released S. 4753, the Energy...more
Good afternoon! This is Akin’s newsletter on climate change policy and regulatory developments, providing information on major climate policy headlines from the past week and forthcoming climate-related events and hearings...more
The energy demands of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are growing significantly, with the Department of Energy (DOE) forecasting a tenfold increase in data center energy demand due to the rise of AI applications and...more
The US Department of Energy (DOE) recently finalized a rule to significantly reduce on-site fossil fuel–generated energy consumption in federal buildings with a required reduction of 90% for new construction or major...more
The U.S. Department of Energy recently released the first federal blueprint to decarbonize the building sector, which accounts for over a third of the nation’s planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. This plan, developed by...more
Good afternoon! This is Akin’s newsletter on climate change policy and regulatory developments, providing information on major climate policy headlines from the past few weeks and forthcoming climate-related events and...more
What is the Hydrogen Hubbub? Hydrogen is seen by many as the fuel of the future, a substance that can provide heat through combustion, or electrical power from fuel cells, emitting only water in the process. Its potential...more
[This is the second post in our Hydrogen Blog Series. Read the first post...] In the first post, I alluded to the technical issues hydrogen developers are considering. Here we’ll look at how hydrogen is produced and what...more
“Electrification” has become a ubiquitous term these days, although depending on who you ask, it might have different meanings. However defined, a critical component of electrification as a policy choice to reduce reliance on...more