WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Monday, readers! We hope you all had a restful weekend and a happy Easter Sunday.
We are kicking off Daily on Energy with coverage from Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin’s first press conference in Washington, D.C., where he addressed a range of topics, including the legal battle over the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.
Meanwhile, as many mourn the death of Pope Francis, we take a look at how he advocated for measures to limit climate change.
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.
ZELDIN SPEAKS TO PRESS IN D.C.: Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin held his first press conference with journalists in Washington, D.C., this morning, touching on the legal battle over the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, the agency’s deregulatory agenda, research priorities, and future rulemaking.
Tax exempt status: Zeldin was pressed whether he would support withdrawing the tax-exempt status of climate groups, as the administration has reportedly been considering.
The administrator started out his response by saying, “No,” particularly if these organizations “follow the rules.”
He noted, though, there are individual cases where one nonprofit may register with a particular status and then not follow the rules for that status.
“I’m not saying that across the board, that if you – you get some status as a climate advocacy group, that you’re immune from scrutiny, and that you’re entitled to do whatever you want [and] say whatever you want outside the bounds of the law, outside the bounds of what dictates that particular status,” Zeldin said. “So it’s – it’s a lesson for any group that’s out there, regardless of whether you’re a climate related group or not, it’s important to follow those, those particular rules for your status.”
Reviewing a key climate rule: Zeldin was also asked about the EPA’s process to reconsider the 2009 endangerment finding which found that six greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide and methane) generated by human activity found in the atmosphere threaten the public health and welfare. This has since allowed EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and is on the chopping block to be rolled back by the Trump administration.
Zeldin said this morning that there will be a rulemaking process regarding the endangerment finding and other new rules, which will include a public comment period.
“We encourage people who are concerned about these issues and have opinions – one way or the other – and have technical experience, they want to provide their insight. I would encourage them to participate and to provide their public comment,” he said.
There is no set timeline for this process, Zeldin said, but the agency is dedicated to following the Administrative Procedures Act for each new rule.
Tension with reporters: In the final 10 minutes of the conference, Zeldin took aim at the reporters in the room over coverage of the agency’s legal battle to stop the release of $20 billion in grants for nonprofit climate organizations. He specifically took issue with public questions over whether the EPA had produced sufficient evidence to support the sudden termination of the funds.
You can read more from Callie about that exchange with the media here.
POPE FRANCIS, A VOICE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVISM: Pope Francis, 88, died Easter Monday, leaving a legacy of progressive views, including on the matter of climate change.
The details: Francis expressed support for environmentalist and climate activist movements early on during his tenure as the head of the Catholic Church, penning the first papal encyclical focused on the environment in 2015.
In “Laudato Si,” the pope called for the Church to put the environment at the center of its social teachings, saying the earth was starting to look like “an immense pile of filth.” While criticized by conservatives and climate skeptics, Francis insisted that the church held a moral obligation to support efforts aimed at combating climate change.
The pope echoed this call to protect the earth in an apostolic exhortation released in 2023 in which he said climate change would continue to affect millions across the world.
“This is a global social issue and one intimately related to the dignity of human life,” Francis wrote at the time, describing it as a global climate crisis.
As recently as last year, Francis spoke publicly about the dangers of climate change and said the planet had reached a point “of no return.”
“It’s sad, but that’s what it is. Global warming is a serious problem,” Francis told CBS News. “Climate change at this moment is a road to death.”
In 2023, Francis was set to make history as the first pope to attend and address the United Nations Climate Change Conference, hosted that year in Dubai. However, he was unable to attend the conference after falling sick with the flu. His speech was still delivered by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. In May 2024, Francis also organized a three-day summit at the Vatican focused on climate resilience.
TOTALENERGIES AND CHEVRON BEGIN OIL PRODUCTION IN THE GULF REGION: TotalEnergies and Chevron announced they have begun oil production at their Ballymore field in the Gulf of America, or Gulf of Mexico, as it has been known.
The oil field is located off the Louisiana coast. The site will produce 75,000 barrels of oil per day. The companies will access oil through existing facilities on the site. Chevron owns 60% of the site, while TotalEnergies owns the remaining 40%.
“The United States is a major market for the deployment of our integrated energy model, which combines low breakeven and low emissions oil and gas projects with LNG and integrated power developments,” Nicolas Terraz, President, Exploration & Production at TotalEnergies, said in a press release.
Oil production has been expected to increase in the Gulf region. In September, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said it expected new fields in the region starting production in 2025 to contribute about 231,000 barrels per day in the same year.
EUROPE WEIGHS SOFTENING METHANE RULES TO HELP U.S. TRADE TALKS: The European Union is reportedly considering softening its methane emissions rules in an effort to make it easier to import liquefied natural gas from the United States.
The details: Three sources familiar with the matter confirmed to Reuters that the bloc is looking to offer weaker methane rules as part of its trade negotiations with Washington to avoid the president’s looming tariffs. It remains unclear how exactly the EU would modify its methane emissions rules, but sources said the bloc aims to avoid changing its rules completely.
Instead, it might introduce new technical rules that could permit increased LNG imports from the U.S. if exports are following “equivalent” methane rules to those imposed in Europe. The EU currently requires oil and gas importers to monitor and report their methane emissions associated with that trade. Starting in 2027, the EU will require compliance with methane rules equivalent to those in Europe when signing new contracts with foreign exporters.
The Trump question: It could become a bit tricky for U.S. LNG exporters to remain in compliance with EU law as the Trump administration has moved to end domestic requirements for methane emissions reporting. Some exporters have also warned that even if they do report emissions, it can be difficult to provide accurate numbers, as one imported shipment of LNG can often be made up of fuel from various different production hubs within the U.S.
As Europe has heavily been weighing increased LNG imports from the U.S. to lessen its reliance on Russia, and it has been looking for ways to avoid Trump’s impending tariffs, softening its methane rules may be the easiest solution.
Quick reminder: Natural gas is considered to be a much cleaner fuel source than coal, as it is primarily composed of methane. However, methane emissions have a great impact on warming in the atmosphere, as methane is considered to be 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Methane emissions do have a shorter lifespan than other greenhouse gases, though environmental and climate activists have long expressed concerns over its ability to leak and release into the atmosphere at any stage of the production, export, and operation processes.
GLOBAL NUCLEAR POWER SET TO SOAR: Global capacity for nuclear energy is projected to increase by nearly 100 gigawatts over the next 10 years, with advanced nuclear projects like small modular reactors leading the charge.
The details: Data and analytics firm GlobalData released its latest Nuclear Power market report, in which it estimated nuclear capacity on a worldwide scale will grow from roughly 293 gigawatts in 2024 to 494 gigawatts by 2035. This boost in nuclear power will be primarily driven by projects like SMRs that can help fill low-carbon power, energy security, and decarbonization needs. While there are only three operational SMRs across the world, more than 100 are in development, GlobalData estimates, including at least six that are under active construction.
Currently, the U.S. remains the largest producer of nuclear power, with 97 gigawatts of installed capacity. France closely follows with 61.4 gigawatts of nuclear power, making up more than 60% of its electricity generation, while China has roughly 56 gigawatts of nuclear capacity.
Key quote: “With growing concerns over climate change and energy security, nuclear power has re-emerged as a crucial pillar in the global energy transition,” GlobalData power analyst Mohammed Ziauddin said in a statement. “Governments across the world are implementing ambitious net-zero targets and investing in clean, dispatchable energy sources to decarbonize their economies. Nuclear energy, with its ability to provide reliable baseload power and reduce dependency on fossil fuels, is playing a vital role in this transition.”
CATL UNVEILS FAST CHARGING ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERY: China’s largest electric vehicle battery supplier announced that it has created a faster-charging and cheaper battery.
The Financial Times reports that CATL unveiled an updated version of its Shenxing battery cell that has a charging time of five minutes, with a range of up to 520km, or 323 miles. The announcement was made by CATL ahead of China’s annual auto show.
“We look forward to collaborating with more industry leaders to push the limits of supercharging through true innovation,” said CATL’s chief technology officer Gao Huan. He added that he wanted the new batteries to become “the standard for electric vehicles,” the FT reported.
Huan told reporters that the battery would be installed in 67 EV models this year.
The announcement places Chinese electric vehicle companies further ahead of their American and European peers. BYD last month announced a new charging system that could charge cars within five minutes, similar to the time it takes to fill a gas tank. Tesla, in comparison, can only charge up to 200 miles within 15 minutes.
CATL has also unveiled a new brand sodium-ion battery called Naxtra. The company would begin mass production of the battery in December. Sodium is cheaper than lithium and it is more abundant and available.
A LOOK AHEAD:
April 21 – 26 The World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund will hold its 2025 Spring Meeting.
April 21 The U.S. Chamber of Commerce will hold a forum with COP30 President-Designate Ambassador Correa do Lago to discuss Brazil’s plans to host the UNFCCC this year.
April 21 – 25 The environmental Earthx2025 conference will be held in Dallas, Texas.
April 22 Earth Day
April 22 The Climate Center is holding its California Climate Policy Summit in Sacramento.
April 22 Center for Strategic & International Studies will host a webinar on The Post-Post-Paris World: Evaluating Options for Global Climate
April 22 The American Council on Renewable Energy is holding a webinar titled “Reducing Energy Costs and Risks with Advanced Transmission Technologies.”
April 23 The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in Diamond Alternative Energy v. EPA.
April 23 – 24 Wood Mackenzie is holding its Solar & Energy Storage Summit in Denver, Colorado.
April 23 – 25 Semafor is holding its World Economy Summit in Washington D.C.
April 23 – 26 The Society of Environmental Journalists hosts its annual conference at Arizona State University.
April 24 The Washington Legal Foundation is hosting a webinar on the current state of play with climate litigation.
April 24 Climate coalition America is All In is holding a virtual briefing with its co-chairs former White House National Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb on state and city climate progress.
April 27 National Park week ends.
RUNDOWN
New York Times 10,000 Acres of Farmland. Should It All Be a Superfund Site?
Reuters Climate non-profits anticipate fight with Trump over tax status
Associated Press In Wyoming, the Eastern Shoshone tribe decided to classify buffalo as wildlife. Here is why
