NetZero Insider Weekly Intelligence Report: Policy & Impacts

Your latest NetZero Insider Policy & Impacts Intelligence Report is here.

David Krause has a story on the California Energy Commission approving guidelines for its Demand Side Grid Support program with revisions based on feedback from the California Public Utilities Commission.

Our John Cropley has two more stories from the 2025 New York Energy Summit:

Power generation and transmission development has long been slower and more expensive in New York than in most other states; a theme at the conference was efforts to change that, including the state RAPID Act, which is nearing its one-year anniversary.

New York also outstrips most other states with its policy support for offshore wind energy development, which is an uncertain proposition at best during President Trump’s second term. Offshore wind discussion at the summit centered in part on the obstacles created by his administration and on how to move forward despite them. (This was one week before federal officials slapped a stop-work order on a fully permitted offshore wind farm planned off the New York coast.)

Readers will recall that Cropley’s earlier report from the summit centered on New York continuing to pursue its energy goals despite the uncertainty created by Trump.

In a similar vein, Politico’s Climatewire has a story on blue states whose policies are targeted by a Trump executive order also shrugging off the threat.

Looking at other media outlets’ news reports, no one will be surprised to see that Trump had an outsized presence in their policy coverage, as well:

An essay in The New York Times argues that the president is ceding America’s competitive advantage as the world gets warmer.

A Wall Street Journal piece predicts that Trump will slow but not derail the clean energy transition.

Politico goes a step further, arguing Trump is just a speed bump and explaining presidents have history of failing to remake the energy industry in the way they planned.

Climatewire cites data showing $8 billion in clean-energy investments canceled in the first quarter of 2025, more than triple the amount canceled over the preceding 10 quarters.

Finally, The New York Times looks at a probably unintended benefit of Trump’s tariffs — they could reduce shipment of fast-fashion items from China to the U.S. via cargo jet, which is 68 times more carbon-intensive than ocean shipment.

All this and more is gathered in this week’s Intelligence Report.

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Equity & Economics
Finance & Investing
Policy & Politics

Equity & Economics

Economic Development

Minnesota

Federal uncertainty and implementation issues cloud outlook for Minnesota's clean energy economy

Minnesota's electric grid is cleaner than ever, and the state is well positioned to take advantage of emerging energy industries, Clean Energy Economy Minnesota said. Minnesota Reformer

Workforce Development

U.S.

US offshore wind instability makes it 'difficult to sustain' skilled workers: trade unions

An inconsistent pipeline of offshore wind projects in the US, and instability in the industry, is making it "difficult to sustain" skilled workers, according to North America's Building Trades Unions. Windpower Monthly

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Finance & Investing

Idaho

Federal government terminates University of Idaho climate grant for farmers

A University of Idaho grant to help Idaho farmers develop climate-smart practices has been terminated. The $59 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program was the largest in the university's history. Idaho Capital Sun

U.S.

Judge blocks Trump EPA from clawing back $14 billion in climate grants

The judge's decision is the latest twist in a high-stakes battle over Joe Biden's signature climate law. The Washington Post

U.S.

NIH Cuts Likely to Curtail Study of Climate Change's Health Effects

The NIH has indicated that it will stop funding research on the health effects of climate change. Scientists said the decision will curtail the search for answers. The New York Times

U.S.

Release of EPA Climate Grants Is Paused by New Court Ruling

After a federal judge ordered the release of up to $650 million in frozen grants, an appeals court temporarily halted the payouts. The New York Times

U.S.

Report: $8B in clean energy investments canceled in first quarter

The pullback is more than three times the total investments canceled over the previous 30 months. Climatewire

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Policy & Politics

Carbon Pricing

International

New Pact Would Require Ships to Cut Emissions or Pay a Fee

A draft global agreement sets a fee for cargo ships, which carry the vast majority of world trade, to pay for their greenhouse gas emissions. The New York Times

Policy & Politics

U.S.

Corporates still readying for net zero despite the US policy shift, say analysts

Under the radar corporate activity is continuing to drive the net zero agenda despite the US pullback from international and domestic climate initiatives this year under President Donald Trump, analysts said Carbon Pulse

U.S.

Gold bars and an FBI probe: Inside Trump's effort to pry back $20B from Biden's climate spending

The Biden EPA handed out billions of dollars to bring clean energy technologies to lower-income communities. The Trump administration is trying to take it back. Climatewire

U.S.

How Trump Might Unwittingly Cut Emissions From Online Shopping

Fast fashion retailers rely heavily on shipping by air. The president's tariffs could change that. The New York Times

U.S.

How Trump's Policies Will Slow -- but Not Kill -- a Transition to Cleaner Energy

The administration has pledged to cut support for renewable-energy initiatives. Here's how it could shake out. The Wall Street Journal

U.S.

OPINION: Poof! There Goes America's Competitive Advantage in a Warming World

The Trump administration's governance -- and the president's unhinged trade war on the entire world -- has hurt America's ability to meet all of these goals, writes Heatmap editor Robinson Meyer. The New York Times

U.S.

Squeezed by Trump, blue states try squeezing utilities

Democrats are pushing to limit utility profits as they seek to address voter affordability concerns and fend off criticism over the costs of clean energy policies. Energywire

U.S.

States shrug at Trump's order targeting their climate laws

"It seems to me like we should do nothing," one legislator said after a legal briefing on the order. Climatewire

U.S.

Thousands of workers leaving DOE ahead of deeper cuts

The staff exodus will significantly shape the future of the department -- which currently has about 16,000 workers -- and its ability to conduct research, boost new technologies and dole out large sums of money for various types of energy. Greenwire

U.S.

To Fight Federal Job Cuts, Energy Experts and States Try a New Argument

In letters to multiple agencies, the focus is on how job reductions at EPA, Interior and other agencies would hurt President Trump's "energy dominance" agenda. The New York Times

U.S.

Trump orders agencies to speed up NEPA reviews with technology

A new memorandum lays out changes the president says will boost the efficiency of environmental permit evaluations. Energywire

U.S.

Trump's New Way to Kill Regulations: Because I Say So

The president is trying new shortcuts to eliminate energy and environmental rules, but legal experts say the efforts could face high hurdles. The New York Times

U.S.

What Trump's tariffs mean for the energy transition

Wind, solar, EVs, data centers, and even fossil fuels are likely to struggle if the new levies hold. Canary Media

U.S.

Why Trump is only a speed bump on road to renewables

Presidents often come into office promising to remake the energy industry. But the world has a way of complicating their plans. Politico

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