December 24, 2025

Under New Ownership December 24, 2025 admin US Energy Politics Are Flipping as Democrats Embrace ‘All-of-the-Above’ The governor was furious. Federal funding had just been pulled from an energy project that could have become a multibillion-dollar hub supplying fuel for ships, trucks and buses in one of America’s most industrialized states. “No matter what DC tries to dictate,” he snapped in response to the withdrawal of government support, “we’re going to keep pursuing an all-of-the-above strategy.” Calls for inclusive energy policies like this one were common during President Joe Biden’s term, when Republicans and oil-industry allies routinely accused Democrats of restricting fossil fuels while subsidizing low-carbon technologies. But the governor venting his anger earlier this year was California’s Gavin Newsom — a leading Democratic contender for the next presidential election and one of President Donald Trump’s most outspoken critics. Echoing arguments long used by Republicans, Newsom condemned Trump’s decision to withdraw funding from a West Coast clean-hydrogen hub as ideological and contrary to what he called “common sense.” The episode underscores how US energy politics have shifted sharply in 2025. This week alone, the Trump administration suspended permits for all five offshore wind projects currently under construction along the East Coast. At the same time, Newsom — long regarded as a staunch clean-energy advocate — has spent recent months promoting higher oil production, easing fossil-fuel regulations and scrapping plans to cap refinery profits. With electricity prices increasingly replacing gasoline prices as the dominant political flashpoint, several prominent Democrats are now moving quickly toward “all-of-the-above” energy policies just as Trump and his allies abandon that approach in favor of curbing renewable development. Virginia Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger campaigned on an all-of-the-above platform in a state positioning itself as a hub for energy-hungry data centers. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has branded himself an “all-of-the-above energy governor” while leading a politically pivotal swing state. New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s recent backing of natural gas, framed as part of a push for “reliable and clean” power, represents another textbook example of the strategy. “There’s clearly political motivation behind this,” said Ben Cahill, director of energy markets and policy at the University of Texas at Austin. “Democrats recognize that affordability is going to be a major issue heading into the next election cycle.” The scramble toward the political center on energy has been enabled by Trump’s aggressive efforts to halt wind and solar projects at a time when US electricity demand is projected to surge 35% by 2040, driven largely by the explosive growth of artificial intelligence data centers. Nationwide, electricity prices rose 5.1% in the 12 months through September 2025 and are expected to climb further as utilities upgrade grids to withstand more frequent extreme weather linked to climate change. Trump’s campaign against renewable energy marks a sharp departure from more than two decades of Republican policy. Since the George W. Bush era, Republicans typically paired support for oil and gas with backing for wind and solar growth. That emphasis on energy abundance — rather than elimination — aligned with free-market principles and offered rhetorical cover for fossil-fuel interests in a world increasingly focused on climate change. Trump has instead recast the party’s stance as one of selective preference, backing certain energy sources while actively opposing others. In January, he declared a national energy emergency to invoke sweeping, Cold War-era authorities to accelerate pipeline construction, expand the power grid and rescue struggling coal-fired plants, while continuing to urge oil producers to “drill, drill, drill.” Those efforts are now increasingly intertwined with measures that directly hinder clean-energy development. And for the first time in years, it is the renewable-energy industry that finds itself on the defensive. Recommended Article Under New Ownership New front in the war on wind Blown away What the end of the F-150 means walking away from coal The Rising Global Energy Demand

New front in the war on wind December 24, 2025 admin US Suspends Permits for Five East Coast Offshore Wind Projects on Security Concerns The US government has suspended permits for five offshore wind projects under construction along the East Coast, citing national security concerns and raising fresh doubts over a sector that has faced repeated opposition from the Trump administration. The Interior Department announced the move Monday, saying the large-scale turbines could interfere with radar systems. The suspension of operational permits will allow federal agencies to work with developers and state authorities to mitigate potential security risks, the department said in a statement. Shares of offshore wind companies fell following the announcement. Denmark’s Orsted A/S, a co-developer of the Revolution Wind project, slid as much as 15.8% in Copenhagen trading. Turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems A/S and Dominion Energy Inc., which is developing the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, each declined as much as 5.8%. President Donald Trump has long opposed offshore wind and moved to restrict the industry just hours after taking office this year. Those actions have triggered multiple legal challenges, and a federal judge ruled earlier this month that the administration’s blanket ban on offshore wind projects was unlawful. Citing national security risks may offer a more legally defensible path to blocking turbine development in US waters. “These towers are massive,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in an interview with Fox Business. “You can understand how structures of this size could create problems for radar systems.” National security concerns surrounding offshore wind projects predate the current administration. Under former President Joe Biden, the Defense Department pushed for modifications to lease terms along the West Coast to address similar radar and security issues. Projects affected by the permit suspension include Vineyard Wind 1 off the coast of Massachusetts, Revolution Wind near Rhode Island, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, as well as Empire Wind 1 and Sunrise Wind, both located off New York, according to the Interior Department. “The movement of large turbine blades and highly reflective towers creates radar interference known as ‘clutter,’” the agency said. Orsted, Dominion, Equinor ASA and Vineyard Wind did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Recommended Article Under New Ownership New front in the war on wind Blown away What the end of the F-150 means walking away from coal The Rising Global Energy Demand

Blown away December 24, 2025 admin India’s Energy Transition Faces a New Risk: Climate Volatility Few investments appear as compelling as India’s energy transition. Power demand is set to grow faster than in any other major market next year, while the country races to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2030 target to add massive volumes of renewable capacity—roughly double today’s total. Yet climate change is injecting a new layer of risk, prompting investors and project developers to reassess assumptions that once underpinned wind and solar profitability. Rising temperatures are driving increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, threatening to disrupt power generation forecasts and long-term returns from large-scale renewable projects. Eversource Capital, one of India’s largest climate-focused asset managers, has shifted its priorities toward solar power after exiting investments in wind-heavy electricity producers, citing concerns over weaker wind speeds. “Wind projects have not delivered the performance we expected,” Chief Operating Officer Prasanna Desai said. Technological improvements have failed to fully offset the shortfall, and upgrades to larger turbines “have not produced the desired results,” he added. The concern extends well beyond India. As renewables account for a growing share of global power generation—rising to nearly 32% last year from about 22% a decade earlier, according to UK-based energy think tank Ember—climate-driven variability is emerging as a systemic risk. A Bloomberg Green analysis examined average wind speeds and solar radiation over rolling five-year periods between 2001 and September this year, using data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service. Compared with 30-year averages, wind speeds have declined most sharply since 2021 in India, western China and parts of Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia. Solar radiation has also weakened over the same period across much of the Southern Hemisphere. “Climate change is effectively redistributing energy resources,” said Roberta Boscolo, head of climate and energy at the World Meteorological Organization. “A small change in wind speed translates into a significant loss of energy.” The shifting climate is pushing energy companies worldwide to factor weather risk more deeply into project planning and operations. US-listed ReNew Energy Global Plc has expanded its forecasting capabilities by acquiring analytics firm Regent Climate Connect Knowledge Solutions Pvt. in 2020 and investing in an energy diagnostics center near New Delhi. Billionaire Gautam Adani’s clean-energy arm, Adani Green Energy Ltd., has integrated artificial intelligence into day-ahead weather forecasting to mitigate operational risks. Energy Infrastructure Partners AG, which manages about €7.5 billion ($8.8 billion) in assets, has partnered with climate-risk specialists to develop tools that assess future wind-speed variability and temperature patterns for renewable assets, the firm said in its latest sustainability report. “The industry needs to think carefully about where these assets are located,” Boscolo said. “It’s no longer enough to look at historical data. You have to look forward.” Recommended Article Under New Ownership New front in the war on wind Blown away What the end of the F-150 means walking away from coal The Rising Global Energy Demand