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https://cleantechnica.com/2026/01/09/from-dumb-to-dumber-to-dumberer-est-trump-is-losing-the-renewable-energy-war/>
"US President Donald Trump certainly is busy these days, preoccupied as he is
with the kidnap and murder of US citizens while desperately struggling to keep
a lid on the Jeffrey Epstein files. And so, it is no surprise to see Trump’s
energy policy, such as it is, circling the drain while his attention is turned
elsewhere. The Venezuelan oil scheme is already blowing up in his face while
the renewable energy momentum keeps on, well, momentumizing.
To be clear, President Trump has picked off some low-hanging renewable energy
fruit, most notably in his attack on offshore wind. The domestic offshore wind
industry is uniquely vulnerable to White House obstruction because it depends
almost entirely on federal leases issued by the Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management, in the US Department of the Interior. Cancel the leases, and Bob’s
your uncle.
Or not, as the case may be. The low-hanging fruit is resisting. In December, a
federal judge affirmed the President’s authority to stop issuing new offshore
wind leases, but ruled that the Interior Department’s disruptive “review” of
existing leases was illegal. The industry is also challenging an Interior
Department stop-work order on five offshore wind farms.
In the meantime, state policy makers are undercutting Trump’s fossil-friendly
energy policy left, right, and center, particularly in the case of solar
energy.
On January 8, the Solar Energy Industries Association recapped a winning year
for state-based energy policy, highlighted by legislation in California that
has opened the door to new electricity partnerships with other Western states.
“Moreover, Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Executive Order on Bolstering Clean
Energy Projects,” SEIA also noted. “The EO ensures California’s agencies and
utilities stay on track and expedite projects of all sizes to ensure they can
take advantage of expiring federal tax credits.”
Other stateside renewable energy wins highlighted by SEIA include Colorado,
where a new Executive Order from Governor Jared Polis is aimed at accelerating
grid connections and streamlining procedures for utility-scale clean energy
buys. SEIA also credits itself with providing expert testimony leading to
approval of a new Virtual Power Plant program in Colorado. The state’s heat
pump profile is also beginning to accelerate alongside a new home energy rebate
program (see more VPP background here).
SEIA gets another pat on the back from itself for collaborating with the
members of the Texas energy industry and other stakeholders to knock down three
pieces of proposed legislation that would have made renewable energy and
storage projects more difficult to launch, while successfully promoting the
passage of three new bills making rooftop solar and home energy storage more
accessible and affordable."
Via Kenny Chaffin.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
