Offshore wind policy and fossil fuel permitting reforms
** Oil lobbyists are asking Trump to back off his attacks on offshore wind, saying his hostility could delay energy permitting reforms that would benefit fossil fuel companies.
** The Trump administration and Westinghouse are reportedly meeting with utilities and nuclear developers as Trump aims to get at least 10 large reactors into construction by 2030.
Solar funding lawsuit and labor developments
** Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones has joined 23 other attorneys general in suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over clawing back $7 billion the federal government had allocated to states for the Solar for All program.
** The United Auto Workers will withdraw a federal labor complaint against Volkswagen now that it’s finalized a workers’ contract with the automaker at its Tennessee plant.
Battery storage leadership and state rankings
** The Solar Energy Industries Association finds California leads the nation in battery storage capacity, with Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oregon also making the top five.
WORLD
LNG production halt and pipeline tensions
** QatarEnergy said it would stop its production of liquefied natural gas because of the conflict, taking one of the world’s top suppliers off the market. It offered no timeline for restoring its production.
** The leaders of Ukraine and Slovakia agreed on Friday to hold a face-to-face meeting as they wrangle over a blocked pipeline that takes Russian oil to Slovakia and Hungary, officials said.
China oil imports and global demand signals
** China’s imports last year broke yet another record, despite talk of waning oil demand. Since the start of this year, the world’s biggest oil importer has continued buying crude at elevated rates, but this may be about to change as prices extend their rally.