Speed over regulation? Following President Trump’s executive order, the DOE plans to slap an expiration date on 20+ energy rules, spanning everything from nuclear storage to greenhouse gas reporting...without public comment. Critics claim it comes with risks to public safety and the environment.

The exception: Meanwhile, a new House spending plan would encumber offshore wind by adding fees to projects—these could land much higher than those for oil and gas. That is, if offshore wind projects even make it through President Trump’s buy-outs. 

TVA recently 1) cut 15 executive positions 2) halted a retirement plan and 3) froze executive pay through the fiscal year. The near-term savings: over $153M. These moves address Trump’s March memo to cap TVA salaries at $500K (including the CEO’s, which would mean a 95% reduction from two years ago). 

Yes, but: TVA doesn’t appear eager to set a specific salary cap. Instead, the org plans to “rely on market medians to guide compensation,” Knoxville News Sentinel reported.

Meanwhile, two TVA directors’ terms are up—and the clock is ticking for President Trump and the US Senate to replace them. 

What happened: The now-remedied blowout occurred in a well at Fervo’s Cape Station in Utah, a 500-MW project that’s still in development. Drilling rods broke apart as they were removed from a well, triggering a surge. This incident arrived just weeks after the next-gen geothermal company’s nearly $2B IPO.

What’s next: This isn’t expected to significantly delay the project, which is slated to begin churning out power from its first unit by October (and the next two by Jan. 2027).

The big picture: The blowout was “less catastrophic” than those at oil and natural gas wells, Energy Intelligence reported. The difference? These geothermal systems are free of hydrocarbons and have lower concentrations of toxic gases. To maintain public trust (and avoid Three Mile Island-style backlash), it’s key for geothermal companies to communicate the lower risks.

In NY, the new state budget includes $1B in utility rebates for 8M residents. The Empire State has some of the country’s highest household energy prices, which have shot up 58% since 2019. But Republican critics claim this one-time payment slaps a bandaid on a bigger issue.

In GA, the state PSC has approved Georgia Power’s plan to offer $285M in ratepayer savings—but this comes out to just $50/month for most residential customers. These savings come from fuel and storm cost recovery cases filed with the Georgia PSC. But some consumer advocates worry that the utility isn’t addressing data center-driven cost increases. 

And last month in CA, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced $1.4B in residential utility credits for this year, including $894M for electric customers.

New gas: Of the roughly 28GW in MISO’s fast-track interconnection queue, nearly a third consists of Entergy gas plants—most of which are headed to data centers in Louisiana and Mississippi. 

Dirty diesel: Virginia’s data centers pollute more than a gas plant, The Washington Post reported. That’s thanks to 10K+ diesel backup generators that emit harmful substances like carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and PM2.5. 

While we’re here: Following intense criticism of the 40k-acre Stratos data center, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has ordered state agencies to protect ratepayers (along with air and water quality) when evaluating new hyperscaler projects. 

Investor Voss Capital is pressing Sempra to spin off its Texas electric utility, Oncor (the state’s largest). The independent company could be worth up to $78B by late 2028, Voss estimates. This lofty assessment aligns with the state’s rapid power demand (projected to skyrocket nearly 14% by 2032 to around 111 GW).