Spark of Electrification is Simmering

In the realm of U.S. energy and climate policy, several significant events have unfolded recently.

Firstly, Tesla's brand loyalty in the U.S. has seen a noticeable decline since Elon Musk endorsed President Trump last summer, according to Reuters.

Moving on, the One Big Beautiful Bill, a piece of legislation, has expanded a tax credit for carbon capture in the fossil fuel industry. This expansion, however, could potentially reduce rooftop solar installations by as much as 46% through 2030, as suggested by a report from Wood Mackenzie, a company that provides data, analysis, and consulting services to the energy industry (PV Magazine).

Politicians such as U.S. Senator Joe Manchin and organizations like the American Clean Power Association were involved in developing the tax proposals for wind and solar energy in the One Big Beautiful Bill. The aim was to address concerns about financial fairness and support the energy transition while ensuring budgetary balance (E&E News).

Meanwhile, the U.S. EPA's proposed repeal of the endangerment finding could lead to more climate lawsuits against industries and increased climate efforts by states. However, the endangerment finding itself is not directly mentioned in this paragraph (E&E News).

On a more local level, a Maine heat pump installation campaign and the Keystone XL pipeline protests are expected to prevent millions of metric tons of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere across the U.S. (Grist). It's important to note that the Keystone XL pipeline is not directly mentioned in this paragraph.

In the world of nuclear energy, Transportation Secretary and interim NASA Administrator Sean Duffy will announce plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030, while the U.S. Energy Department has picked Tennessee-based Standard Nuclear to lead a pilot program to expand the domestic fuel supply for advanced nuclear reactors (Politico and E&E News).

President Trump's focus on boosting gas exports and power plant construction may not help his goal of lowering energy prices, according to industry analysts (E&E News). Occidental Petroleum, on the other hand, leads the fossil fuel industry in capturing carbon and using it to boost extraction (E&E News).

Lastly, Senate Republicans are uncertain about who included the excise tax on wind and solar in the One Big Beautiful Bill. However, political strategists believe it served to remind lawmakers and the renewables industry that "things could get worse" (E&E News). Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and John Curtis (R-Utah) have placed holds on three Treasury Department nominees in a fight against the Trump administration's clampdown on wind and solar tax credit use (Politico).