The Trump administration's EPA moved to let power plants, data centers

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

• EPA Proposes Pre-Permit Construction for Gas Plants: The Trump administration's Environmental Protection Agency announced it would allow data centers, gas-fired power plants, and industrial facilities to begin construction on "non-polluting components" before obtaining air-emission permits, a major relaxation of Clean Air Act procedures. Read More: Inside Climate News.
• Senate Confirms Steve Pearce to Lead BLM: The U.S. Senate voted to install Steve Pearce as director of the Bureau of Land Management, handing oversight of millions of acres of public land — and the renewable energy projects proposed on them — to a former New Mexico congressman with deep ties to the fossil fuel industry. Read More: CleanTechnica.
• Maryland Governor Confronts PJM Over Grid Delays: Governor Wes Moore took his complaints directly to PJM Interconnection, blasting the nation's largest grid operator over high electricity bills and an interconnection queue clogged by surging data center demand. Read More: Maryland Matters.
• Ford Launches Utility-Scale Battery Storage Subsidiary: Ford Motor Company officially stood up a new business unit focused on stationary energy storage systems, with commercial deliveries of grid-scale batteries expected to begin in 2027. Read More: Energy Storage News.
• Confusing Ohio Ballot Language Preserves Renewables Ban: Voters in Richland County, Ohio, appeared to retain a ban on large-scale solar and wind projects — but exit polls suggest a majority actually opposed the restrictions, raising questions about whether misleading ballot wording flipped the outcome. Read More: Ohio Capital Journal.

Solar & Storage

A burst of project announcements this week underscored the continued momentum behind utility-scale solar and battery storage development across the United States — even as permitting and interconnection headaches threaten to slow the pipeline. EDP Renewables unveiled its 250 MW Cypress Knee Solar project in Arkansas, backed by a power purchase agreement with Meta, while Longroad Energy advanced a combined solar and storage project in Arizona and ESS Tech confirmed a battery installation for an innovative solar-over-canal deployment in California's Central Valley, according to. The Meta-backed Arkansas deal is the latest sign that hyperscale tech companies remain the most reliable off-takers for new renewable generation, even under a federal administration less enthusiastic about clean energy mandates. Read More: Solar Builder.

But the interconnection bottleneck that has plagued solar developers for years continues to claim victims. In Virginia, the 75 MWac OFW Solar Project near Mount Jackson now faces a devastating five-year delay — pushing its expected construction date from 2027 to 2032 — after the developer submitted its interconnection application to the wrong power company's transmission lines, reported. The project must now restart the PJM interconnection queue from scratch. It's a cautionary tale, but also a symptom of a broader problem: PJM's queue has become so sprawling and complex that even experienced developers can stumble on procedural missteps that cost half a decade. Read More: PV Magazine USA.

On the storage front, Ford's formal launch of a stationary energy storage subsidiary marks one of the most significant entries by a legacy automaker into the grid-scale battery market. The Dearborn automaker, which has invested billions in EV battery supply chains, is now betting those manufacturing capabilities can serve a parallel market: the roughly 30 GW of battery storage capacity that analysts expect the U.S. to need by the end of this decade. With commercial deliveries slated for 2027, Ford will compete against established players like Tesla, Fluence, and BYD for utility contracts, as reported by. Read More: Energy Storage News.

In a related move aimed at securing domestic supply chains, Qcells announced a partnership with contract manufacturer Jabil to produce residential battery energy storage systems in the United States. The collaboration positions Qcells to capture domestic content bonuses under the Inflation Reduction Act's tax credit structure — incentives that remain on the books despite the Trump administration's broader skepticism toward clean energy subsidies. The deal reflects a growing industry consensus that onshoring battery manufacturing is both a political necessity and a competitive advantage, particularly as trade tensions with China continue to escalate. Read More: Energy Storage News.

Wind Energy

The wind sector found itself at the center of the Ohio ballot controversy, where Richland County voters appeared to uphold a ban on large-scale wind and solar projects in a vote that clean energy advocates are now challenging on procedural grounds. According to the , exit polling indicated that a majority of voters actually opposed the restrictions on renewable energy development, but confusing ballot language may have led many to vote contrary to their intent. The result keeps the ban in place for now, effectively locking one of Ohio's rural counties out of the economic benefits — lease payments, tax revenue, construction jobs — that wind farm and solar project development can bring. Read More: Ohio Capital Journal.

The Ohio outcome is emblematic of a broader pattern across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states, where local opposition to utility-scale renewables has increasingly been channeled through ballot initiatives, zoning changes, and township-level moratoriums. For wind developers, these grassroots battles represent a growing threat to project timelines that is, in many cases, harder to navigate than federal permitting hurdles. With no major new federal onshore or offshore wind policy developments this week, the local siting fight remains the dominant storyline for the sector.

Policy & Markets

The twin federal actions — EPA's proposed construction rules and Pearce's BLM confirmation — together represent the most consequential policy shift for clean energy in weeks. The EPA proposal, which would allow companies to begin building "non-polluting components" of gas plants, data centers, and factories before securing Clean Air Act permits, is being framed by the administration as a permitting efficiency measure to meet surging electricity demand. Critics, including the Sierra Club and several state attorneys general, argue it guts a foundational environmental safeguard and tilts the playing field toward gas-fired generation at the expense of renewables, which do not require air-emission permits in the first place. Read More: CleanTechnica.

The practical effect could be significant. Data center operators — the same companies driving record demand for clean energy PPAs — will also be able to fast-track the natural gas backup generation they often pair with those facilities. That dual dynamic is already visible in PJM's interconnection queue, where battery storage, natural gas, and solar projects are all jockeying for grid access amid what Maryland Governor Moore described as a system buckling under the weight of speculative data center demand projections.

Moore's confrontation with PJM highlights the political pressure building on grid operators as electricity costs rise and interconnection timelines stretch to five years or more. The governor singled out PJM's capacity auction process — which has produced volatile and sometimes eye-popping price spikes — as a source of pain for Maryland ratepayers. His critique carries weight: PJM manages the grid for 65 million people across 13 states and the District of Columbia, and its queue backlog is arguably the single biggest bottleneck for clean energy deployment in the eastern United States. Read More: reported by Maryland Matters.

Meanwhile, Steve Pearce's confirmation at the Bureau of Land Management adds another variable for renewable energy developers who rely on federal land access. The BLM oversees roughly 245 million acres, much of it in the solar-rich Southwest and wind-heavy Great Plains. Environmental groups including the Sierra Club warned that Pearce's record as a congressman — where he consistently championed oil and gas leasing on public lands — signals a likely deprioritization of renewable energy permitting on BLM-managed acreage. Developers with pending solar or wind applications on federal land will be watching closely for any changes to review timelines or leasing terms. Read More: CleanTechnica.

LOOKING AHEAD

• EPA Public Comment Period: The proposed rule allowing pre-permit construction for gas plants and data centers will enter a public comment period — expect fierce pushback from environmental groups and potentially legal challenges from blue-state attorneys general that could shape the final rule's scope.
• PJM Queue Reforms Under Pressure: Governor Moore's public confrontation with PJM Interconnection could accelerate ongoing discussions at FERC over queue reform and capacity market redesign, with implications for thousands of megawatts of pending solar, wind, and battery storage projects across the eastern seaboard.
• Ohio Ballot Challenge Looms: Clean energy advocates in Richland County are expected to explore legal options challenging the renewables ban vote, a case that could set precedent for how ballot language is crafted in local energy siting disputes across the Midwest.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The Trump administration is systematically lowering barriers for fossil gas infrastructure while installing skeptics atop the agencies that control renewable energy permitting on public lands — a one-two punch that clean energy developers must now factor into every project timeline, siting decision, and interconnection strategy.