by wp_sysadmin | Apr 28, 2025 | Home, News
Today’s Key Takeaways: Energy Secretary tells oil industry tariff uncertainty short-term issue. Top Japanese gas importer looks at AKLNG. Betting big on Alaska gold mine. Trump moves to fast-track permitting.
OIL:
Energy Secretary Aims to Reassure Oil Bosses Amid Trade War
David Wethe, Alix Steel, Rigzone, April 25, 2025
Energy Secretary Chris Wright sought to reassure U.S. oil companies during a visit to Oklahoma.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright sought to reassure US oil companies during a visit to Oklahoma, saying turmoil from President Donald Trump’s trade war is apt to be fleeting and the administration fully supports more crude output.
“The uncertainty you are seeing around tariffs — that’s a short-term issue,” Wright said during an interview with Bloomberg Television at an energy conference in Oklahoma City. He later added: “We’re doing everything we can to encourage production.”
Wright, who previously ran one of the world’s biggest fracking-service providers, said the uncertainty roiling the broader market is because the US in the midst of negotiating more favorable trade deals. He predicted it would only last “a few more weeks.”
When it comes to oil production, Wright said the Trump administration is focused on tearing down barriers to make it cheaper and easier to pump crude and natural gas.
Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum appeared at the event hosted by shale billionaire Harold Hamm as oil prices have plunged more than 10% this month in the wake of Trump’s trade war and a decision by OPEC to beef up a production increase scheduled for later this year. For 14 consecutive days, West Texas Intermediate futures have settled below $65 a barrel — the price many companies need to break even on new wells.
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GAS:
Japan’s Top Gas Importer Considers Buying From Alaska LNG
Reina Sasaki, Bloomberg, April 27, 2025
Jera Co. could procure liquefied natural gas from a proposed export project in Alaska, as part of Japan’s efforts to negotiate a trade deal with the US.
“We see Alaska as one promising procurement source,” Naohiro Maekawa, an executive at the world’s biggest LNG buyer, said at a press conference on Monday.
The long-delayed $44 billion Alaska LNG facility is trying to court Asian importers, including Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, and has become a pet project of US President Donald Trump. The plant has been proposed in various forms for decades but has struggled to secure binding long-term contracts and investment. It requires the construction of a pipeline stretching more than 800 miles (1,300 kilometers).
It is important to further diversify the company’s procurement portfolio, Maekawa said, adding that the US accounts for about 10%. The company doesn’t currently have a specific figure for how much the US share will increase.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said earlier this month that the project should be included in a trade package. South Korea may also consider participating. The US is seeking a summit to discuss the project with Japan and South Korea’s ministers on June 2, the New York Times reported.
Tokyo Gas, another Japanese LNG buyer, said it is also monitoring Alaska LNG.
“We will keep a close eye on the project,” Tokyo Gas Chief Financial Officer Taku Minami said at a briefing on Monday. The company isn’t in talks to increase imports of US LNG in 2026, he added.
MINING:
After 15 Years, John Paulson Is Finally Winning Big on Gold
Caitlin McCabe, Joe Wallace, Wall Street Journal, April 27, 2025 (subscription required)
Billionaire is spending $800 million to buy a big stake in an Alaskan mine
John Paulson made a vast fortune betting against the U.S. housing market in what was dubbed “the greatest trade ever.” And his next act—a yearslong wager on gold—is finally turning out to be another great trade.
More than a decade and a half after Paulson went big on gold, the billionaire investor has emerged as one of the winners from the record-setting surge in the price of the precious metal.
President Trump’s trade war and threats to fire the head of the Federal Reserve shook confidence in the dollar and propelled gold prices above $3,500 a troy ounce last week. Gold rose this year even as stocks and bonds floundered.
Rather than cashing out, Paulson is doubling down, tossing in $800 million to buy a big stake in a remote gold mine in a rugged region of southwestern Alaska.
“There’s only one reserve that in physical form will protect you against all these things for literally millennia,” said Paulson, rattling off a list of scenarios ranging from inflation to the confiscation of assets by governments.
Gold has been prized at least as far back as ancient Egypt, where King Tut was buried with a golden mask. It functioned for a long time as the bedrock of the monetary system. While President Richard Nixon unpegged the dollar from gold in 1971, tons of the metal still sits at Fort Knox and in central-bank reserves globally.
Survivalists and big money managers alike assert that gold is a proven hedge against various shocks: inflation, war, catastrophe, and currency devaluation. Most of those crises aren’t currently materializing in the U.S. But global geopolitical tensions, combined with a sliding dollar and expectations that central banks will keep buying the metal, have strengthened Paulson’s conviction in bullion.
POLITICS:
TRUMP TAKES STEPS TO FAST-TRACK PERMITTING: The administration has also announced plans to dramatically slash the typically yearslong permitting process to less than a month for nearly all energy and mining projects on federal lands, except for solar and wind power.
The details: Interior unveiled new emergency permitting procedures yesterday, offering more relief for the fossil fuel industry and a select few clean energy projects. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the measures were designed to expedite the reviewing and approval process for energy and mining projects needing leasing, siting, production, transportation, refining, generation, or exploration permits. The process is intended to be completed in 28 days at the most.
The department also plans to use its emergency authority under existing regulations for the National Environmental Policy, Endangered Species, and National Historic Preservation acts to speed up reviews.
What’s included: In its announcement, the Interior Department issued a list of the different energy sources that can receive these fast-track permits:
- Crude Oil
- Natural Gas
- Lease Condensates
- Natural gas liquids
- Refined petroleum products
- Uranium
- Coal
- Biofuels
- Geothermal Energy
- Kinetic hydropower
- Critical minerals
Renewables like solar and wind power were notably absent. Trump has expressed disdain for the renewable energy industry, but solar power has dominated domestic energy growth in recent years. In 2024, it was the largest source of new energy capacity (around 50 gigawatts) added to the national grid.
Read more from Callie here.
by wp_sysadmin | Apr 25, 2025 | Home, News
U.S. expected to press Japan and South Korea for support of Alaska LNG project
Reuters, April 25, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump’s energy security council plans to host a summit in Alaska in early June, when it hopes Japan and South Korea will announce commitments to the Alaska liquefied natural gas project, a source familiar with the matter said Thursday.
Trump has touted the $44 billion project, which would deliver gas from the state’s North Slope fields via an 1,300 kilometer pipeline for domestic use and send it to customers in Asia as LNG, bypassing the Panama Canal.
While the project has been talked about for years, progress has been limited by cost and the amount of work needed.
Trump, who has pushed allies to buy U.S. energy while simultaneously threatening trade tariffs, has asked Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to support the Alaskan plan.
Last month, Taiwanese state energy company CPC signed a nonbinding agreement with the state-run Alaska Gasline Development to buy LNG and invest in the project — a move Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te said would ensure the island’s energy security.
The summit being planned by Trump’s National Energy Dominance Council, which wants to maximize production of oil and gas, would take place around June 2. It was first reported by The New York Times.
The White House and the Interior Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Separately, officials from Thailand, which could also be a consumer of the LNG from Alaska, and South Korea are expected to visit the state to talk about the project sometime in the next two weeks, said the source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
It would be the first visit to Alaska by officials from Thailand to talk about the project in Trump’s second administration.
South Korea’s Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun said on Thursday in Washington that he was not aware of a plan to announce its commitment, and that “there are still a lot of things that need to be done” through due diligence of the Alaska LNG project in order “to understand the local situation more accurately.”
Ahn said that the country is dispatching an inspection team, and that results of the due diligence would need to be seen to see how discussions will proceed.
by wp_sysadmin | Apr 23, 2025 | Home, News
Today’s Key Takeaways: Baker Hughes and Haliburton warn of tariff impacts. China purchase of US LNG in March = 0. Billionaire investor buys stake in Donlin gold mine project. EPA fires 450 environmental justice and DEI staff.
OIL:
Tariff Concerns Weigh on Baker Hughes Outlook
Irina Slav, OilPrice.Com, April 23, 2025
Oilfield service major Baker Hughes is going to be cautious about its financial performance outlook this year, due to “broader macro and trade policy uncertainty,” most likely meaning tariffs, the company said in its first-quarter financial report.
Baker Hughes booked net profits of $509 million, which was down from $694 million for the last quarter of 2024 on a GAAP basis, which represented a 27% decline. Cash flow from operating activities was down by 40%, to $709 million from $1.189 billion three months earlier. Free cash flow stood at $454 million at the end of March 2025, down 49% from the $894 million booked for the final quarter of 2024.
The company also reported a decline in both its domestic and international operations during the first quarter. The North American decline stood at 5% and the international hit 11% during the period, after a year when international operations growth largely offset domestic declines for the oilfield service sector.
Halliburton warns of tariff impact, lower North America oilfield activity; shares plunge
Arunima Kumar, Arathy Somasekhar, Reuters, April 23, 2025
Halliburton on Tuesday warned of a second-quarter earnings impact from tariffs and lower oilfield activity in North America as producers evaluate drilling and completions at weak oil prices, sending shares of the oilfield service producer down nearly 10%.
Halliburton is the first of the Big Three U.S. oilfield services providers and among the first large oil company to report earnings as U.S. crude prices hover under $64 a barrel. Many companies say they cannot drill profitably if oil prices fall under $65 a barrel, impacting demand for equipment and services provided by companies like Halliburton.
“Many of our customers are in the midst of evaluating their activity scenarios and plans for 2025 activity reductions could mean higher than normal white space for committed fleets and in some cases, the retirement or export of fleets to international markets,” Jeff Miller, Chief Executive Officer of Halliburton, said about expectations in North America markets. White spaces refer to gaps in the calendar when the company’s does not have work lined up for its equipment.
The company’s shares were down about 9.5% to $19.85 a share in early trading after it forecast a 2-cents to 3-cents per share impact in the second quarter from ongoing trade tensions. Shares were down 25% year-to-date, while rival SLB’s was down only 11% this year.
GAS:
China Stops Imports of US LNG Amid Trade War, Custom Data Shows
Bloomberg News, April 20, 2025
China’s purchases of US liquefied natural gas plunged to zero in March after a sharp decline in the previous two months, as the trade war between the two biggest economies alters shipping routes.
Overall delivery of US LNG shipments in the first quarter of 2025 fell by 70%, according to Chinese official custom data released on Sunday. The hiatus is the longest since the last trade war triggered during US President Trump’s first tenure, when China didn’t receive cargoes for about 400 days.
MINING:
As gold prices soar, this billionaire investor now has a big stake in an Alaskan gold mine
Barbara Kollymer, MarketWatch, April 22, 2025
NovaGold’s stock rallies 36% on its Paulson-backed purchase of a stake in Alaska’s Donlin gold-mine project
Upping his exposure to one of the hottest investments this year, billionaire investor John Paulson is teaming up with Canada’s NovaGold Resources Inc. to purchase a stake in an Alaskan gold-mining project.
CA:NG announced Tuesday that it has entered into a deal with Paulson Advisers LLC, which is a hedge fund under the investment company Paulson & Co., to buy Barrick Gold Corp.’s 50% stake in Donlin Gold LLC, which runs an Alaskan gold-mining project of the same name, for $1 billion in cash.
NovaGold’s stock rallied 36% on Tuesday, while Barrick Gold fell 2%.
NovaGold will take a 20% stake in Donlin, and Paulson an 80% stake. NovaGold also has an option to buy outstanding debt owed to Barrick linked to the Donlin project for $90 million if that is done before closing of the deal, which is expected in the second or early third quarter of 2025. The debt will remain outstanding if that option isn’t exercised.
“Donlin Gold is one of the most attractive development gold projects in the world. With 39 million ounces of gold at double the industry-average grade, and an optimal location in the prime jurisdiction of Alaska — already the second-largest gold-producing state in the United States — we believe that the project could create value for decades to come,” Paulson said in a statement.
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POLITICS:
EPA FIRES ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND DEI STAFF: The Environmental Protection Agency has sent termination or reassignment notices to more than 450 employees working on environmental justice or diversity, equity, and inclusion, the Washington Post reports.
The agency sent notices late last night to those working at the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. A spokesperson told the Washington Post that the agency would fire 280 employees and reassign 175 employees to other offices.
The notice obtained by the Washington Post said the agency’s action will help ensure “efficient and effective operation of our programs.”
It added “With this action, EPA is delivering organizational improvements to the personnel structure that will directly benefit the American people and better advance the Agency’s core mission of protecting human health and the environment.”
The Trump administration has made an effort to shrink federal agencies, specifically in areas that do not align with the current administration’s agenda or priorities.
During a press conference yesterday, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin defended the administration’s consolidation efforts and said that the agency would be sure to fulfill all its statutory obligations as it reorganizes different offices and priorities.
“I do not want to lose one good employee,” Zeldin said. “And we’re going to be very thoughtful and deliberate in how we go forward in this process…If you ask me, ‘What’s the perfect number for the agency?’ While we’re figuring out that exact number, the answer should be not one more or one less than what we need to fulfill our statutory obligations.”
From the Washington Examiner, Daily on Energy, April 22, 2205
by wp_sysadmin | Apr 21, 2025 | Home, News
Today’s Key Takeaways: Santos sees early startup for Pikka. AK Governor’s trip to Taiwan upsets China. Trump adds mining project to FAST-41. NIH stops funding for climate change research.
OIL:
Santos says Alaska oil project could start early while first-quarter revenue dips
Aaditya Govindrao. Reuters, April 16, 2025
Australian oil and gas producer Santos (STO.AX), opens new tab said on Thursday it could potentially bring forward the startup for its Pikka phase 1 in Alaska, while posting a 7% fall in first-quarter sales revenue due to lower crude sales volumes and realised prices for its LNG products.
Shares of the firm rose as much as 2.7% to A$5.640 by 0106 GMT, matching a 2.7% jump in the broader energy sub-index (.AXEJ), opens new tab.
Analysts at Citi attributed the positive market reaction to the potential early output from Pikka, one of the largest oil prospects in Alaska. The project’s first production is scheduled for mid-2026.
But Santos said a 120-mile pipeline was now substantially complete, creating “the opportunity for an early startup, subject to weather and logistics, which will become clearer in the second quarter.”
The Pikka project is set to be a key asset for Santos as U.S. President Donald Trump charts plans to boost domestic energy production.
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GAS:
Alaska’s governor flew to Taiwan to sell LNG. China’s not happy.
Nathaniel Herz, Northern Journal, April 18, 2025
Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy flew to Taiwan last month to pitch business and government leaders on Alaska’s state-sponsored LNG export project.
The same day Dunleavy and other Alaska officials arrived in Taipei on the unannounced trip, his office received an email from China’s vice consul in San Francisco, Ba Yanfeng. The consulate was aware that Dunleavy was leading a trip to the “province” of Taiwan, and Chinese government officials wanted a meeting with his chief of staff, Ba said.
Dunleavy had stepped into a simmering geopolitical conflict — an issue that China’s government describes as the most important and sensitive in its relationship with the
U.S.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and regularly conducts military drills nearby — including some that have simulated blockades and involved firing missiles over the island.
The U.S. doesn’t officially recognize Taiwan’s independence. But it’s a longtime ally, sells arms to the government and has committed in legislation to support the island’s defense.
In a formal follow-up note, the Chinese government said Dunleavy’s trip “sends a very wrong signal to the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces,” and it urged the governor “to correct such mistakes and avoid their recurrence.”
But Dunleavy, in an interview, said he was undeterred.
“I don’t allow myself to get pushed around by too many entities or people,” he said.
Alaska does significant trade with China, namely in seafood products, though that’s diminished since Trump began levying tariffs during his first term. Still, Alaska exports more than $500 million in seafood products to China each year.
But amid China’s broader, ongoing trade war with America, experts said it’s unlikely that the country will target Alaska with retaliatory action even if the LNG project moves forward with Taiwanese partnership.
“I think this is probably fairly low on China’s list of priorities. They have a lot on their plate,” said David Sacks, an expert on Taiwan and China and a fellow for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
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MINING:
Trump Administration Adds Key Mining Projects to FAST-41
U.S. Department of Interior, April 18, 2025
In support of President Donald J. Trump’s directive to accelerate domestic critical mineral production, the Department of the Interior is taking steps to streamline permitting processes and improve federal accountability by working with Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council to add critical minerals infrastructure projects to the FAST-41 program.
FAST-41 is a legislatively established process for improving federal agency coordination and timeliness of environmental reviews for infrastructure projects, as established by Title 41 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act. This act established the FAST-41 review process and the Permitting Council to implement it. Through FAST-41, the Permitting Council provides focused, hands-on permitting support to infrastructure projects and improves efficiency through clearer timelines and better coordination across federal agencies.
“For too long, duplicative processes and regulatory paralysis have delayed the development of the minerals America needs to power everything from national defense systems to smartphones,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Adam Suess. “By cutting red tape and increasing accountability, we’re making it clear that under President Trump, the United States is serious about being a global leader in critical minerals.”
These efforts directly support Executive Order 14241, which called on all federal agencies to streamline the permitting of infrastructure and energy projects vital to American security and economic prosperity. The Transparency List provides public visibility into the permitting status of major projects, promoting faster decision-making and removing unnecessary delays.
The United States currently imports many key minerals—even though the U.S. has abundant domestic reserves capable of supporting high-tech manufacturing, national defense and energy infrastructure. These imports often come from geopolitical competitors, leaving critical segments of the U.S. economy vulnerable to supply chain disruptions and foreign influence.
One of the primary barriers to unlocking America’s mineral wealth is the lengthy and often duplicative permitting process, which can stretch seven to 10 years for a single mine. In contrast, countries like Australia and Canada complete permitting in as little as two to five years, giving them a competitive advantage in attracting investment and building resilient mineral supply chains.
This permitting gridlock discourages domestic production, drives up costs for American manufacturers, and increases dependence on foreign adversaries. Projects get stuck in years of environmental reviews, agency overlap and inconsistent timelines—despite bipartisan acknowledgment that the United States must secure a domestic critical minerals strategy.
The following Department-managed projects have been added to the FAST-41 program by the Permitting Council. These projects are all in various stages of the NEPA process and will now be tracked on the FAST-41 dashboard to promote transparency in the permitting process.
- Caldwell Canyon Revised Mine and Reclamation Plan, an open pit phosphate mine, in Caribou County, Idaho
- HiTech Lithium Exploration Plan of Operations, a proposal to explore for lithium in the McDermitt Caldera, in Malheur County, Oregon
- Lisbon Valley Mining Company Plan Modification Project, an open pit copper mine in San Juan County, Utah
- Silver Peak Lithium Mine Amendment to Plan of Operations, a lithium mine expansion, in Esmerelda County, Nevada
- Warrior Met Coal Mines, a lease by application in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama
Interior remains committed to engaging early with tribal governments and local communities to ensure responsible, respectful and efficient development on public lands.
The Trump administration’s commitment to American Energy Dominance includes securing a domestic critical minerals supply chain that supports national security, job creation and long-term economic growth.
FAST-41 does not change any statutory or regulatory requirement, environmental law, regulation, review process, or public involvement procedure, and does not predetermine the outcome of any federal decision-making process.
POLITICS:
NIH TO STOP FUNDING RESEARCH RELATED TO CLIMATE CHANGE: The National Institutes of Health will stop prioritizing and funding research on climate change’s effects on human health, the New York Times reports.
The New York Times obtained internal documents that it was the agency’s new policy “not to prioritize” research regarding climate change’s impacts on health. The document added that NIH would not fund research on gender identity, vaccine hesitancy, or diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Spokeswomen for NIH and the Department of Health and Human Services told the newspaper that they are prioritizing research that “directly affects the health of Americans” aligned with the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.
The Trump administration has taken action to remove climate change initiatives within federal agencies.
ProPublica reported last month about NIH looking to end its funding for research on the effects climate change has on public health. ProPublica said that NIH has funded hundreds of grants and programs to research how extreme weather like wildfires, heat waves, and floods affect human health.
From the Washington Examiner, Daily on Energy, April 18, 2025
by wp_sysadmin | Apr 16, 2025 | Home, News
Today’s Key Takeaways: Tariff war truce lifts oil. Drill baby drill – in the Cook Inlet! Green groups lose challenge to AKLNG. Investigating security risks from importing critical minerals.
OIL:
Crude Oil Gains 2% on Hopes of Tariff War Truce
Tom Kool, OilPrice.Com, April 16, 2025
Crude oil edged more than 2% higher on Wednesday, driven primarily by hopes that tensions will ease in the U.S.-China trade conflict and U.S. inventory data.
At 1:28 p.m. ET, Brent crude was trading up 2.09% at $66.02, while the U.S. benchmark, West Texas Intermediate (WTI), was trading up 2.12% at $62.63.
A weaker U.S. dollar, bullish inventory data, and renewed hopes for easing U.S.-China trade tensions are all boosting crude today, particularly following a Bloomberg report suggesting China may be open to trade talks—pending specific actions from the Trump administration.
China reportedly expects the U.S. to moderate critical rhetoric from cabinet members as a precondition for negotiations.
READ MORE
GAS:
Furie Embarks on Kitchen Lights Drilling Campaign
Alaska Business, April 15, 2025
The state’s only Alaskan-owned natural gas producer, Furie Operating Alaska, is commencing a campaign to drill new wells in Cook Inlet. The company moved the Spartan 151 jack-up rig to the Julius R platform in the Kitchen Lights Unit, a nearly 83,400-acre unit between Tyonek and Nikiski.
The move marks the start of a plan to find new, local sources of gas to meet the needs of Southcentral natural gas consumers.
Multi-Year Development Plan
“We are embarking on a $40 million in-field gas development program that will demonstrate that Alaskans can drill and produce more gas out of Cook Inlet,” says John Hendrix, president and CEO of Furie Operating Alaska’s parent company, HEX. “Furie will drill and bring on more gas this drilling season to meet the critical needs of our fellow Alaskan customers. Our customers are demanding more gas out of Cook Inlet and we are embarking a long-term development program.”
The Spartan 151 jack-up rig, leased from Hilcorp, can drill to a depth of 25,000 feet and can operate at a maximum water depth of 150 feet. In March, Furie doubled the number of wells that can be drilled from the Julius R platform from six to twelve, enabling more horizontal reach.
Current Issue
“We’ve identified twenty-seven targets from our platform within a 3-mile radius,” Hendrix says. “We’re still looking at other ways of bringing more well slots out there.”
Furie is launching the multi-year development program following what it calls “positive policy decisions” by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, in the form of royalty relief, and Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA).
“Furie continues to aggressively pursue natural gas production in Cook Inlet. Partnered with funding from AIDEA, their efforts are a great example of AIDEA’s mission to invest in projects that grow Alaska’s economy and create jobs,” says AIDEA Executive Director Randy Ruaro.
Hendrix opines, “Outside of AIDEA, there’s no bank willing to invest in oil and gas; in the Lower 48, there’s banks all over and people willing to invest,” Hendrix opines. “If we can be seen as an Alaskan that’s dedicated to helping bring gas to the Southcentral region, and even as far north as Fairbanks, others will want to follow us.”
Furie drilled a sidetrack in Kitchen Lights last year with the Spartan 151 rig. This year’s stepped-up development comes in part because of a $50 million revolving line of credit approved in October 2024 to finance a multi-year North Kenai exploration program.
Hendrix explains, “We’re drilling two grassroots wells. That means we’re not exiting an existing well-base and going out; we’re drilling from scratch. And we hope that brings us up over 10 percent of Alaska’s gas supply.”
Furie’s natural gas production is already on the rise: it increased its contribution to Cook Inlet gas production from around 5 percent in December 2024 to 7.5 percent in February 2025. Production from Texas-based Hilcorp comprises the vast bulk of Inlet gas.
The drilling campaign is being supported by Cook Inlet Spill Prevention and Response, Inc., Cook Inlet Tug & Barge, Fairweather, Maritime Helicopters, Petrotechnical Resources of Alaska, Pollard Wireline Services, and Weaver Brothers.
DC Circuit rebuffs challenge to DOE approval of Alaska gas exports
Carlos Anchondo, E & E News, April 160, 2025 (subscription required)
A federal appeals court has dismissed an effort by environmental groups to challenge a Department of Energy gas export approval for a planned Alaska terminal.
In a 12-page decision Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit sided with DOE and a 2023 order from the department.
DOE’s order affirmed a Trump-era approval from 2020 that authorized liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports from the proposed Alaska LNG project to countries that don’t have a free trade agreement with the United States.
MINING:
TRUMP ORDERS INVESTIGATION INTO IMPORTS OF CRITICAL MINERALS: Trump yesterday evening signed an executive order directing the Commerce Department to launch an investigation into security risks associated with imports of critical minerals, the first step toward imposing tariffs.
“[A]n overreliance on foreign critical minerals and their derivative products could jeopardize U.S. defense capabilities, infrastructure development, and technological innovation,” the order reads.
The investigation raises global tension between the U.S and China, as Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs on Chinese goods. The majority of U.S. critical minerals and rare earth come from China. In response to the U.S. sweeping tariffs, China has placed export controls on a number of rare earth elements.
Last week, Reuters reported that China has also paused the shipment of the seven rare earth elements it placed on export controls. Rare earth elements and critical minerals are used for a range of products, including in the defense and energy sectors.
From the Washington Examiner, Daily on Energy, April 16, 2025
