This weekly newsletter highlights the latest from the California Energy Journal along with links to articles and analysis on key developments in California energy policy.
From the California Energy Journal
California Sues Sable for Alleged Illegal Waste Discharges into Pacific (October 8, 2025) – California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against Sable Offshore Corp. accusing the company of releasing waste into the Pacific Ocean without the required environmental permits. The lawsuit is the latest legal development in the state’s opposition to Sable’s restart of oil production off the coast of Santa Barbara. Read more.
California Sets Standards for EV Charger Reliability (October 10, 2025) – The California Energy Commission (CEC) voted unanimously to require publicly funded fast chargers for electric vehicles (EV) to be functional 97% of the time. This applies to chargers built in 2024 or later. Read more.
Sable Seeks $347 Million from State; Requests Declaratory Judgement on New Oil Law (October 9, 2025) – Sable Offshore Corp. is seeking damages of more than $347 million as compensation for the “unlawful delay of, and damages to, the restart of the Las Flores Pipeline System.” The company filed a motion to amend its February 2025 lawsuit against the California Coastal Commission to quantify monetary damages. Read more.
Additional News
Climate Policy
The CEC approved $136 million in new clean energy and climate technology investments. CEC (October 9, 2025).
Power and Utilities
PG&E and Southern California Edison routinely blow their deadlines to hook up new solar panels, an advocacy group says. The state’s two largest utilities routinely drag their feet connecting solar panels to the electric grid, missing state-mandated deadlines as much as 73% of the time, according to a complaint filed to regulators by solar advocates. CalMatters (October 7, 2025).
Newsom vetoed a virtual power plant bill, saying it would not have improved electric grid reliability planning because it did “not align with the California Public Utility Commission’s Resource Adequacy framework. PV Magazine (October 7, 2025).
Renewable Energy
The IEA expects the U.S. to add nearly 250 gigawatts of new renewable energy capacity by 2030, down by almost 50% from last year’s projections. The reduction is a result of fresh import restrictions, the suspension of new offshore wind leasing and a crackdown on permitting for onshore wind and solar projects on federal land. WSJ (October 7, 2025).
A California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) judge proposed the commission order an additional 6 GW of capacity in the state between 2029 and 2032, adding significant capacity to the state’s ambitious buildout plans. PV Magazine (October 7, 2025)
Wind and Solar
The California Energy Commission approved $42.75 million in AB 209 grants to five port facilities at for the staging, assembly, and maintenance of offshore wind farms. CEC Offshore Wind California Maritime Executive (October 8, 2025).
Federal Policy
The Department of Energy is planning to cancel hundreds of additional clean energy grants authorized in the Biden administration, including the five remaining federally funded hydrogen hubs and two direct air capture projects. E&E News (October 7, 2025)
DOE will cut almost $24 billion in green project funding, building on cuts of more than $7 billion targeting mostly Democratic-led states. WSJ (October 7, 2025).
The U.S. Department of Energy is considering terminating 300 additional clean energy projects worth over $15 billion. Combined with official cuts announced last week, California would face the largest total loss with 93 project cancellations worth $3.5 billion. Los Angeles Times (October 9, 2025).
The Bureau of Land Management scrapped approval for Esmeralda 7 in Nevada, a 6.2 gigawatt project that would have been the largest solar project in North America. FT (October 10, 2025).
Critical Minerals
The U.S. will take a 10% stake in Canadian minerals explorer Trilogy Metals Inc. as part of a $35.6 million investment to secure critical energy and mining projects in Alaska. Bloomberg (October 6, 2025).
The U.S. Department of Defense has sought to procure up to $1 billion worth of critical minerals as part of a global stockpiling spree to counter Chinese dominance of the metals that are essential to defense manufacturers. FT (October 11, 2025).
China has unveiled new curbs on its exports of rare earths and other critical materials, citing national security grounds. Bloomberg (October 9, 2025).
EVs
“2025–2026 Investment Plan Update for the Clean Transportation Program,” CEC, October 9, 2025
Californians purchased 124,755 zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) in the third quarter of 2025, representing 29.1% of new car sales, the highest quarterly sales share ever reported in California. CEC (October 13, 2025).
International
The United States is demanding the EU water down parts of its green legislation just months after agreeing a tariff pact to avoid an all-out transatlantic trade war. FT (October 8, 2025).
The European Commission rejected U.S. demands to roll back the EU’s environmental legislation. EuroNews (October 9, 2025).
Carmakers have criticized the EU’s plans to ban the sale of combustion engine vehicles from 2035 as “very rigid,” saying Brussels has failed to take industry concerns into account. FT (October 8, 2025).
Nineteen of the World Bank’s 25 executive directors issued a joint statement this week affirming their support for the bank’s continued work on climate change, defying the U.S., the bank’s largest shareholder, and several other countries. Reuters (October 9, 2025).
Oil and Gas
An El Segundo refinery fire has renewed questions about who is investigating the state’s oil industry after serious accidents. With the U.S. Chemical Safety Board defunded, California has yet to fill the gap. CalMatters (October 9, 2025).
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney raised the prospect of reviving the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Alberta to the United States during discussions with President Trump. Reuters (October 8, 2025).
Interesting Reads
“Renewables 2025, IEA, October 7, 2025
Javier Blas, “Liquified Natural Gas Risks Becoming a Bridge to Nowhere,” Bloomberg, October 8, 2025.
John McCormick and Jennifer Hiller, “Trump’s Wind Energy Assault Stings Red States,” WSJ, October 8, 2025.
Julian Spector, “Solar is crushing gas power in California this year,” Canary Media, October 8, 2025.
Hannah Northey, “Inside Trump’s foray into mineral ownership,” EE News (October 8, 2025).
Lili Pike and Coco Liu, “Trump’s Hydrogen Cuts Put the US Further Behind China on Key Green Tech,” Bloomberg, October 9, 2025.
Sophie Austin, “California oil workers face an uncertain future in the state’s energy transition, AP, October 12, 2025.
Chris Kieser and Paige Gilliard, “California can’t regulate its way out of paying for mineral rights,” LA Daily News, October 13, 2025.
McKinsey, Global Energy Perspective 2025, October 13, 2025.
Status of Energy Bills
Governor Newsom signed the following bills into law:
AB 154 – Greenhouse gases: climate corporate accountability: climate-related financial risk: regulations: California Environmental Quality Act exemption.
AB 1104 – Net energy metering: construction of renewable electrical generation facilities: public works project requirements.
AB 1167 – Electrical corporations and gas corporations: rate recovery: political activities and promotional advertising.
AB 1285 – State Fire Marshal: lithium-ion battery facilities: guidance.
SB 57 – Electrical corporations: data centers: report.
SB 767 – Energy: transportation fuels: supply: reportable pipelines.