WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Monday, readers! The World Cup wrapped up over the weekend with Spain being crowned the champions as they defeated Argentina 1-0.
The United Kingdom’s new prime minister is already facing pressure from President Donald Trump to undo oil restrictions in the North Sea. We take a look at whether the UK will consider loosening those restrictions.
In other news, the conflict between the U.S. and Iran continues to escalate, as the two inch closer to an all-out war that would spike energy prices.
Welcome to Daily on Energy, written by Washington Examiner energy and environment writers Callie Patteson (@CalliePatteson) and Maydeen Merino (@MaydeenMerino). Email cpatteson@washingtonexaminer dot com or mmerino@washingtonexaminer dot com for tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email, and we’ll add you to our list.
U.K. GETS A NEW PRIME MINISTER – WILL HE CAVE TO TRUMP’S DRILLING AGENDA?
Before Labour Party leader Andy Burnham was sworn in as the next prime minister of the United Kingdom this morning, he was already facing pressure from President Donald Trump to undo restrictions on drilling in the North Sea.
Sunday morning, Trump took to social media claiming that Burnham had stated that he would be “opening up, all the way, the invaluable North Sea Oil.” And as a result, people were “dancing in the streets” of Aberdeen.
However, Burnham has not publicly committed to any such thing.
Quick reminder: In 2024, the Labour government committed to not permitting any new oil and gas drilling licenses in the North Sea, as part of the country’s broader effort to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Since then, however, there has been an acknowledgement among ministers that fossil fuel production will continue to play a critical role in supporting local energy demand. Last summer, the U.K. government released new guidance related to environmental impact assessments for offshore oil and gas developers, and notably did not shun the fossil fuel industry.
U.S. pressure: Trump has long pushed for the U.K. to reopen the North Sea to new drilling projects, describing the region as a “treasure chest” for energy resources. As Burnham has not made any public comment on his approach to the North Sea, Trump’s post to Truth Social yesterday could be an attempt to give the new prime minister a push, before he can get his footing.
Over the weekend, some U.K. outlets were reporting that Burnham is prepared to announce new plans for oil and gas leasing, potentially giving approval for a pair of drilling licenses that have been caught up in court.
Some pushback: Allies of the new prime minister denied that he will overhaul the ban on new licenses, with deputy party leader Lucy Powell telling the BBC that Burnham “has been clear he stands by the policies in our manifesto.”
In today’s Washington Secrets (sign up here), the Examiner’s Rob Crilly reported that Burnham phoned Trump within an hour of taking office. Number 10 Downing Street did not reveal if drilling in the North Sea was one of the things the two leaders talked about.
When asked for clarification on where Trump heard of Burnham’s commitment to open up the North Sea, the White House referred Daily on Energy to the president’s social media post from yesterday.
U.S.-IRAN CONFLICT ESCALATES, PUSHING PRICES UP:
The U.S. and Iran conflict escalated over the weekend, following the killing of three U.S. troops.
The U.S. continued its wave of attacks against Iran this morning, with Iran launching retaliatory attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain, where the U.S. Navy’s 5th fleet is based. Three service members had been killed in military operations since Friday, including two at a military base in Jordan and one in northern Iraq.
The president warned he would retaliate against Iran for the death of U.S. troops.
“Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!” he wrote on Truth Social on Monday.
Prices jump: The renewed conflict in the Middle East has helped push prices at the pump to rise to $4 per gallon.
Gasoline prices last reached $4 per gallon in March, when Iran halted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Prices dropped in June after the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding to end the war.
Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, wrote that the increase in gas prices is less about crude and more about global refining capacity. He noted that Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries have squeezed the supply.
Oil prices have risen slightly, with West Texas Intermediate up by 0.44%, selling at $82.88 per barrel. Brent crude was up 0.87% and priced at $88.87 per barrel.
Meanwhile, transit through the Strait of Hormuz is down 50% from the previous week, according to S&P Global MINT and S&P Global Commodities at Sea. Between July 17 and July 19 there was an average of 13 crossings per day.
All the rest
ENERGY AND COMMERCE BEGINS RATEPAYER PROTECTION ACT MARKUP: The House Energy and Commerce Committee will begin a two-day markup today to consider the Ratepayer Protection Act, along with a number of other energy bills.
The full committee markup will begin this evening and is expected to resume tomorrow morning.
The Ratepayer Protection Act was introduced by Democrat Rep. Kathy Castor of Florida and Republican Rep. Gabe Evans of Colorado. The bill would require state regulators to create standards for large-load customers using 100 megawatts or more to cover the costs of new generation, transmission, and infrastructure upgrades.
The legislation mirrors the White House’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge, which the administration is looking to expand to include utility companies, developers of data centers, and governors.
EMERGENCY STOCKPILES OF OIL DROP FURTHER: Data released by the Department of Energy today revealed that the Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell 5.1 million barrels in the last week to 311.4 million barrels. This is estimated to be roughly 43.6% of its fully authorized capacity of around 714 million barrels across four main facilities.
Estimates suggest that the SPR will be able to operate until it hits 20% of its full capacity.
The recent drawdowns are a part of the Trump administration’s efforts to pull 172 million barrels from the reserves. Officials have insisted they are not “selling” the barrels, but are arranging to replace them with around 200 million barrels within the next year, around 20% more than what will be released.
CANADIAN WILDFIRES GROW: The wildfires in Ontario grew from 1.6 million acres to 1.8 million over the weekend.
Premier Doug Ford said in a press conference that firefighters are battling 190 active fires and around 1,800 people have been evacuated, Reuters reported. Republicans and the administration have criticized Canada’s management of the wildfires, which produced smoke that drifted into the U.S. and made it hard for us to breathe outdoors here in D.C.
Trump said on Sunday that he spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney telling him, “you got to stop these fires from coming in and, you know, poisoning our air.” The president has also threatened to place tariffs on Canadian goods over the wildfire smoke.
Ford called it “unacceptable” for Trump to criticize Canada’s wildfire response and threaten tariffs instead of providing help.
ICYMI – TRUMP DEMANDS REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC MANUAL USED BY JUDGES TO RULE ON CLIMATE CASES: Trump is escalating his crackdown on climate-related rules, regulations, and guidance, calling for a review of an updated judges’ manual that he claims was influenced by Democrats.
The details: In a post to Truth Social yesterday, Trump ordered a fresh review of the National Academy of Sciences’ Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence, which federal judges use to assist in rulings involving complex scientific topics. The president accused “Radical Left Democrats” of running the Academy and publishing “fraudulent, biased, and misleading” chapters on climate change in the manual.
“These Manuals have been totally DISCREDITED,” Trump said. “Our Nation’s Federal Judges deserve Facts and Science, not Political Fraud and False Science on Climate. With this TRUTH, I hereby order Federal Suspension and Debarment Officials to review this conduct. Our Taxpayers should not be funding Climate Fraud, and Judges should never have relied upon it.”
Quick reminder: In February, the Federal Judicial Center moved to withdraw a climate science chapter from the reference manual after a group of Republican attorneys general claimed the chapter was written by authors connected to university climate studies programs to push “left leaning political agendas.”
A LOOK AHEAD:
July 20 The House Energy and Commerce Committee is marking up nearly 30 pieces of legislation, including the Ratepayer Protection Act.
July 21 – 23 The American Meteorological Society is meeting for its 2026 joint Washington Forum and Summer Community Meeting.
July 21 The National Coal Council is meeting in Washington, D.C.
July 21 The Center for Strategic and International Studies is holding an event titled, “The Future of Global Energy: Insights from the 2026 Statistical Review.”
July 21 The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources is holding a legislative hearing.
July 21 The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries is holding a legislative hearing.
July 21 The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks is holding a legislative hearing on more than two dozen bills.
July 22 The Department of Energy is unveiling its first Genesis Mission Awards.
July 22 Advanced Energy United is holding an integrated gas and electric planning executive forum in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
July 22 The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is holding an oversight hearing to examine the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
July 22 The House Natural Resources Committee is hosting a markup hearing.
July 22 The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture is hosting a hearing featuring testimony from Forest Service Chief Tom Schutz.
July 22 The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade is considering legislation to strengthen consumer protections.
July 22 The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is considering the nomination of Kevin Lilly to serve as Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife.
July 23 FERC is holding a technical conference.
RUNDOWN
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
