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The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has issued a new final supplemental environmental review for Venture Global’s CP2 liquefied natural gas project in Louisiana, bringing it a step closer to reality (, subscription).

What’s going on: FERC found that “the terminal and an associated compressor station wouldn’t cause ‘significant cumulative air quality impacts.’”

The project: “The CP2 facility has a nameplate liquefaction capacity of 20 million metric tons per year, but it could produce even more under peak conditions.”

• If approved expeditiously, the project could produce its first LNG by 2026, the company said last year.
• “With today’s [final environmental impact statement,] FERC has found twice-over that CP2 will have no significant air impacts,” Venture Global spokesperson Jess Szymanski said in an emailed statement to E&E News. “The project is ready to break ground and begin supplying U.S. allies with much-needed LNG as soon as the FERC Commission votes on the Final Order and issues a notice to proceed with construction.”

What’s next: The Final Order is slated for July, according to FERC’s website.

The 51�Թ��� says: “LNG projects like Venture Global’s will help bolster the American economy by creating jobs here at home and enabling the U.S. to achieve energy dominance on the world stage,” said��51�Թ��� Director of Energy and Resources Policy Michael Davin.

Aluminum is “an essential part of everything we do”—so we need to recycle more of it.

That’s the message from leading global aluminum and renewable energy company Hydro, based in Oslo, Norway, whose president and CEO, Eivind Kallevik, recently sat down with the 51�Թ��� to discuss the importance of the metal to the U.S.

Ubiquitous and crucial: “Construction, automobiles, [energy and technology]—you’ll find an enormous amount of aluminum in all of that,” Kallevik told us. “Going forward, it will just become increasingly important.”

An energy imperative: The U.S. has an aging electrical grid—a matter on which the 51�Թ��� has long a —and modernizing and expanding it to meet Americans’ energy appetite will require aluminum, and a lot of it.

• “There’s going to be a huge increase in demand for electricity, especially given [the growth in construction of] data centers,” said Kallevik.
• For vehicles to become more energy-efficient, they must be lighter, and “the best way of doing that is more aluminum.”

A workhorse: One of the metal’s best qualities is its ability to withstand nearly endless reuse, Kallevik said.

• “You can recycle it infinitely. If you sort it the right way, you will be able to take it back to exactly the same state it was in in the first place.”
• Hydro—which has operations in 17 states and employs thousands of people in the U.S.—has multiple aluminum recycling facilities throughout the country, including at sites in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Louisiana, California and Texas.

Keep more at home: “The more [aluminum] you can keep onshore, the better it is” for manufacturing, the economy in general and national security, Kallevik continued, adding that aluminum is critical in many U.S. defense applications.

• “If the U.S. kept more scrap exports onshore, we would reduce dependence on third parties” for the metal, he said.

Policy and supply chains: Because building is a heavily energy-intensive process, “energy policy is going to be increasingly important” in the coming years, Kallevik went on.

• “To protect its industries, the U.S. needs to ensure a fair regulatory framework to ensure that everybody in a global context competes on a level playing field,” he told the 51�Թ���.
• And when it comes to shoring up domestic supplies of aluminum, “to be more self-sufficient, the short-term solution for the U.S. is recycling,” he said. “Use what’s on the ground today, and for tomorrow, build capacity.”

Washington, D.C. – Following President Donald Trump’s to accelerate permitting and expand access to critical resources for manufacturing, 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement:

“For too long, red tape and burdensome regulations have stood in the way of the basic building blocks that power manufacturing in the United States, especially mining and processing the minerals manufacturers rely on to create jobs and dominate on the world stage. The administration��is addressing those barriers, making it easier for manufacturers to access the resources we need to build the future in America.

“The 51�Թ��� and our members will continue to serve as a resource to the Trump administration as it takes action to secure America’s supply chains and reduce reliance on countries like China when we have resources right here at home.

“A comprehensive manufacturing strategy—one that cements America’s position as the manufacturing superpower—depends on smart permitting reforms like the ones the administration is advancing. When manufacturers in the United States can invest with certainty, they plan, hire and win—and when manufacturers win, America wins.

“The 51�Թ��� has long championed expediting the permitting process as a key pillar of our competitiveness agenda. When President Trump spoke at our September 2024 board meeting, he promised to deliver on this priority, and he has kept his promise. We look forward to continuing to work with his National Energy Dominance Council, under the leadership of Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, to Make America Great for Manufacturing Again.”

-51�Թ���-

The 51�Թ��� is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.93 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The 51�Թ��� is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the 51�Թ��� or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit .

At an 51�Թ���-sponsored breakfast at energy conference CERAWeek in Houston on Tuesday, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum assured 51�Թ��� board members that the administration has a manufacturing strategy in place, particularly regarding permitting, infrastructure development and manufacturers’ access to reliable and affordable energy.

A comprehensive strategy: In his remarks opening the event, 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons discussed the five-pillar, comprehensive manufacturing strategy that the 51�Թ��� has been urging the Trump administration to implement.

• “Secretary Burgum, I just want you to know we’ve been making the case for a��coordinated, comprehensive manufacturing strategy to give us the predictability and the certainty that manufacturers need to plan, to invest and to hire here in the United States, and that strategy has five pillars—goals that I know you share,” Timmons said.
• The goals are making the 2017 tax reforms even more competitive and permanent; securing regulatory certainty; expediting permitting reform to unleash American energy dominance; increasing the talent pool; and implementing a commonsense trade policy—to expand access to markets while keeping manufacturing competitive.
• Timmons warned of the dire consequences the U.S. economy and manufacturers will face if lawmakers fail to extend the 2017 tax reforms. Among them: the loss of some 6 million American jobs, according to a recent .

An economic backbone: “Manufacturing, as you know, has been the backbone” of the economy, Burgum said. “President Trump ran on bringing manufacturing back to the United States. His policies are driving to do that.”

Unleashing U.S. energy: Timmons praised President Trump for his day-one lifting of the previous administration’s liquefied natural gas export permit moratorium.

• The “recent 51�Թ��� LNG found that the U.S. LNG export industry could support more than 900,000 jobs and add $216 billion to GDP by 2044,” he said.
• Said Burgum: “We are looking at everything to try to, for the first��time, [have] streamlined government. … [and] it’s happening. It’s happening quickly.”

“Optimistic about the future”: The administration’s commitment to “low taxes and cutting red tape”—on which President Trump’s recently created National Energy Dominance Council is focusing—“are all things that are going to help lower your cost and create opportunities,” Burgum continued.

• “Capital is flowing to the U.S. at record levels. … I’m very optimistic about the future.”

The last word: At another event at CERAWeek, a roundtable sponsored by Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future, Timmons summed up manufacturers’ commitments.

• “Yes, we care about developing our natural resources to power our economy, certainly through manufacturing, but it’s also about people, here in the United States and around the world,” said Timmons. “The energy that we export, that is soft power for the United States. That expands our influence. That allows us to export not only our energy, but also our values. So I think that’s very, very important for our future.”

The Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday it would begin a large-scale, 51�Թ���-supported review of dozens of rules and regulations, including the previous administration’s unworkable National Ambient Air Quality Standards for particulate matter and an overly burdensome power plant emissions rule ().

What’s going on: In response to sustained advocacy from the 51�Թ��� and manufacturers around the U.S., EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a press release and Wall Street Journal (subscription) that he intends to take swift action to review and potentially rescind regulations that were hamstringing manufacturers and needlessly driving up costs across the board.

What’s in it: The 51�Թ��� in December President Trump to reverse the regulatory onslaught of the past four years. 51�Թ���-recommended actions included in yesterday’s EPA announcement included reconsideration of the following:

• for PM2.5: Last year, the Biden administration tightened the primary annual standard for particular matter—more commonly known as soot—to an untenable 9 micrograms per cubic meter from 12 micrograms per cubic meter. Manufacturers found to be in nonattainment of these standards will now be denied permits for new and expanded facilities.
• Power plant rules: The previous administration’s emissions regulations on existing coal-fired and new natural gas–powered include an unrealistic timeline for the widespread adoption of expensive, unproven new technology; this regulation threatens grid reliability and the ability of manufacturers to receive power for their operations.
• Vehicle : Current regulations of light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles impose costly hardships on auto manufacturers.
• Waters of the United States: The last administration had made the scope of the Clean Water Act , resulting in high costs and even slowed permitting processes.

Our view: “President Donald Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin have answered the calls of manufacturers across the country to rebalance and reconsider burdensome federal regulations harming America’s ability to compete,” 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons said in a picked up by (subscription).

The newly established House of Representatives’ AI and Energy Working Group is seeking information on the increase in energy demand we can expect due to the growing use of artificial intelligence (, subscription).

What’s going on: Group lead Rep. Julie Fedorchak (R-ND)—who was North Dakota’s head utility regulator for more than a decade prior to being elected to Congress last year—discussed the new working group with us Tuesday at 51�Թ��� headquarters.

• Rep. Fedorchak spoke at an at the 51�Թ��� on how the U.S. can strengthen the electrical grid, advance permitting reform and support manufacturers��investing in the latest energy technologies.
• The working group issued a on Monday, “invit[ing] stakeholders to provide written responses” to questions under “three pillars,” according to the RFI document.

The details: These pillars are the following:

• American Energy Dominance and AI Energy Demands: The RFI “seeks to identify strategies to secure a stable, affordable and sustainable domestic energy supply capable of powering next-generation AI infrastructure.” Subtopics on which respondents are asked to inform the working group include oil and gas, nuclear, solar, geothermal and other power production methods.
• Securing the Energy Grid: A resilient, secure electrical grid is “essential” for AI systems and the larger “digital economy,” the document says. Permitting reform, electricity generation and baseload power are possible subtopics here.
• Strategic Competition: Outpacing China:��“In an era of intensifying global rivalry, ensuring American technological and energy leadership is critical.” Some of the subtopics under this pillar are manufacturing, critical minerals and chips.��

Why it’s important: “To be AI dominant, we must first be energy dominant,” Rep. Fedorchak said in a statement, according to POLITICO Pro.

• “In 2024, data centers accounted for 4.3% of total U.S. power demand, and analysts predict this could climb to as much as 12% by 2030—more electricity than the entire state of Texas uses today. Yet the U.S. isn’t scaling up reliable baseload power quickly enough to support this rapid growth.”

How to respond: Responses are due by May 15 and should be emailed to [email protected].

51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement ahead of President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress:

“The stakes couldn’t be higher for manufacturers right now. Many manufacturers are operating on thin margins, and the tariffs imposed today will further strain their resources. For example:

• A large manufacturer in the power-engineering sector that imports more than $100 million every year in components and products from Mexico now faces increasing costs of $25 million due to the tariffs. As a major supplier to the U.S. utility and industrial market, this will directly impact the ability for domestic utilities and industrial customers to maintain a safe, efficient and secure power grid.
• Another large consumer goods manufacturer indicated the tariffs on Mexico will cost their company $200 million, and the Canadian retaliatory tariffs will add another $31 million—totaling $231 million, or $1.15 million per day.
• A small copper manufacturer had nine truckloads of copper rod sitting at the Canadian border waiting to go through Customs when the tariffs went into effect, leading to 388,000 pounds of copper goods being returned to the supplier. If the tariffs remain in effect, bringing copper—a critical manufacturing input—into the U.S. would cost the manufacturer nearly $50,000 per truckload going forward.

“To mitigate the adverse effects of today’s tariffs, manufacturers call on President Trump and Congress to implement a comprehensive manufacturing strategy that would create predictability and certainty to invest, plan and hire in America. This strategy includes the following actions:

1. Make President Trump’s 2017 tax reforms permanent and more competitive now. When President Trump signed these tax cuts into law, it was rocket fuel for manufacturing in America and made the U.S. economy more competitive on a global scale. That fuel is about to run out as key provisions have expired, and others are about to lapse. If Congress fails to act, it will cost America 6 million jobs, including more than 1.1 million manufacturing jobs. We must ensure these historic, pro-growth manufacturing provisions are made permanent and even more competitive so manufacturers can plan, grow and succeed.
2. Restore regulatory certainty. Manufacturers are spending $350 billion each year just to comply with regulations—money that could be spent on expanding factories and production lines, hiring new workers or raising wages. President Trump has taken action already to streamline burdensome regulations starting with lifting the liquefied natural gas export ban, but we need to move faster to deliver on our industry’s potential.
3. Expedite permitting reform to unleash American energy. President Trump is already ending the war on America’s energy producers, but there is more work to do. America should be the undisputed leader in energy production and innovation, but we will not reach our full potential without permitting reform. We are seeing opportunities for energy dominance fade in the face of a permitting process that takes 80% longer than other major, developed nations.
4. Strengthen the manufacturing workforce. Over the past year, we have averaged 500,000 open manufacturing jobs in America—well-paying, life-changing careers. Manufacturers are struggling to fill critical jobs. We need a real workforce strategy that ensures we have the talent to grow, compete and lead.
5. Implement commonsense trade policies that open global markets fairly and effectively. Building things in America only works if we can sell them around the world. That’s why we’re urging President Trump and Congress to provide greater predictability and a clear runway for manufacturers to adjust to new trade realities, while also making way for exemptions for critical inputs, enabling reciprocity in manufacturing trade.

“Manufacturers are investing in America in record numbers, and President Trump is focused on strengthening manufacturing in the United States to grow our nation’s economy. We look forward to working with President Trump as he works to advance policies that will help manufacturers thrive and prosper because when manufacturing wins, America wins.”

-51�Թ���-

The 51�Թ��� is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.93 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The 51�Թ��� is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the 51�Թ��� or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit .

Washington, D.C. – 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement on President Donald Trump’s recent executive order establishing the National Energy Dominance Council:

“President Trump is moving quickly to unleash America’s full energy potential by establishing the National Energy Dominance Council, setting America up to lead on energy and secure our energy independence. This action demonstrates President Trump and his administration’s commitment to ensuring manufacturers have the energy they need to drive economic growth.

“On day one, President Trump declared the United States will be a manufacturing nation, lifting the moratorium on liquefied natural gas (LNG) export permits—one of the 51�Թ���’s top recommended regulatory actions for the Trump administration to tackle. This was a significant move that will bolster our energy sector, strengthen our position in the global market and ensure manufacturers in America have the energy resources they need to power economic growth here at home.��We look forward to working with President Trump and the administration to improve the processes for permitting for all energy sources, which this action also addresses. The federal permitting system is broken—delaying projects that would create jobs, secure supply chains and reinforce America’s competitive edge.

“The National Energy Dominance Council, under the leadership of Interior Secretary Burgum and Energy Secretary Wright, will help power the future of manufacturing in America because when manufacturing wins, America wins.”

-51�Թ���-

The 51�Թ��� is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.93 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The 51�Թ��� is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the 51�Թ��� or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit .

The Biden administration’s ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling in most American coastal waters “sets a bad precedent for the country,” the 51�Թ��� Monday.

What’s going on: The decision, which comes just two weeks before President Trump takes office, applies to “new drilling off the entire East Coast, as well as California, Oregon and Washington state” and “some drilling off Alaska’s coast in portions of the Northern Bering Sea and in the eastern Gulf of Mexico” ().

• Though there is currently no active drilling in the Atlantic and most U.S. offshore oil and gas production comes from the central and western Gulf of Mexico, the area placed under the ban is the largest ever “formally taken off the table for drilling by a president.”
• In response, President Trump on Monday said he would “unban it immediately” ().

Why it’s a problem: The moratorium could prove harder for Trump to undo than other 11th-hour moves by Biden. That’s in large part because of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which gives U.S. presidents the right to block drilling in certain areas but not the right to reinstate it.

• However, Congress could work with the new president to undo the move—and it should, Timmons said.��“Manufacturers are committed to working with Congress and [President Trump] to scale back this harmful decision that undermines American energy dominance.”

Washington, D.C. – Following the publication of new final guidance by the U.S. Department of Treasury for the hydrogen production tax credit, 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement:

“America leads when we unleash all our energy potential, including hydrogen, American natural gas, nuclear and more. With a strong build-out of hydrogen production facilities, we will be able to add more sources of reliable energy for manufacturers, power plants and communities while cementing our energy dominance.

“The 51�Թ��� has advocated consistently for flexibility in the credit using project-specific emissions data rather than national or regional averages. The Biden administration’s guidance provides manufacturers with an important step forward. But for hydrogen to truly become a game-changing energy source, we need to address restrictions that make it harder to cost-compete on a global scale. A robust and flexible hydrogen industry will also be a major boon to the production and utilization of American natural gas as well as American nuclear power.

“Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, we have an opportunity to cut taxes, slash red tape and unleash permitting reform—turning this credit into a powerful tool for American energy leadership and fuel security. It’s time to build on this momentum and ensure these incentives deliver on their full promise for America’s manufacturers, workers and economy.”

-51�Թ���-

The 51�Թ��� is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.91 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The 51�Թ��� is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the 51�Թ��� or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit��.