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IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: While we were out: Donald Trump deposed Venezuela's president to gain control of the country's oil reserves; Trump Administration halted five offshore wind projects already under construction; PLUS: The U.S. saw its warmest Christmas on record, thanks to fossil fuels... All that and more in today's Green News Report!

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IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see links below): 'Trump's EPA' in 2025: A fossil fuel-friendly approach to deregulation; Pollution from coal plants was dropping. Then came Trump and AI; EPA says it will propose drinking water limit for perchlorate, but only because court ordered it; Trump Has Left The US Less Prepared For Natural Disasters, Experts Say... PLUS: Trump says cost was behind his water pipeline veto, but some say it's retribution... and much, MUCH more! ...

STORIES DISCUSSED ON TODAY'S 'GREEN NEWS REPORT'...

• Trump deposes Venezuela's president to gain control of its oil reserves:
• Rubio says US will press change in Venezuela with oil embargo, while Trump insists 'we're in charge' (AP)
• Trump says Venezuela stole U.S. oil, land and assets. Here's the history. (Washington Post):
  
  But U.S. companies never owned oil or land in Venezuela, home to the world's largest proven reserves of crude, and officials didn't kick them out of the country...Nationalization was the culmination of a decades-long effort by administrations of both the right and the left to bring under government control an industry that an earlier leader had largely given away.
• Trump's Venezuela Blockade Is for "Our Oil." Experts Say It Isn't the US's to Take. (Mother Jones)
• VIDEO, transcript: Trump speaks after US strikes Venezuela and Captures Maduro (Rev):
  
  Donald Trump reveals that the United States struck Venezuela and its president had been captured and flown out of the country.
• Big Oil reluctant to take over Venezuela's decrepit oil infrastructure:
• Trump Wants Venezuela's Oil. Getting It Might Not Be So Simple (Wired):
  
  "We are entering a world where oil demand growth is slowing," Stockman says. "Despite what the Trump administration wants, we are in the midst of a transition. No matter where you believe the peak is, whether it's 2030 or beyond, the peak is coming."
• Trump admin sends tough private message to oil companies on Venezuela (Politico):
  
  The White House has told companies they must rebuild Venezuela's crude-pumping infrastructure if they want compensation for assets seized by Caracas.
• 'Massive' Venezuelan oil reserve would pose challenges for US firms, experts say (ABC News)
• Trump says US is taking control of Venezuela's oil reserves. Here's what it means (CNN)
• Christmas 2025 was warmest ever recorded in U.S.:
• Dozens of records fall as U.S. sees warmest Christmas ever observed (Weather Network)/li>
• Trump Energy Dept. orders retiring coal plants to stay open:
• Trump's Energy Secretary Orders a Washington State Coal Plant to Remain Open (Inside Climate News):
  
  Chris Wright made the move after declaring an energy "emergency" in the Pacific Northwest. Washington's governor says "there's no emergency here."
• Trump administration orders aging Colorado coal plant to stay open, one day before closing (Colorado Public Radio)
• Another Coal Plant Kept Open on Backs of Rate Payers (This Is Not Cool)
• DOE orders Washington state coal plant to stay open (E&E News)
• DOE orders 2 Indiana coal plants to continue operating (E&E News)
• IEA: Global coal demand to begin gradual decline in 2026:
• Coal Demand to Begin Gradual Decline Through 2030, IEA Says (Bloomberg)
• Global coal demand hit record high this year but is set to decline by 2030, IEA says. (Reuters)
• Global coal demand has reached a plateau and may well decline slightly by 2030 (International Energy Agency)
• Renewables deployment surpassed rising global electricity demand in 2025:
• Highlights of the global energy transition in 2025 (EMBER):
  
  Solar and wind are now expanding fast enough to meet all new electricity demand, a milestone reached in the first three quarters of 2025. Ember's analysis published in November shows that these technologies are no longer just catching up; they are outpacing demand growth itself..
  For the first time across a sustained period, renewables, including solar, wind, hydro and smaller sources such as geothermal, generated more electricity than coal. At the heart of this shift is solar, whose growth was more than three times larger than any other source of electricity so far in 2025, confirming its role as the dominant force reshaping the global power system. Another analysis showed that the world is set to add 793 GW of renewable capacity in 2025, up 11% from the 717 GW added in 2024. At this pace, only a modest increase in annual additions is needed for the world to stay on track to triple global renewables by 2030.
• Trump Admin. halted 5 offshore wind projects under construction:
• Trump Administration Targets Offshore Wind Farms, Citing National Security Concerns (Scientific American)
• Interior Dept. tries a new tactic to halt five offshore wind projects (Washington Post):
  
  "Each of these projects underwent vigorous national security vetting over several years," Lippold said. "In every case, it was found that the issues of concern had been addressed or could be mitigated through software or other upgrades in the turbine system or radar. The Department of Defense already vetted this."
• Offshore Wind Projects Challenge Trump Administration's Order to Stop Work (NY Times)
• Governors blast offshore wind halt (Finger Lakes News):
  
  The governors say the Biden administration's move rests on vague national security claims that contradict years of federal review, including assessments by the U.S. Department of Defense...The governors also point out that the military reviewed these exact projects years ago and found no threat.
• How offshore wind permits handled DOD concerns before Interior's pause (E&E News)
• Wind industry grew in 2025 despite Trump's efforts to kill it:
• US expected to install over 7 GW of wind capacity in 2025, 36% more than 2024 (Wood MacKenzie):
  
  The U.S. is expected to add more than 7 gigawatts (GW) of wind installations in 2025, a 36 percent increase over the previous year, and the five-year outlook remains unchanged quarter-over-quarter from previous forecast...Amid a challenging market environment, the report shows that the US is on track to add 46 GW of new wind capacity from 2025 to 2029, with total projected volumes unchanged quarter-on-quarter from previous forecasts. However, timing has shifted, as 2026 and 2027 will deliver significant gains.

• China's BYD takes top spot for global EV sales away from Tesla:
• Tesla loses title as world's biggest electric vehicle maker as sales fall for second year in a row (AP)

'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (Stuff we didn't have time for in today's audio report)...

For a comprehensive roundup of daily environmental news you can trust, see the Society of Environmental Journalists' Daily Headlines page

• 'Trump's EPA' in 2025: A fossil fuel-friendly approach to deregulation (AP)
• Pollution from coal plants was dropping. Then came Trump and AI. (E&E News)
• EPA says it will propose drinking water limit for perchlorate, but only because court ordered it (AP)
• Trump Has Left The US Less Prepared For Natural Disasters, Experts Say (Guardian)
• AI Data Boom In Mexico Fuels Rise In Dirty Energy (Context)
• Critical Mineral Bauxite Boom Pollutes Water And Crops In Guinea (Contest)<
• Trump says cost was behind his water pipeline veto, but some say it's retribution (WBUR)
• Soy Trading Firms To Abandon Amazon Protection Pact In Brazil (Reuters)
• The Biggest Climate Migration Problem May Be That There's Not Enough Of It (Grist)
• Butterfly Town USA Is Scrambling To Save Disappearing Monarchs (Guardian)
• Michigan's Other Water Crisis: PFAS's Prevalence in Private Wells (Inside Climate News)
• Federal Ruling Blocks Hawaii's Climate Change Tourist Tax On Cruise Ships (AP)
• Climate change is accelerating, scientists find in 'grim' report (Yale Climate Connections)
• How Trump's War on Climate Science impacts all Americans (Bloomberg)
• Solar Is Liberation (Rolling Stone)
• Governments legally required to address climate change, global court says (Inside Climate News)
• David Attenborough's 'Ocean' is a brutal, beautiful wake-up call from the sea (AP)
• Wall Street Journal: Clean energy transition is unstoppable (This Is Not Cool blog)
• Can we avoid the enshittification of clean-energy tech? (David Roberts, Volts)
• Stop emissions, stop warming: A climate reality check (Dr. Andrew Dessler, Climate Brink)
• Who Will Care for Americans Left Behind by Climate Migration? (Pro Publica)
• Is the Atlantic Overturning Circulation Approaching a Tipping Point? (The Oceanography Society)
• How Oil Companies Manipulate Journalists (Drilled)
• How To Spot 5 Of The Fossil Fuel Industry's Biggest Disinformation Tactics (Guardian)
• The Oceans We Knew Are Already Gone (The Atlantic)
• How to electrify your life when you rent (The Verge)
• Complete Series: Farmers Under Attack for Supporting Clean Energy (This Is Not Cool blog)
• Feeling Overwhelmed About Going All-Electric at Home? Here's How to Get Started (Inside Climate News)
• Feeling Hopeless About the Climate? Try Our 30-Day Action Plan (The Revelator)
• Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration (Pro Publica)
• Exxon's Snake Oil: 100 years of deception (Columbia Journalism Review)
• Project Drawdown: 100 Solutions to Reverse Global Warming (Drawdown.org)


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Article Categories: Environment, Green News, Natural gas, Coal, Oil, Wind energy, Solar energy, Climate change, Extreme weather, Venezuela, Electric vehicles, Tesla, Pollution, Electricity, BYD, Nicolás Maduro