By Jesse Bunch, Philadelphia Inquirer

As President Donald Trump’s administration calls for a nationwide shipbuilding boom that would see the military’s fleet better compete with geopolitical rivals, Philadelphia’s shipyard aims to expand production and hire hundreds of local welders.

The recently passed “One Big Beautiful Bill” suggests eliminating the federal agency making that goal possible.

A tuition-free, grant-funded training program for trade workers at local community colleges is helping Hanwha — the Korean company that purchased the South Philadelphia shipyard last year — recruit would-be welders who will help the facility double its workforce in coming years, managers say.

The program from former President Joe Biden’s administration, dubbed the Good Jobs Challenge, is part of the Economic Development Administration’s sweeping initiative to train the nation’s workforce in high-demand, critical industries and bolster regional economies.

If the White House succeeds in its stated goal of defunding the EDA, however, the future of such workforce development programs is uncertain.

The proposal comes as Philadelphia faces a growing shortage of welders, and local workforce leaders say cuts could leave the city’s next generation of trade workers behind.

“We are concerned,” said Patrick Clancy, president and CEO of Philadelphia Works, the region’s top workforce board. “The Trump administration needs to realize if we want to bring all this stuff back into the United States around manufacturing, we need skilled people.”

Read the full story here

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By Kathryn Krawczyk, Canary Media

So far, 2025 has been a mixed bag for EV sales in the U.S. A record 607,089 EVs left the lot in the first six months of the year, Cox Automotive reports, but sales in the second quarter were still lower than in Q2 2024.

A big part of that Q2 decline has to do with Tesla, which remains the U.S.’s top EV seller but has suffered stateside and around the world thanks to CEO Elon Musk’s stint in the White House. This week, Tesla reported its revenue dropped 16% in Q2 compared to the same period last year. Tesla doesn’t report its sales, but it delivered nearly 60,000 fewer vehicles in Q2 compared to a year ago.

General Motors, meanwhile, had better news to share. It sold 46,280 EVs in Q2, more than double its sales in the same period last year. That’s still a far cry from Tesla’s 380,000-plus deliveries, but it was enough to make GM the No. 2 EV brand in the U.S. And slower EV sales across the industry aren’t deterring GM CEO Mary Barra, who said the company sees EV production as its ​“North Star.”

Rivian reported a delivery decline in the second quarter but still plans to build new headquarters and an EV factory in Georgia. Smaller EV company Lucid says it delivered a record 3,309 cars in Q2.

Be prepared, though, for a rollercoaster in the next few months now that the ​“Big, Beautiful Bill” has sent EV tax credits to an early grave. Cox Automotive predicts EV sales will hit a new record in Q3 as buyers race to use federal incentives before they expire at the end of September. After that? ​“A collapse in Q4, as the electric vehicle market adjusts to its new reality.”

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By Colleen O’Dea, Senior Writer and Projects Editor, NJ Spotlight News

It’s still unclear who will be New Jersey’s next chief federal prosecutor. As interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba’s term draws to a close, the Trump administration rejected her replacement chosen by the state’s federal judges, continuing to bring politics into an office supposed to oversee the impartial administration of justice.

The appointment of Habba, President Trump’s former personal attorney, as the third U.S. attorney for the state this year was controversial from the start because of her lack of experience in both criminal and civil matters and because of numerous political statements she had made. Trump has nominated her to the position, which must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, where both New Jersey senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim oppose her nomination.

By law, when an interim U.S. attorney appointment expires, the district court appoints someone until the vacancy is filled. New Jersey’s court did that on Tuesday when it issued an order naming Habba’s first assistant attorney, Desiree Leigh Grace, as her successor. Grace has been with the U.S. attorney’s office for almost nine years, according to her profile on LinkedIn, and was named Habba’s first assistant on April 25. She is highly respected by other attorneys and staff, according to a number of sources.

Within hours, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on social media that Grace “has just been removed” from her position as first assistant attorney. Bondi said she supports Habba and criticized “politically minded” and “rogue” judges.

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Related:
Newark mayor sues feds over arrest outside ICE facility

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By Thomas G. Allen, Nathaniel B. Bolin, Nathan H. Carrier, William H. Holmes, KL Gates

Auxin Solar (Auxin) is asking the US Court of International Trade (CIT) to overturn a moratorium that allowed certain solar panels and modules from Southeast Asia to enter the US duty-free between June 2022 and June 2024 (the Moratorium Period). Auxin is asking the CIT to reliquidate all entries during the Moratorium Period—a result that has the potential to impose steep antidumping (AD) and countervailing duties (CV), retroactively, on some panels and modules.

Alternatively, Auxin is asking the CIT to assess AD/CV duties and reliquidate all entries that benefited from duty-free treatment that were imported prior to the Moratorium Period. Under either scenario, the economic impact of retroactive duties could be substantial. Between 2022 and 2023 alone, an estimated US$21 billion in applicable solar cells and modules were imported into the United States from Southeast Asia. In the first half of 2024, the value of the impacted products exceeded US$7 billion. 

As the firm wrote about here, there are several contract clauses that might address the risk associated with changes to project economics arising from shifts in US trade policy or changes in law. In addition, some parties may have specifically allocated for the scenario of increased duties associated with the Auxin litigation and a related Department of Commerce (Commerce) investigation into alleged circumvention of antidumping orders. Parties that imported any of the products at issue should consult their contracts to determine whether they address the potentially significant economic impact of a reliquidation order by the CIT. 

Read the full story here

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By Frank Brill, EnviroPolitics Editor

Two years. Two auctions. One undeniable trend: PJM Interconnection’s latest Base Residual Auction confirms that energy costs are rising fast—and New Jersey ratepayers are shouldering the burden. The clearing price jumped again this year, from $269.92/MW-day to $329.17/MW-day, despite the introduction of a price cap meant to soften the blow.

But behind the numbers is a tangled crisis of policy, infrastructure, politics, and market inertia.

According to energy developers and clean power advocates, the price spike should serve as a strong “build signal,” indicating a growing need for new electricity supply. Yet PJM’s three-year closure of its interconnection queue is paralyzing response. Projects stuck in queue for more than six years face mounting costs and uncertainty—and with the queue unlikely to reopen before 2026, market participants say the region can’t build the needed clean resources in time to avoid further price hikes or reliability concerns.

“This is the market screaming for new supply—but PJM’s interconnection process is holding up a big red STOP sign,” said Jon Gordon of Advanced Energy United.

At the same time, Republican lawmakers are pointing to deeper systemic concerns. Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco (R-25) sharply criticized New Jersey’s energy strategy, saying the auction results reflect failures by state policymakers to balance affordability, reliability, and environmental goals.

“Trenton Democrats catered to the far-left wing of their party with unrealistic mandates and politically driven policies that ignore basic energy economics,” Bucco stated. “Now, ratepayers will see no relief for the 2026–2027 delivery year.”

Bucco emphasized that delays in retiring older fuel-based power plants are the only reason PJM avoided even worse auction outcomes. The continued reliance on these legacy plants, he said, reflects the grid’s vulnerability and the pitfalls of deprioritizing natural gas and embracing forced electrification

What’s the solution? Help us all out

New Jersey’s energy supply and pricing are a significant mess. If you have experience in the arcane arena of energy planning and regulation, we’d love to review your suggestions on fixing the problem(s). Send them to: editor@enviropolitics.com. We’ll publish what we see as the most helpful. Thanks for your insights.