Energy
Big oil is getting a bailout from the United States after falling flat, but why?
President of the United States announced on Tuesday, April 21, that the Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette and Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin will formulate a bailout plan for the Oil and Gas Industry.
“We will never let the great U.S. Oil & Gas Industry down. I have instructed the Secretary of Energy and Secretary of the Treasury to formulate a plan which will make funds available so that these significant companies and jobs will be secured long into the future,” the President tweeted.
We will never let the great U.S. Oil & Gas Industry down. I have instructed the Secretary of Energy and Secretary of the Treasury to formulate a plan which will make funds available so that these very important companies and jobs will be secured long into the future!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 21, 2020
The bailout suggestion from the U.S. leader comes just a day after oil experienced its most significant drop in history after prices fell as low as -$40 per barrel on Monday. The prices closed at -$37.63 and opened at -$14.00 on Tuesday morning.
While low trading volumes caused the steep drop in price according to USAToday, the bailout will do one thing: help an industry responsible for the corruption of the atmosphere, the rising of sea levels, and the melting of icecaps.
It is clear, and it has been since the beginning of his Presidential bid in 2016, that Donald Trump was focused on bringing coal and oil jobs to the United States. The once-thriving industry in the U.S. peaked in the mid-1960s, and nobody knew how dangerous it would be. After all, smoking cigarettes was once considered sexy and healthy, right?
Fast forward 40 or 50 years, and the U.S. is in the same boat as the rest of the world. Our country is in the midst of a climate crisis that threatens life as it is known, and the big auto manufacturers continue to pump out a lineup of gas and diesel-powered vehicles that corrupt the Earth. Families in the U.S. depend on energy primarily from natural gas, crude oil, and coal, all of which emit pollution and cause an influx of carbon dioxide to enter the atmosphere.
The move begs a few questions. The first: Why is this the time to bail out big oil?
In a time where the world is at a standstill in transportation, the Earth has not seen air this clear in decades. The gas and diesel machines are off the roads (for the most part), and skies are clear of haze. The current world humans are living in amidst the chaotic pandemic is a preview of what life would be like if every car was electric. If vehicles did not spew poisonous gases into the air, the world would be clear, the air would be clean, and the Earth would improve environmentally.
Some jobs come with oil, of course, but does this invoke the fact that the fall of the oil industry could ultimately be a positive thought and not something so negative? The cleanliness of the Earth during this time is a hint that a world powered by sustainable energy is in the best interest of humanity.
The second question: Would sustainable energy companies receive a bailout if they fell under during this time?
If the leaders of sustainable transportation and energy fell off and lost a majority of their value during this time of economic hardship, would they receive a bailout? This question cannot be answered for sure, because the answer is not known. It is possible but probably unlikely.
In December 2019, The Hill reported that President Trump’s 2018 tariffs on solar panels had harmed the U.S. solar industry by deleting 62,000 jobs and eliminating $19 billion in funding. The tariffs were implemented in a target to China, where the U.S. receives a significant portion of its solar panel imports. Around 80% of solar panels in the U.S. come from other countries, and China supplies a vast majority of them.
The solar industry did not receive the support it needed as it attempts to become the leading supplier of energy to U.S. citizens. Even though the environmental effects of solar energy are positive, it didn’t stop the tariffs from being put into place, and the lost jobs did not seem to be a concern.
The oil industry will have a plan inscribed by the U.S. government to save it from its ultimate downfall. In a time where the environment is crying for help, COVID has invoked Stay-at-Home orders from many governments. These orders have led to cars staying off the road and air being cleared of pollution. However, the bailout of big oil solidifies the fact that money is becoming a bigger priority than not only the Earth’s health but the human race as a whole, too.
Crude oil sits at $9.06 per barrel at the time of writing.
Energy
Tesla meets Giga New York’s Buffalo job target amid political pressures
Giga New York reported more than 3,460 statewide jobs at the end of 2025, meeting the benchmark tied to its dollar-a-year lease.
Tesla has surpassed its job commitments at Giga New York in Buffalo, easing pressure from lawmakers who threatened the company with fines, subsidy clawbacks, and dealership license revocations last year.
The company reported more than 3,460 statewide jobs at the end of 2025, meeting the benchmark tied to its dollar-a-year lease at the state-built facility.
As per an employment report reviewed by local media, Tesla employed 2,399 full-time workers at Gigafactory New York and 1,060 additional employees across the state at the end of 2025. Part-time roles pushed the total headcount of Tesla’s New York staff above the 3,460-job target.
The gains stemmed in part from a new Long Island service center, a Buffalo warehouse, and additional showrooms in White Plains and Staten Island. Tesla also said it has invested $350 million in supercomputing infrastructure at the site and has begun manufacturing solar panels.
Empire State Development CEO Hope Knight said the agency was “very happy” with Giga New York’s progress, as noted in a WXXI report. The current lease runs through 2029, and negotiations over updated terms have included potential adjustments to job requirements and future rent payments.
Some lawmakers remain skeptical, however. Assemblymember Pat Burke questioned whether the reported job figures have been fully verified. State Sen. Patricia Fahy has also continued to sponsor legislation that would revoke Tesla’s company-owned dealership licenses in New York. John Kaehny of Reinvent Albany has argued that the project has not delivered the manufacturing impact originally promised as well.
Knight, for her part, maintained that Empire State Development has been making the best of a difficult situation.
“(Empire State Development) has tried to make the best of a very difficult situation. There hasn’t been another use that has come forward that would replace this one, and so to the extent that we’re in this place, the fact that 2,000 families at (Giga New York) are being supported through the activity of this employer. It’s the best that we can have happen,” the CEO noted.
Energy
Tesla launches Cybertruck vehicle-to-grid program in Texas
The initiative was announced by the official Tesla Energy account on social media platform X.
Tesla has launched a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) program in Texas, allowing eligible Cybertruck owners to send energy back to the grid during high-demand events and receive compensation on their utility bills.
The initiative, dubbed Powershare Grid Support, was announced by the official Tesla Energy account on social media platform X.
Texas’ Cybertruck V2G program
In its post on X, Tesla Energy confirmed that vehicle-to-grid functionality is “coming soon,” starting with select Texas markets. Under the new Powershare Grid Support program, owners of the Cybertruck equipped with Powershare home backup hardware can opt in through the Tesla app and participate in short-notice grid stress events.
During these events, the Cybertruck automatically discharges excess energy back to the grid, supporting local utilities such as CenterPoint Energy and Oncor. In return, participants receive compensation in the form of bill credits. Tesla noted that the program is currently invitation-only as part of an early adopter rollout.
The launch builds on the Cybertruck’s existing Powershare capability, which allows the vehicle to provide up to 11.5 kW of power for home backup. Tesla added that the program is expected to expand to California next, with eligibility tied to utilities such as PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E.
Powershare Grid Support
To participate in Texas, Cybertruck owners must live in areas served by CenterPoint Energy or Oncor, have Powershare equipment installed, enroll in the Tesla Electric Drive plan, and opt in through the Tesla app. Once enrolled, vehicles would be able to contribute power during high-demand events, helping stabilize the grid.
Tesla noted that events may occur with little notice, so participants are encouraged to keep their Cybertrucks plugged in when at home and to manage their discharge limits based on personal needs. Compensation varies depending on the electricity plan, similar to how Powerwall owners in some regions have earned substantial credits by participating in Virtual Power Plant (VPP) programs.
Tesla is updating Cybertruck owners on its timeline of a massive feature that has yet to ship: Powershare with Powerwall.
Powershare is a bidirectional charging feature exclusive to Cybertruck, which allows the vehicle’s battery to act as a portable power source for homes, appliances, tools, other EVs, and more. It was announced in late 2023 as part of Tesla’s push into vehicle-to-everything energy sharing, and acting as a giant portable charger is the main advantage, as it can provide backup power during outages.
Cybertruck’s Powershare system supports both vehicle-to-load (V2L) and vehicle-to-home (V2H), making it flexible and well-rounded for a variety of applications.
However, even though the feature was promised with Cybertruck, it has yet to be shipped to vehicles. Tesla communicated with owners through email recently regarding Powershare with Powerwall, which essentially has the pickup act as an extended battery.
Powerwall discharge would be prioritized before tapping into the truck’s larger pack.
However, Tesla is still working on getting the feature out to owners, an email said:
“We’re writing to let you know that the Powershare with Powerwall feature is still in development and is now scheduled for release in mid-2026.
This new release date gives us additional time to design and test this feature, ensuring its ability to communicate and optimize energy sharing between your vehicle and many configurations and generations of Powerwall. We are also using this time to develop additional Powershare features that will help us continue to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”
Owners have expressed some real disappointment in Tesla’s continuous delays in releasing the feature, as it was expected to be released by late 2024, but now has been pushed back several times to mid-2026, according to the email.
Foundation Series Cybertruck buyers paid extra, expecting the feature to be rolled out with their vehicle upon pickup.
Cybertruck’s Lead Engineer, Wes Morrill, even commented on the holdup:
As a Cybertruck owner who also has Powerwall, I empathize with the disappointed comments.
To their credit, the team has delivered powershare functionality to Cybertruck customers who otherwise have no backup with development of the powershare gateway. As well as those with solar…
— Wes (@wmorrill3) December 12, 2025
He said that “it turned out to be much harder than anticipated to make powershare work seamlessly with existing Powerwalls through existing wall connectors. Two grid-forming devices need to negotiate who will form and who will follow, depending on the state of charge of each, and they need to do this without a network and through multiple generations of hardware, and test and validate this process through rigorous certifications to ensure grid safety.”
It’s nice to see the transparency, but it is justified for some Cybertruck owners to feel like they’ve been bait-and-switched.
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