Today: The president’s assault on wind farms is stalling a legislative push to speed permitting for energy projects; Google calls on lawmakers to boost data-center power buildout; Net Zero Asset Managers initiative relaunches.

Welcome back:  The oil-and-gas industry has for months told the Trump administration that its moves to expedite fossil-fuel projects should be enshrined in law—lest a Democratic president reverse them in the future. But the president’s continued blitz against wind is throwing a monkey wrench into a crucial legislative push to do just that.

Senate Democrats have said they would refuse to negotiate a bipartisan law to reform energy permits as long as Trump keeps stalling wind farms. Oil lobbyists see a narrowing window to break the logjam before the midterm elections, when they expect Democrats to regain control of the House.

Trump’s escalating feud with wind is forcing the fossil-fuel industry into odd contortions. It has now become a begrudging mediator between wind developers and the Trump administration, the Journal's Benoit Morenne reports.

Lobbyists told staff at the National Energy Dominance Council, a body Trump set up to boost energy projects, that the administration’s stance against wind makes it much more difficult to get a bipartisan deal in Congress, one of the people familiar with the matter said.

The American Petroleum Institute has made it clear to the administration that permitting is its No. 1 legislative priority, and it supports ensuring that all projects that have received a federal nod can be completed—including wind projects, according to people familiar with the matter.

Efforts to increase energy access for a new fleet of data centers was top of mind at a House Science, Space and Technology subcommittee hearing this week, amid concerns about their constituents’ energy bills, environmental protections, and competition with China, WSJ Pro Sustainable Business's Clara Hudson reports.

Google Head of Energy and Sustainability Policy Marsden Hanna told lawmakers at the hearing that the current energy infrastructure permitting system is “outdated and byzantine,” bogged down by a host of uncertainties and crippling timelines. Hanna advocated for cutting energy bureaucracy and ensuring permitting certainty for new energy projects.

The tech giant announced this week that it is building its first data center in Minnesota. The plant will include solar and wind power generation as well as iron-air battery storage, “to accelerate clean energy deployment without shifting costs to local customers,” Google said.

Iron-air batteries generate electricity through a chemical reaction involving oxygen, water and iron powder that mimics how old pieces of metal gather rust. The batteries can be repowered too through a kind of “de-rusting.” Electricity reverses the rusting process, allowing the iron batteries to store energy for later use, writes Barron's Avi Salzman.

A group of asset managers committed to investing with climate change in mind relaunched after suspending activities more than a year ago amid waning U.S. financial sector support for ESG, WSJ Pro Sustainable Business's Yusuf Khan reports.

The Net Zero Asset Managers initiative, which launched in 2021, said Wednesday it was resurrecting itself, with more than 250 asset managers signed on to an updated commitment statement. The revamped organization is taking a more voluntary approach to climate-focused investing, with individual commitments recognized as part of its investment strategy. The group previously was based more on a binding commitment.

Notable signatories include Aberdeen, Brookfield Asset Management, UBS Asset Management, Lazard Asset Management and Fidelity International.

The U.S. may be scaling back climate initiatives but other countries–and especially the European Union–are forging ahead with new rules. The Dow Jones Risk Journal Summit in New York on March 4 will include a discussion on how companies can manage this complex picture. Speakers are Tim Mohin, partner and director at Boston Consulting Group, and Beth Sasfai, from law firm Cooley.

Request a complimentary invitation here using code COMPLIMENTARY. Attendance is limited, and all requests are subject to approval.

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• Stellantis reported an annual net loss of more than $26 billion, reflecting charges from scaling back electric-vehicle investments. (WSJ)
   
• Proposal for a massive gas-fired power plant in Ohio would likely create one of the nation’s largest sources of CO2 emissions. (Bloomberg)
   
• A 20-year-old plaintiff testified that YouTube and Instagram contributed to her social isolation and mental-health issues. (WSJ)
   
• Lego Group has expanded the toymaker's carbon portfolio with both nature-based and technology-based projects. (ESG Today)
   
• Local plumber Hannah Spencer wins district election for U.K. Green Party, pushing ruling Labour Party into third place. (WSJ)
   
• Disney Sustainability Chief Yalmaz Siddiqui tells fellow CSOs: Stop talking yourself out of a job. (Trellis)

WSJ Pro Sustainable Business gives you an inside look at how companies are tackling sustainability. Send your comments to editor Perry Cleveland-Peck at perry.cleveland-peck@wsj.com and reporters Clara Hudson at clara.hudson@wsj.com and Yusuf Khan at yusuf.khan@wsj.com. Follow us on LinkedIn at perrycp, clara-hudson and yusuf_khan.