What if the fastest, cheapest fix for America’s power grid is hiding in plain sight? On this episode of Political Climate , we dive into grid utilization — and how to unlock the massive untapped potential of a system that operates at just ~50% capacity (as Secretary Wright noted just last month). With Ian Magruder (founder and executive director of the Utilize Coalition) and guest co-host Hillary O’Brien (managing director of clean power at ClearPath) we explore how solutions such as advanced tr...
Apr 27, 2026•43 min
Gas prices are spiking as the Iran war disrupts global oil markets — so will this be the moment that finally supercharges EV adoption in the U.S.? This week on Political Climate , we explore how past energy shocks have driven policy shifts aimed at greater energy diversification — and whether history is repeating itself, only with new stakes. Avery Ash, CEO of Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE), joins the show to discuss how geopolitics, consumer behavior, and technological advancements are...
Apr 13, 2026•56 min
March was defined by blown predictions, resilience, wins, losses, and last-minute turnarounds—and not just in college basketball. In many ways, those same forces are shaping the energy sector today. Shane Battier—NCAA champion at Duke in 2001 and two-time NBA champion with the Miami Heat—knows a thing or two about performing under pressure. Now, he’s bringing that playbook to cleantech. In this episode of Political Climate , we sit down with Shane to talk about what March Madness can teach us be...
Mar 31, 2026•56 min
Energy is back at the center of politics. From war in the Middle East disrupting oil and LNG flows through the Strait of Hormuz to AI-driven data centers sending U.S. power demand soaring, energy policy is shaping the road to the 2026 midterms. In the first episode back from a break, hosts Julia Pyper, Brandon Hurlbut, and Neil Chatterjee sit down with Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) and former Rep. Ryan Costello (R-PA) at the Winterfest conference to discuss: How conflict in the Middle East is rattling ...
Mar 12, 2026•58 min
2025 has been one of the most turbulent years on record for U.S. climate and energy policy. The One Big Beautiful Bill is in; the Inflation Reduction Act is out. Clean energy grants have been canceled, permits delayed, and federal priorities reshuffled. At the same time, electricity demand is surging, consumers are worried about affordability, and trade disputes are disrupting supply chains. Amid all this volatility, has the clean energy transition stalled? To help make sense of it all, we’re jo...
Dec 19, 2025•57 min
A hyperscaler, an energy developer, and a government official walk into a room. It’s not a joke — it’s the new reality as the U.S. scrambles to lead the global race for AI dominance. As frontier AI companies like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic push for fast, clean, and reliable energy at unprecedented scale, policymakers are racing to understand how America’s grid will keep up. In this episode, we sit down with Ann Bluntzer Pullin, Executive Director of the Hamm Institute for American Energy, to ...
Dec 09, 2025•59 min
Critical minerals sit at the heart of modern life—from phones and data centers to EVs, defense systems, and the power grid. Yet the U.S. remains heavily dependent on foreign supply chains for these resources that are dominated by China. In failing to develop holistic and responsible mineral supply chains the U.S. risks bottlenecks in semiconductors, defense, and clean energy. This puts both economic security and climate goals at risk, while perpetuating human rights abuses. In this episode, we d...
Nov 24, 2025•54 min
AI is reshaping the economy — and now it’s reshaping the electric grid. The growth of AI data centers is fueling an unprecedented spike in power needs — and policymakers are scrambling for creative ways to meet it. In this episode of Political Climate , we explore two different approaches to expanding the nation’s power capacity: A novel federal initiative to fast-track large-load interconnections for data centers and other energy-hungry facilities. A bottom-up vision from Rewiring America showi...
Nov 07, 2025•56 min
As the U.S. government enters its fourth week of shutdown, the fallout is spreading far beyond Washington. Billions in clean energy and technology funding have been frozen or slashed — disproportionately in blue states — as the administration uses the budget standoff to push through parts of its policy agenda. How will the shutdown showdown end? Meanwhile, U.S.–China tensions are escalating once again. Beijing has announced new restrictions on exports of rare earth elements — critical for everyt...
Oct 20, 2025•42 min
When we think of the U.S.–China rivalry, headlines often focus on trade wars, Taiwan, or Artificial Intelligence. But one of the most consequential battlegrounds is undoubtedly energy, which underpins each economy. Who will invent, build, and export the technologies that power the 21st century? This week, Political Climate sits down with global energy policy expert Amy Myers Jaffe, Director of the Energy, Climate Justice, and Sustainability Lab at NYU, to unpack the race for energy dominance. On...
Sep 22, 2025•45 min
With August recess behind us, Washington D.C. is gearing up for a busy fall. For many in the cleantech space – more questions than answers loom ahead. What is the outlook for wind and solar permitting, with renewable energy projects in the political crosshairs? Will Congress avoid a government shutdown before the end of September deadline? If not, what’s at stake? The Trump administration has frozen or cancelled hundreds grants in the climate and energy space and continues to conduct funding rev...
Sep 08, 2025•51 min
This week on Political Climate we’re live from Aspen Ideas: Climate in Chicago. We were joined by guest Greg Bertelsen, CEO of the Climate Leadership Council, and former senior director of energy and resources policy at the National Association of Manufacturers, as well as a fantastic live audience. The "energy transition” has been underway for decades. In the United States, this shift has been supported by 20 years of policy aimed at diversifying and securing the American energy system. U.S. em...
Jul 28, 2025•59 min
Now that Congress has passed and President Trump has signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, we talk about the final language and what it means for the U.S. energy sector on this episode of Political Climate . We discuss short term implications for solar and wind developers, particularly in light of a new executive order calling for new Treasury rules to strictly enforce the repeal of renewable energy tax credits. We also tackle what the OBBB means for American energy competitiveness on ...
Jul 14, 2025•41 min
U.S. grid operators braced for a surge in electricity demand and possible power outages this week as scorching temperatures hit the eastern half of the country. Heat waves are just one of the challenges facing increasingly strained electricity systems across the country, amid rapidly growing demand from data centers and a looming shortfall in supply. On this episode of Political Climate we’re joined by Asim Haque, SVP of Governmental and Membership Services for PJM Interconnection. Haque helps u...
Jun 26, 2025•1 hr
Dropping in with a quick update that Political Climate is pushing the release of our next full episode to next week. As our listeners know, the Senate is in the process of revising and releasing their version of the reconciliation bill that the House passed a few weeks ago. Senate Finance Committee text dropped Monday evening and there is a lot to unpack. While there are many things we want to talk about that aren’t directly related to the bill, so much of the energy sector is set to be impacted...
Jun 17, 2025•1 min
President Trump’s return to office has reignited a bold push for energy dominance — a sweeping agenda to supercharge U.S. energy production, slash regulatory red tape, and reestablish America as a powerhouse in global energy markets. In this episode, we dive deep into what that actually means. From a wave of recent executive orders to the high-stakes reconciliation bill moving through Congress, we explore how the administration aims to lower energy costs, secure supply chains, and leverage Ameri...
Jun 02, 2025•44 min
If you’re tracking the world of budget reconciliation then you know it’s crunch time as House Speaker Mike Johnson works to pass a party-line megabill by Memorial Day. House Republicans have a lot on their plates as they try to make significant spending reductions while extending tax cuts and raising the debt ceiling. The fate of U.S. energy tax credits also hangs in the balance, as debate continues to rage around the GOP’s so-called big, beautiful bill. In this episode of Political Climate, we’...
May 19, 2025•49 min
Hey Political Climate listeners, we’re jumping on to let you know that we’re taking a short recess. The show will be back in another couple of weeks, with hosts Julia Pyper, Emily Domenech, and Brandon Hurlbut to help you understand the latest news with perspectives from across the political spectrum. There is no shortage of activity, from tariffs to reconciliation, DOGE program cuts, and so much more. Follow Political Climate wherever you listen, so you don’t miss the latest episode release. Th...
Apr 09, 2025•3 min
As “Political Climate” marks the one-year anniversary of its re-launch, the deluge of energy sector news continues. In today’s episode, the hosts dig into a series of recent and contentious moves from the Environmental Protection Agency—from massive power plant deregulations and an intention to undo the 2009 endangerment finding, to the termination of $20 billion in climate grants. Which of these policies could have the most impact, and where can the hosts find some unexpected common ground? Als...
Mar 17, 2025•41 min
In this special episode of “Political Climate,” hosts Brandon Hurlbut and Emily Domenech travel to Big Sky, Montana, to record the podcast live at the Winterfest conference. Now in its twentieth year, Winterfest brings together leaders in clean energy and finance to help move the global energy transition forward. This year the conference focused on finding solutions in a singular and difficult political moment. To help make sense of the political headwinds rocking clean energy and decarbonizatio...
Mar 03, 2025•51 min
Since President Trump took office on January 20, he has quickly enacted an expansive list of policies with immediate and dramatic impacts on climate and energy. If you feel like you’re struggling to process these rapid-fire actions, you’re not alone. Among other pursuits, the President has vowed to “terminate the Green New Deal” and paused funding for tons of clean energy projects—from offshore wind development to Solar for All and IRA grants. He has signed executive orders designed to maximize ...
Feb 10, 2025•49 min
Amid the ongoing fires that have plagued California this month, the conversation around mitigation and prevention has accelerated. In today’s episode, the hosts are joined by Anukool Lakhina, the CEO and co-founder of BurnBot. The company produces tank-sized robots that take in biomass, incinerate it, and extinguish it as they move. Prescribed burns are a normal part of forest management, but they typically require specific weather conditions for safety purposes. But BurnBot can operate around t...
Jan 24, 2025•48 min
When President Biden departs the White House on January 20th, he will leave behind a nuanced and divisive legacy on climate and energy policy. On one hand, his Administration passed the momentous Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS and Science Act, which have collectively stimulated massive investment and jobs creation. Yet IRA funds were slow to get out the door. Americans remained unaware of its impact and opportunities. Much of Biden’s work could be undone...
Jan 13, 2025•44 min
In today’s episode, the hosts are joined by one of the most thoughtful—and occasionally controversial—voices in energy policy today. Neil Chatterjee served on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission from 2017 to 2021. During that time, he also served two stints as the chairman of the commission. At FERC, Chatterjee gained a reputation for his candor, as well as his divisive takes. For instance, in 2020, he embraced carbon pricing, a move that drew the ire of his boss and may have cost him the c...
Dec 20, 2024•46 min
In honor of the mixed assortment of Thanksgiving leftovers in our fridges, today’s episode features a grab bag of hot topics facing energy and climate policy today. The hosts kick things off with a frank assessment of COP29, which wrapped up in Azerbaijan a few weeks ago. Members agreed to provide $300B in annual support to developing nations, but the lack of a more comprehensive pledge left many attendees concerned about the waning influence of the conference writ large. Then, the hosts conside...
Dec 09, 2024•41 min
The dust has settled on our national election, and the Republican Party has officially completed a trifecta—winning the White House and Senate, and keeping control of the House. As a result, the GOP will have enormous power to shape energy and climate policy in the next session of Congress. While many of the specifics are still coming into focus, the House Natural Resources Committee will certainly play a central role. In today’s episode, the hosts are joined by the committee’s chairman, Republi...
Nov 25, 2024•44 min
On Tuesday, former President Donald Trump was reelected in a landslide, becoming the first Republican to win the popular vote since 2004. Republicans also re-took control of the Senate, and will likely keep a majority in the House of Representatives as well. In today’s show — which was recorded the morning after the election — the hosts unpack the results, and consider what they mean for the future of America’s clean energy sector. They focus on a series of questions: how can Democrats better me...
Nov 08, 2024•35 min
The 2024 election has finally arrived. Early ballots have been mailed. The candidates are crossing the country, making their final pitches. Analysts are poring over countless polls, while tension builds. Climate and energy didn’t surface as a central issue of this year’s presidential campaign. But the results of the race — as well as many more down-ballot — will have huge repercussions for the future of U.S. energy policy. In today’s episode, the hosts explore the nuanced role climate played in ...
Oct 28, 2024•49 min
With less than four months left in office, President Biden has green-lit another divisive climate-related policy. On October 2, Biden signed the Building Chips in America Act into law. The bill allows the manufacture of microchips—like the ones in smartphones, medical devices, cars and more—to bypass federal environmental review. The bill’s supporters hope it will drive domestic production and maximize the potential of Biden’s 2022 CHIPS and Science Act. But a solid chunk of congressional Democr...
Oct 11, 2024•45 min
The team returns back from a mid-season break rested and ready to dig into a new Congressional attempt to fast-track clean energy projects. Earlier this month, GOP Rep. Bruce Westerman of Arkansas introduced draft legislation to overhaul the long-standing National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The plan could provide critical momentum to get clean energy (and fossil fuel) projects built faster. Yet it has also caught flak from some Democrats who describe it as extreme, and tie it to the contro...
Sep 27, 2024•39 min
