Puerto Rico’s 100% renewable energy target is attainable, according to a new study by the Department of Energy. But the island’s residents are nervous that a new contract with natural gas company New Fortress Energy will jeopardize chances of reaching that goal. New Fortress Energy will take over the island’s power plants system, and residents – who are already wary of more privatization of the power system – worry the company isn’t committed to greening its grid. POLITICO’s Gloria Gonzalez brea...
Feb 02, 2023•9 min•Ep. 825
The Environmental Protection Agency used a rare authority on Monday to effectively veto the development of Pebble Mine, a proposed copper and gold mine in a remote region of southwest Alaska that has been fought over by mining interests, Alaska Natives and environmentalists for decades. POLITICO’s Alex Guillén breaks down EPA’s decision and the reaction. Plus, Exxon Mobil warns of a possible fuel price surge this year. Josh Siegel is an energy reporter for POLITICO. Alex Guillén is an energy rep...
Feb 01, 2023•8 min•Ep. 824
A string of whale deaths along the New York and New Jersey coasts are increasing tensions between environmental groups, energizing Republicans and threatening the development of the offshore wind industry. POLITICO’s Ry Rivard breaks down the controversy. Plus, a new government watchdog report found that the Tennessee Valley Authority needs to step up its efforts to manage climate-related risks. Josh Siegel is an energy reporter for POLITICO. Ry Rivard covers energy, the environment and transpor...
Jan 31, 2023•9 min•Ep. 823
House Republicans passed a messaging bill on Friday intended to limit President Joe Biden’s ability to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. And though the bill will likely not make it past the Senate or Biden, the legislation is part of a broader GOP effort to attack the White House’s energy and climate policies. POLITICO’s Josh Siegel and Kelsey Tamborrino break down the GOP’s messaging effort and what’s next for the House Republican energy agenda. Plus, FERC streamlined environmen...
Jan 30, 2023•7 min•Ep. 822
On Wednesday, Sen. Joe Manchin proposed legislation that would delay implementing new tax credits for electric vehicles until strict new battery and domestic sourcing requirements are put in place. Manchin’s legislation adds to broader tensions over the EV tax credits, as foreign allies are critical of the program. POLITICO’s Tanya Snyder breaks down Manchin’s stance and whether his bill will receive broader support in Congress. Plus, the Biden administration banned mining in over 225,000 acres ...
Jan 27, 2023•9 min•Ep. 821
Grid operator PJM Interconnection's efforts to fix what it believes to be an error in its December auction is now dividing regulators, consumer advocates and power providers. PJM believed power prices for customers were artificially inflated, so it decided to delay posting the auction results and asked federal regulators to allow it to change the auction rules. But critics say that move could generate a potential windfall for power producers. POLITICO’s Catherine Morehouse breaks down the messy ...
Jan 26, 2023•7 min•Ep. 820
America’s energy transition away from fossil fuels is producing economic losers. In Pennsylvania, those losses are largely because of the state’s unique tax code. Pennsylvania is quickly transitioning from coal mining to natural gas drilling, but the state is losing tax revenue as a result. POLITICO’s Jordan Wolman breaks down coal country’s bumpy transition. Plus, New York’s grid operator is warning developers to stop lobbying to win a lucrative Long Island transmission project. Josh Siegel is ...
Jan 25, 2023•7 min•Ep. 819
A new POLITICO analysis found that roughly two-thirds of major clean energy projects announced since the Inflation Reduction Act went into law are located in districts whose Republican lawmakers opposed the legislation. POLITICO’s Josh Siegel and Kelsey Tamborrino discuss how the Inflation Reduction Act sparked billions of dollars in investment flowing to red districts. Plus, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said President Joe Biden would veto new SPR legislation from House Republicans expecte...
Jan 24, 2023•9 min•Ep. 818
Under acting chair Willie Phillips, FERC could move to consider the climate and environmental justice impacts of projects the agency approves, including fossil fuel infrastructure. But that’s a direction Senator Joe Manchin doesn’t like, which is a major reason why former FERC chair Richard Glick didn’t get a re-confirmation hearing last year. POLITICO’s Catherine Morehouse breaks down FERC’s direction under Phillips and Manchin’s looming influence. Plus, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has of...
Jan 23, 2023•9 min•Ep. 817
On Thursday, top Biden administration officials attended the groundbreaking of Ten West Link, a major Arizona transmission project, which could be a model for the shift toward renewables and how future lines can make it through the difficult permitting process. POLITICO’s Catherine Morehouse and James Bikales discuss the importance of Ten West Link and its potential impact on future transmission projects. Plus, environmental advocates sue the Biden administration for approving a proposed oil exp...
Jan 20, 2023•8 min•Ep. 816
Europe is faring better than anyone expected in its energy war with Russia -- and President Vladimir Putin's attempt to leverage his country’s vast gas and oil resources is actually beginning to look like a losing strategy. POLITICO’s Charlie Cooper breaks down how, so far, Europe has managed to keep the lights and heat on without Russia. Plus, New FERC chair Willie Phillips is pledging a transmission push in line with President Joe Biden’s climate goals. Josh Siegel is an energy reporter for PO...
Jan 19, 2023•9 min•Ep. 815
The Biden administration isn't proposing a federal ban on gas stoves but that didn’t stop conservative pundits and lawmakers from expressing alarm about such a move in the latest fight in the culture wars. POLITICO’s Alex Guillén breaks down why this gas stove issue started, and what the right’s gas stove freakout is really about. Plus, the Interior Department is shaking up which of its agencies will manage renewable energy responsibilities. Josh Siegel is an energy reporter for POLITICO. Alex G...
Jan 18, 2023•7 min•Ep. 814
Last week, the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office conditionally agreed to provide a $700 million loan to a controversial lithium mining project in Nevada. The site would extract critical minerals crucial to meeting President Joe Biden’s clean energy goals, but has drawn significant environmental concerns. POLITICO’s Kelsey Tamborrino breaks down the debate over the project and why the loan office is expected to be a major oversight focus of the GOP-controlled House. Plus, FERC is expect...
Jan 17, 2023•8 min•Ep. 813
On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed legislation with strong bipartisan support aimed at preventing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve from being shipped to China. POLITICO’s Josh Siegel and Ben Lefebvre discuss the legislation’s bipartisan appeal, prospects in the Senate, impact on China, and how it fits into the GOP’s energy priorities in the new Congress. Plus, the Biden administration plans to update offshore renewable energy regulations. Josh Siegel is an energy reporter f...
Jan 13, 2023•8 min•Ep. 811
Since President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, clean energy companies like Q Cells are pouring billions of dollars into investments to build out the sector’s domestic manufacturing. POLITICO’s Kelsey Tamborrino breaks down what’s going on in the sector and why it’s still facing supply constraints. Plus, the chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission disavowed chatter about a national gas stove ban. Josh Siegel is an energy reporter for POLITICO. Kelsey Tamborrino is ...
Jan 12, 2023•8 min•Ep. 810
On Tuesday, the Biden administration released a plan to guide the U.S. to eliminate carbon emissions from the transportation sector, the leading emitter of U.S. greenhouse gasses warming the planet, by 2050. That blueprint includes spending billions of public dollars to expand the use of electric vehicles and low-carbon fuels. POLITICO’s Catherine Morehouse breaks down the details of the administration’s plan and its challenges. Plus, President Joe Biden appointed Elizabeth Klein to lead the Bur...
Jan 11, 2023•8 min•Ep. 809
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is hardly seen as an advocate for climate change policy, but he’s been more open to addressing the issue than many others in the GOP. And the concessions he made to House conservatives last week to secure his new role are likely to complicate any future party-line energy package. POLITICO’s Kelsey Tamborrino and Josh Siegel discuss what’s in store. Plus, a new study concludes that human-driven climate change contributed to drought in the western United States. Josh S...
Jan 10, 2023•9 min•Ep. 808
The EPA has proposed lowering the annual average soot exposure limit, predicting such a move would yield tens of billions of dollars per year in public health benefits. But the proposal, which would overturn a Trump-era decision that left the regulation unchanged, is already drawing criticism from industry, even though it fell short of environmentalists' expectations. POLITICO’s Alex Guillén reports. Josh Siegel is an energy reporter for POLITICO. Alex Guillén is an energy reporter for POLITICO ...
Jan 09, 2023•8 min•Ep. 807
The Biden administration has named FERC commissioner Willie Phillips as interim chair of the commission, a decision that isn’t without controversy. Environmental justice groups and renewable industry interests have long lobbied for the more progressive FERC commissioner Allison Clements to be named chair. Phillips, the more moderate choice, is viewed by some environmental groups as too accommodating to utilities and gas companies. POLITICO’s Cat Morehouse explains the impact Biden’s decision to ...
Jan 06, 2023•8 min•Ep. 806
Before 2022 came to a close, the Treasury Department released new rules regarding electric vehicle tax credits offered in the Inflation Reduction Act. The law contained “Made in America” requirements that rankled the European Union and other trading partners, who said the provisions would disadvantage their EV manufacturers and other clean tech industries. The Biden Administration is now showing some flexibility in how it will implement the revised EV tax credits, but it may not be enough to sat...
Jan 05, 2023•7 min•Ep. 805
Ever since Congress passed the Clean Water Act more than fifty years ago, the EPA, the White House and the Supreme Court have wrestled over what legally constitutes “Waters of the United States.” This past Friday, the Biden administration finalized a rule to expand protections from the Clean Water Act nationwide, but the Supreme Court’s decision in an upcoming case could complicate the situation. POLITICO’s Annie Snider reports. Kelsey Tamborrino is a clean energy reporter for POLITICO. Annie Sn...
Jan 04, 2023•9 min•Ep. 804
People are shooting, sabotaging and vandalizing the nation’s power system at a pace unseen in at least a decade, according to DOE data analyzed by POLITICO. Pro’s Catherine Morehouse breaks down the alarming trend and how federal regulators are responding, especially as the Biden administration and Congress seek to expand the power grid to accommodate renewable energy and electric vehicles. Josh Siegel is an energy reporter for POLITICO. Catherine Morehouse is an energy reporter for POLITICO. Ni...
Jan 03, 2023•7 min•Ep. 803
Geothermal energy — the technology that harnesses the heat beneath the Earth’s crust — is poised for growth due to an influx of federal funding, advances in technology, state incentives and interest from the Biden administration and the oil and gas sector. POLITICO’s Kelsey Tamborrino breaks down why geothermal energy is drawing fresh interest now and the different regulatory, financial and technological obstacles it still faces. Plus, the Senate passed a $1.7 trillion government funding bill on...
Dec 23, 2022•9 min•Ep. 802
On Monday, an influential New York panel adopted a road map of climate and clean energy measures designed tohelp the state meet its ambitious green goals. But several concerns remain about the implementation of New York’s plan. POLITICO’s Marie French breaks down the state’s new climate effort and unanswered questions. Plus, environmental groups are suing the Interior Department to stop the planned Cook Inlet oil lease sale. Josh Siegel is an energy reporter for POLITICO. Marie J. French covers ...
Dec 22, 2022•8 min•Ep. 801
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state’s aggressive policies to transition off fossil fuels are posing a growing threat to the state’s oil industry – and a new tax on refining is the latest front in the battle. But the industry says it isn’t giving up without a fight. POLITICO’s Wes Venteicher breaks down why Newsom and the oil industry are on a major collision course. Plus, inside the energy and climate toplines in the $1.7 trillion year-end omnibus spending package released by senior lawma...
Dec 21, 2022•8 min•Ep. 800
European officials have been critical of the clean energy subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act. But that criticism has raised eyebrows in Washington, where officials say the law does exactly what Europe has long pressed the United States to do: get serious about fighting climate change. POLITICO’s Karl Mathiesen breaks down the European outrage over the IRA, America’s response, and how the legislation could actually influence European decarbonization policies. Plus, a new proposal from the D...
Dec 20, 2022•8 min•Ep. 799
Oil and chemical companies are investing in chemical recycling, aided by favorable laws passed primarily by GOP-controlled state legislatures. These companies say the technology can help address the country’s plastics crisis by increasing recycling rates and reducing the amount of waste dumped into landfills and polluting the world’s waterways. But environmental groups argue that the pollutants released by the process could be dangerous enough to negate any potential benefits. POLITICO’s Jordan ...
Dec 19, 2022•9 min•Ep. 798
On Thursday, FERC Chair Richard Glick said he will depart the agency at the end of the year when the Senate adjourns. Glick’s long-anticipated exit will leave behind a 2-2 deadlock on the commission, which could delay progress on the agency’s ambitious transmission agenda and impact consideration of environmental justice and climate change factors in the permitting process. POLITICO’s Catherine Morehouse breaks down why Glick is leaving and how it impacts FERC. Plus, Senator Joe Manchin's permit...
Dec 16, 2022•8 min•Ep. 797
Nine east coast states on Monday released a plan to create a fund that would compensate fishing interests for losses related to offshore wind development. These fishing interests are worried that the wind farms will hurt their profitability and create more competition. But some states like New York and New Jersey — along with the Biden administration — are hoping to use the clean energy generated from these wind farms as part of their ambitious plans to combat climate change. POLITICO’s Ry Rivar...
Dec 15, 2022•7 min•Ep. 796
After decades of research, US scientists can now create a nuclear fusion reaction that produces more energy than the reaction requires. The breakthrough means that decades from now, nuclear fusion could become a source of clean, inexpensive energy that doesn’t create long-lived radioactive waste or worsen global warming. However, the technology still faces many obstacles to commercial use, namely money. POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre and Josh Siegel break down what to know about DOE’s experiment and ho...
Dec 14, 2022•8 min•Ep. 795
