The nation’s largest power market, PJM Interconnection, is proposing to stop payments for energy efficiency initiatives, which are meant to encourage households and businesses to use less power. POLITICO’s Catherine Morehouse breaks down PJM’s proposal, how FERC is involved, and why clean energy advocates aren’t thrilled. Plus, the Treasury Department is proposing a rule implementing a potentially lucrative tax credit that could cover nearly a third of the cost for businesses and individuals ins...
Sep 19, 2024•8 min
The Biden administration is eyeing the use of carbon markets to help generate billions of dollars in promised international climate aid. But critics are concerned about the use of the markets and say they might not deliver. POLITICO’s Zack Colman breaks down this effort from the Biden administration and why it’s coming now. Plus, Gene Karpinski, the president of the League of Conservation Voters, will step down from the influential green group he led for the last 18 years. Zack Colman covers cli...
Sep 18, 2024•7 min
A leading U.S. steelmaker exclusively told POLITICO that it’s considering forgoing a $500 million grant from the Biden administration to produce steel with fewer carbon emissions, also known as green steel. POLITICO’s Zack Colman breaks down why the company is potentially abandoning the federal money and how it could be a major setback for President Joe Biden’s efforts to make American manufacturing climate friendly. Plus, the Biden administration will hold the first offshore wind lease sale in ...
Sep 17, 2024•9 min
Politico scooped last week that the Environmental Protection Agency has launched an enforcement action against the country’s first underground carbon sequestration facility in Decatur, Illinois…after a leak at a monitoring well was discovered earlier this year. The Biden administration has made carbon capture a key piece of its effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Politico's Annie Snider breaks it all down. Plus, a federal judge in North Dakota blocked the Interior Department from enforcin...
Sep 16, 2024•9 min
In the wake of the presidential debate earlier this week, Republican strategists POLITICO spoke to said that what could have been a winning attack from Donald Trump to one of Vice President Kamala Harris’s biggest vulnerabilities — energy — fell flat. Ben Lefebvre breaks down the critiques. Plus, the House Thursday passed a GOP-led bill cracking down on President Joe Biden’s EV tax credit rules, but the Senate is unlikely to take it up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoi...
Sep 13, 2024•8 min
Today, POLITICO Energy host Josh Siegel sits down for an extended interview with Representatives Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) and Rob Wittman (R-Va.), a bipartisan pair of House lawmakers planning to introduce legislation before the end of the year that aims to bolster the U.S. critical minerals industry and counter China. The congressional effort could be massively important since China currently dominates the market, and American companies have urged the federal government to get more involved. The d...
Sep 12, 2024•26 min
A federal program under the Inflation Reduction Act is encouraging rural utilities, which were long seen as laggards in America's green transition, to seek out cleaner sources of energy. Ben Storrow from POLITICO’s E&E News breaks down why this program could transform America’s energy consumption and how it’s bringing together unlikely political allies. Plus, congressional Democrats are pressing oil company executives for information about their meeting with former President Donald Trump fro...
Sep 11, 2024•9 min
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are set to face off for the first time tonight in their highly-anticipated presidential debate. POLITICO’s Matt Daily breaks down how Trump and Harris offer vastly different visions for the country in terms of energy policy and how the issue may show up in tonight’s debate. Plus, the Biden administration says it has purchased another 3.4 million barrels of oil for the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve. For more news on energy and ...
Sep 10, 2024•10 min
Electric vehicles are transforming Georgia’s economy with billions of dollars in investments and jobs, but local voters aren’t interested in in buying the new vehicles. That presents a unique political problem for Democrats and Republicans who want to win the crucial swing state this November. David Ferris from POLITICO’s E&E News breaks down Georgia’s EV identity crisis and what that means for the 2024 presidential race. Plus, the Government Accountability Office said in a new report that t...
Sep 09, 2024•10 min
On the campaign trail, Republican nominee Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are stuck in a nearly two-decade-old energy debate: should America support fracking, the technology that set off today’s U.S. oil and gas boom? POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre breaks down what the Trump-Harris fracking feud is really about and what it says about their campaigns. Plus, Donald Trump pledged on Thursday to rescind any “unspent” funds under the Inflation Reduction Act should he be elected in November. Fo...
Sep 06, 2024•9 min
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has promised to raise tariffs on all imported goods if he’s elected. But experts warn that those tariffs could hurt consumers' wallets at the pump and would almost certainly spark a trade war that could negatively impact U.S. exporters. POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre breaks down how Trump’s tariffs could raise gasoline prices at home and complicate US relations abroad. Plus, President Joe Biden is expected today to announce the first tranche of funding under...
Sep 05, 2024•8 min
The Biden administration is considering a new policy that would use federal dollars to support U.S. critical minerals projects, which have faced cancellations and delays because of an influx of cheaper Chinese materials. POLITICO’s James Bikales breaks down what he learned about this potential policy move and the potential complications. Plus, Kamala Harris' presidential campaign has hired Camila Thorndike as climate engagement director. For more news on energy and the environment, subscribe to ...
Sep 04, 2024•9 min
FERC Commissioner Mark Christie, a Republican, says the agency has dramatically departed from one of its core missions over the years: keeping power bills for millions of Americans affordable. Today, POLITICO Energy host Catherine Morehouse sits down with Christie for an extended interview about why he thinks the regulatory process has shifted in favor of large power companies at consumers’ expense and how he would fix it. Catherine Morehouse is an energy reporter for POLITICO. Mark Christie is ...
Sep 03, 2024•24 min•Ep. 1211
Even though Democrats have been openly hostile to the oil and gas industry at the party’s national convention this week, fossil fuel leaders say there are reasons to feel optimistic by Vice President Kamala Harris' rise and that party officials speak differently behind closed doors. Emma Dumain from POLITICO’s E&E News breaks down how oil industry leaders were messaging at the DNC and if that’s a political risk for Kamala Harris’ campaign. Emma Dumain covers Congress for POLITICo’s E&E N...
Aug 23, 2024•9 min•Ep. 1210
The Biden-Harris administration is investing hundreds of millions of dollars into clean energy projects in Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state in the 2024 presidential election. But it’s unclear if those projects will help Vice President Kamala Harris in her presidential campaign and if voters are even noticing the investments. Ben Storrow from POLITICO’s E&E News looks at whether the Biden-Harris clean energy effort in Pennsylvania is paying off politically. Plus, liquefied natural gas deve...
Aug 22, 2024•9 min•Ep. 1208
Democrats delivered hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding to an Ohio steel plant that coincidentally played a big role in the family history of Senator JD Vance. But if the Trump-Vance ticket wins the White House in November and Republicans take back Congress, that plant could lose the funding it needs for its resurgence. Scott Waldman from POLITICO’s E&E News breaks down how the Ohio steel plant that shaped JD Vance may lose out in a second Trump administration. Plus, Billionai...
Aug 21, 2024•9 min•Ep. 1207
Vice President Kamala Harris and Democrats are trying to convince voters that the Inflation Reduction Act has created a clean energy boom. And they may use her running mate, Tim Walz, and his clean energy efforts in Minnesota as an example of the law’s success. POLITICO’s Josh Siegel, Kelsey Tamborrino and Catherine Morehouse discuss how Minnesota benefited from the IRA and why Dems think it could help convince voters to vote blue. Plus, red states and coal interests are asking the Supreme Court...
Aug 20, 2024•8 min•Ep. 1206
The Democratic National Convention begins this week, and congressional Democrats are pushing Vice President Kamala Harris to make clean energy and climate change a core part of her campaign messaging. POLITICO’s Josh Siegel breaks down why Democrats think the Biden-Harris’ climate record is a winning issue on the campaign trail and the potential Republican pushback. Plus, the U.S. is planning to call for a reduction in plastic production, signaling a significant shift in position. For more news ...
Aug 19, 2024•9 min•Ep. 1205
The Biden administration, Congress and U.S. companies are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into small nuclear reactors in the hope of reenergizing America’s nuclear fleet. But so far, not a single small nuclear reactor plant is operational in the country. Today, POLITICO Energy host Josh Siegel sits down with Jake DeWitte, the CEO of Oklo, a Silicon Valley-based startup that’s racing to build its first small nuclear reactor plant by 2027. They chat about why small nuclear reactor technolo...
Aug 16, 2024•21 min•Ep. 1204
The Biden administration scored $93 million from offshore wind developers Wednesday in a lease auction for areas off the Atlantic coast, which is a good sign for the nascent industry that still faces political and economic headwinds. POLITICO’s Kelsey Tamborrino breaks down why the sale is the latest barometer for the industry and the challenges it still faces. Plus, Puerto Rico’s fragile power grid suffered another massive failure after Tropical Storm Ernesto hit the territory. For more news on...
Aug 15, 2024•7 min•Ep. 1203
Automakers are looking to convince governments and customers that their electric cars aren't benefiting trade adversaries, and they’re turning to a new technology to help with that goal: battery passports. POLITICO’s James Bikales breaks down what the new technology is and how it’s gaining the attention of policymakers and manufacturers in the United States and European Union. Plus, President Joe Biden issued an order that more than doubled the import quota for solar cells shipped to the U.S. th...
Aug 14, 2024•7 min•Ep. 1202
Donald Trump has softened his attacks against electric vehicles after picking up Elon Musk’s endorsement. But EV industry officials say their relationship is unlikely to deter Trump from going after Joe Biden’s EV policies if he returns to the White House. POLITICO’s James Bikales and Josh Siegel discuss the EV policy implications of the Trump-Musk relationship. Plus, the Texas attorney general is investigating CenterPoint Energy over its response to Hurricane Beryl, which left millions without ...
Aug 13, 2024•7 min•Ep. 1201
The bipartisan energy permitting bill gaining momentum in the Senate could help President Joe Biden’s clean energy goals, but it could also put Vice President Kamala Harris in a tough spot with environmental activists. POLITICO’s Josh Siegel breaks down why Harris may face a permitting predicament in the next couple months. Plus, China is suing the European Union at the World Trade Organization over the bloc putting tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles. For more news on energy and the envir...
Aug 12, 2024•9 min•Ep. 1200
The corporate world is expected to have a smaller-than-usual presence at this year’s global climate talks due to a confluence of factors: Donald Trump, the host country Azerbaijan, and numerous logistical challenges. Sara Schonhardt from POLITICO’s E&E News breaks down why the corporate presence likely won’t be as strong this year, and what that means for global efforts to fight climate change. Plus, the Energy Department says it has conditionally committed to a $1.45 billion loan guarantee ...
Aug 09, 2024•9 min•Ep. 1199
The top Republican position on the influential House Energy and Commerce Committee is up for grabs next Congress, and the race could have a big impact on the future of President Joe Biden’s climate agenda. POLITICO Energy host Josh Siegel sits down with Kentucky GOP Rep. Brett Guthrie, who is a leading contender in that race. They discuss Guthrie’s energy stances, his vision for that committee, and if he will follow through on GOP threats to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act. For more news on e...
Aug 08, 2024•16 min•Ep. 1198
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who Vice President Kamala Harris selected as her running mate, could help Democrats with their energy and climate messaging, which the party views as a key part of the 2024 campaign. POLITICO’s Catherine Morehouse breaks down Walz’s energy record, what he could bring to the ticket, and potential criticisms he might face from Republicans. Plus, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit once again ruled that FERC did not go far enough in assessing the environmental im...
Aug 07, 2024•9 min•Ep. 1197
The Biden administration’s manufacturing and environmental justice goals are clashing in Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state, because of a proposed plastics recycling facility. POLITICO’s Jordan Wolman breaks down why this project is so controversial and how the administration is trying to navigate those tensions. Plus, the Biden administration is appealing a Louisiana federal court decision that stopped its pause on issuing new liquefied natural gas export permits. For more news on energy and t...
Aug 06, 2024•9 min•Ep. 1196
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and his administration are set to fight legal challenges against their landmark environmental justice law, which aims to protect millions of state residents in low-income areas and communities of color from heavy industrial pollution. POLITICO’s Ry Rivard breaks down the legal dispute and how it could be a major setback for residents and the Murphy administration. Plus, Chevron, the second-largest oil company in the country, says it will move its corporate headquarter...
Aug 05, 2024•6 min•Ep. 1195
This week, a major permitting reform bill authored by Sens. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) cleared its first hurdle in a Senate committee. But the legislation still faces a difficult path forward during an election year. POLITICO’s Josh Siegel breaks down what’s in the bill and the challenges ahead. Plus, Senate appropriators unanimously advanced a $61.47 billion bill to fund the Energy Department and federal water infrastructure programs for the next fiscal year. For more news...
Aug 02, 2024•9 min•Ep. 1194
Some Democratic allies are calling on Vice President Kamala Harris to select Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as her running mate to ease concerns from the fossil fuel industry and its workers, many of whom are in labor groups. POLITICO’s Josh Siegel and Jordan Wolman discuss how Shapiro could potentially help the Harris campaign from an energy and political perspective in Pennsylvania. Plus, the Senate Energy Committee advanced the permitting package authored by Chair Joe Manchin and top Republic...
Aug 01, 2024•9 min•Ep. 1193
