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...

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...

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...

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...

In today’s episode, the Political Climate team takes us back behind the scenes of the 2024 Democratic National Convention to chat candidly with lawmakers and leading activists about some of the most pressing issues that Democrats will have to navigate after the election - no matter who occupies the Oval Office - and how they plan to tackle them. In this episode, we’ll hear from a range of experts and leaders: from Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Representative Sean Casten of Illinois...

In today’s episode – the first of a two-part dispatch – the Political Climate team takes us behind the scenes of the 2024 Democratic National Convention to chat candidly with lawmakers and leading activists about Democrats’ strategy for pitching climate policies in the lead up to November’s election. Although Vice President Harris barely mentioned climate policy in her marquee speech, clean energy advocates from the public and private sectors are championing the economic impacts of the IRA...

Exactly two years ago, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law. With more than $800 billion devoted to renewables, batteries, transmission, carbon removal, EVs, and the factories to build them, the bill is America’s largest-ever investment in climate solutions.  Yet the rollout of the IRA hasn’t been the smoothest. Some projects have been slow to come online, and polls show that many voters remain unaware of its impact. In today’s episode, the hosts are joined by...

In today’s episode — the second of a two-part dispatch — Political Climate co-host Emily Domenech takes us behind the curtain at the 2024 Republican National Convention to chat with the lawmakers championing clean energy from within the GOP. We’ll hear from members of Congress like Rep. John Curtis of Utah and Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota, as well as advocates like Jason Grumet of the American Clean Power Association and Heather Reams of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions.  In this...

In today’s episode — the first of a two-part dispatch — Political Climate co-host Emily Domenech takes us behind the scenes of the 2024 Republican National Convention to chat candidly with lawmakers. Emily talks with Rep. John Curtis of Utah, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa, as well as advocates like Chris Barnard of the American Conservation Coalition and Heather Reams of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions.  This first installment focuses on the incremental shift within the GOP...

Among members of Congress, few have approached climate change with the experience and diligence of Democratic California Representative Scott Peters.  Peters spent decades as an environmental lawyer and Environmental Protection Agency economist prior to becoming a US Representative. Now in his sixth term, Peters has put clean energy at the top of his priority list. In today’s episode, Representative Peters joins hosts Julia Pyper and Emily Domenech to explore a range of topics: from the...

The past month proved to be a dramatic one for America’s long-stagnant nuclear sector. First, on June 10, TerraPower – the company co-founded by Bill Gates – broke ground on the Western Hemisphere’s first advanced nuclear facility, in Wyoming. A week later, the Senate passed the ADVANCE Act on a vote of 88-2. (The House already passed the bill by similar margins in February.) If signed into law, ADVANCE will streamline permitting and funding policies for future nuclear projects.  In today’s...

Among Republicans in Congress, few, if any, have wielded as much influence on climate and clean energy as Louisiana Representative Garret Graves.  In the past few years, Graves served as the ranking member on the House Select Committee on Climate and ran the Republican Task Force on Energy, Climate, and Conservation. He also played a central role in last year’s debt ceiling negotiations, which included a bipartisan deal on infrastructure permitting reform that the Biden administration later...

In recent weeks, carbon management has found itself in the spotlight – for reasons both encouraging and concerning for its proponents. On May 28th, the DOE unveiled the semifinalists for a new funding competition for carbon removal and storage companies, as well as a plan to buy over $30 million in carbon credits from the eventual winners. The same day, President Biden also revealed new policies that aim to guide and bolster the larger voluntary carbon credit market. These moves follow...

On the heels of a climate and energy rules blitz, President Biden has announced a plan to quadruple existing tariffs on Chinese EVs – from 25 all the way up to 100 percent – and dramatically hike tariffs on Chinese solar cells, batteries, and critical minerals as well. While these numbers look huge on paper, loopholes and caveats in the policy will likely dilute their impact. On this episode of Political Climate, hosts Julia Pyper, Brandon Hurlbut, and Emily Domenech debate whether the...

With six months to go until the election, President Biden has unveiled a far-reaching rules package that tackles everything from power plant emissions and air toxins, to boosting the EV industry and upgrading transmission lines.  Despite their promise, many of these rules will face long rollouts and fierce legal challenges. On this episode of Political Climate, hosts Julia Pyper, Brandon Hurlbut, and Emily Domenech explore and debate the pathways to implementing these policies. Then they zero...

Since the Inflation Reduction Act became law in August 2022, we’ve asked ourselves a big question: could the government and the private sector actually get this sprawling set of climate programs up and running? So far, many would answer “yes.” The IRA has already created over 170,000 jobs and supported $110 billion in new clean energy manufacturing – with a majority of that investment headed to conservative-leaning states. Now, as we head toward November’s presidential election, many...

After a hiatus, Political Climate is back with more news, analysis, and bipartisan hot takes on the policy and politics shaping climate solutions — in what is sure to be a defining year. Julia Pyper is joined by Emily Domenech and Brandon Hurlbut to riff on top political stories and insider scoops – from state houses, to the halls of Congress to regulatory agencies, and international climate talks. They’ll explain how those developments are driving industry decisions today. Political Climate...

After 160 episodes and five years of interviews, debates and friendly bipartisan banter, Political Climate will be taking a break starting in 2023. This will be the final episode (for now). This podcast was launched to create a forum for respectful, informative dialogue across the political divide on the policy and politics of climate and energy. Host Julia Pyper, Republican co-host Shane Skelton and Democratic co-host Brandon Hurlbut have never debated the science of climate change, but...

The Inflation Reduction Act is the largest investment in clean energy ever made by the federal government. Among the bill’s more than 700 pages is a lesser-known provision that could play a pivotal role in transforming existing dirty energy infrastructure to serve the clean energy economy of the future.  The new Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment Program — also known as the Section 1706 program — gives the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office $5 billion, with the authority to provide...

The 2022 midterm elections are officially behind us. Democrats overcame historical trends to keep control of the Senate, while Republicans won a majority in the House by a surprisingly narrow margin. Ultimately, there was no red wave. There wasn’t really a “green wave” either. Democrats ushered through an ambitious legislative agenda, with President Biden signing historic bills to tackle climate change, build resilient infrastructure, and accelerate the deployment of American-made clean...

Many Americans are pessimistic about the U.S. election system. From skepticism around mail-in ballots and voting machines to coping with long lines and shuttered polling places, voter confidence has slumped. When it comes to climate, research shows 66% to 80% of people support major mitigation policies. But are election related barriers preventing these voter preferences from being captured at the ballot box? With the midterm elections less than a week away, we’re examining the fundamentals...

Some of the most influential people in energy policy are almost completely unknown to the public. The transition to wind, solar, and other efficient technologies has the potential to make electricity more reliable and affordable for millions of Americans. But in many cases, this shift to clean energy must first be approved by gatekeepers you’ve never heard of. In this Political Climate episode, host Julia Pyper and producer Maria Virginia Olano are joined by Canary Media Senior Reporter...

The midterm elections are less than a month away. Inflation, the economy, abortion access and election integrity are among voters’ top priorities this cycle, but how will they influence decisions on the ballot and, ultimately, the balance of power? And how will that outcome shape the future of climate and energy policy in the U.S.? Political Climate hosts Julia Pyper, Shane Skelton and Brandon Hurlbut are back on the podcast to discuss what’s at stake in the 2022 midterms, the latest polling...

Clean energy is known to help grow economies and reduce carbon emissions. Can it also help strengthen democracies?  That may seem like a tall order for a set of technologies. But when you consider how petro-dictatorships have roiled global markets in the past year – triggering price spikes, resource shortages, and even war – making the U.S. an arsenal of clean energy could help pave the way to greater stability.  Political Climate launched the “Arsenal of Clean Energy” podcast series to...