Political Climate

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 w...

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...

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 do...

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, i...

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...

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 certain...

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 futur...

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 fu...

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 ma...

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 Respo...

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, Representati...

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, A...

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 inc...

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 t...

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 Po...

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,...

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 co...

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...

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...

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 —...