POLITICO Energy

Wealthy nations belatedly met their goal of sending billions of dollars in climate aid to developing countries. And now, they’re gearing up again to negotiate the next amount of funding they are willing to give, which will likely be a tougher task because the cost of fighting climate change is set to skyrocket. POLITICO’s Zack Colman breaks down how rich countries were late on delivering climate f...

Scott Sheffield, the former CEO of one of America’s top oil companies, is firing back against allegations from the Federal Trade Commission that he colluded with OPEC and other oil companies to boost fuel prices. It’s the latest development in a saga that has thrown US oil companies into the political spotlight during the 2024 election season. POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre breaks down how Sheffield is d...

The Biden administration recently announced that it planned to stop new lease sales at the nation’s leading coal mining basin – a major action that surprisingly received a collective shrug from Washington D.C. POLITICO’s Alex Guillén breaks down the muted reaction from fossil fuel backers in particular and what their response says about the coal industry’s decline. Plus, San Francisco will face of...

POLITICO Energy host Catherine Morehouse talks today with Pablo Vegas, the president and chief executive officer of The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which runs the state’s power grid. They discuss how ERCOT is preparing Texas for extreme weather events and what he thinks about the partisan fighting over the system, which has become an increasingly divisive entity on Capitol Hill.    For...

Congress must quickly decide if survivors of nuclear testing on American soil will continue to receive financial benefits related to healthcare and other costs under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which expires June 7. POLITICO’s Gloria Gonzalez breaks down the fight over this program and the consequences if it isn’t renewed. Plus, the Biden administration announced that Norfolk Southern...

Big Oil is becoming increasingly enmeshed in election-year politics. Democrats announced new efforts yesterday to highlight what they argue are deceptive practices by oil companies, while presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump met with industry executives to solicit donations to his presidential campaign. POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre and Josh Siegel break down the latest moves by Democr...

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia raised expectations Tuesday for a deal to update the nation’s permitting rules, saying he hopes to soon release the text of an agreement he aims to strike with Republican Sen. John Barrasso. But it’s not clear whether it will represent a breakthrough on the issue, which has drawn bipartisan interest but seen little progress over the last two years. POLI...

A senior official at the Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office recently said there’s a strong case for building traditional, large-scale nuclear plants, pointing to the completion of Georgia Power's Vogtle plant. That would be a major shift in sentiment for the nuclear energy industry, which has focused on deploying smaller-scale reactors for years. POLITICO’s Catherine Morehouse breaks down ho...

POLITICO Energy host Josh Siegel talks with Andrew Wheeler, Donald Trump's former Environmental Protection Agency chief, in today’s extended episode. They discuss what a second Trump administration would look like in terms of energy policy, why he thinks several of Biden’s climate rules aren’t likely to last, and if Wheeler is ready to take back his old job if his former boss wins the White House...

The Biden administration announced several actions on Thursday to support U.S solar manufacturers, which could ultimately help create domestic jobs but also threaten America’s clean energy growth. POLITICO’s Kelsey Tamborrino breaks down the moves and why solar imports continue to be a complicated political and policy issue for the president. Plus, the Interior Department proposed ending new feder...

California Republicans are breaking with conservatives in other parts of the country who have echoed former President Donald Trump’s attacks on electric vehicles. POLITICO’s Alex Nieves breaks down why Trump and California Republicans diverge on EVs and what that means for auto manufacturers and policymakers. Plus, Trump will travel to Houston next week for a luncheon with about two dozen energy i...

The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it will raise tariffs on electric vehicles, clean energy technologies, computer chips and metals imported from China – an escalation in the U.S. trade war with Beijing that has major energy implications. POLITICO’s Gavin Bade breaks down how the administration’s move will impact different energy industries and the politics behind the decision. Plus,...

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission released highly-anticipated rules on Monday that aim to make it easier to build new interstate power lines and set criteria to figure out who should pay for them. The rules are critical to President Joe Biden’s clean energy agenda, but have been a contentious topic at FERC and on Capitol Hill. POLITICO’s Catherine Morehouse breaks down the details of these...

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is expected to issue a new rule today that’s critical to America’s energy future: who will pay for badly-needed power lines? POLITICO’s Catherine Morehouse breaks down the importance of this rule to President Joe Biden’s clean energy transition and why the issue has bedeviled lawmakers and presidential administrations for years. Plus, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-...

The U.S. oil industry is preparing for the possible return of Donald Trump to the White House by writing up executive orders and other policy paperwork that the former president could sign on day one. POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre breaks down why this effort by the oil industry is a bit unusual and what they are preparing to do. Plus, 25 Republican-controlled states are suing the Biden administration to...

America’s new top climate diplomat John Podesta and his equally fresh Chinese counterpart are meeting in Washington this week, marking the beginning of a more challenging era in US-China climate relations. POLITICO’s Zack Colman breaks down this new dynamics expected as the two climate envoys meet face to face. Plus, the Department of Energy is taking a major step toward giving federal regulators...

President Joe Biden is betting that $1.6 trillion in spending and tax breaks embodied in his climate, infrastructure, chips and pandemic-relief laws can transform America. But a new monthslong POLITICO analysis found that a large portion of the money is still unspent, and the clock is ticking as the 2024 presidential election looms. POLITICO Energy host Josh Siegel chats with colleagues Jessie Bla...

The Federal Trade Commission is alleging in a new complaint that the head of one of the top oil producers in the United States tried to collude with OPEC to boost oil prices. The allegations could help Democrats try and turn the tables on Republicans who have been campaigning on high energy prices for months. POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre breaks down the allegations and why they could give Democrats a n...

President Joe Biden’s ambitious new drinking water rules for toxic forever chemicals could produce significant public health benefits. But they could also spur more sales of public water systems to private companies — a controversial move that could saddle local communities with higher costs. POLITICO’s Annie Snider breaks down how Biden’s PFAS push may privatize water and what that means for cons...

The Federal Trade Commission is allowing ExxonMobil to buy Pioneer Natural Resources, the biggest crude producer in the Permian Basin, on the condition that Pioneer’s founder does not serve on Exxon’s board because of his alleged contact with OPEC. POLITICO’s Matt Daily breaks down the significance of these allegations and how it raises questions about Big Oil. Plus, the Biden administration annou...

The Biden administration is expected to release a final EV tax credit rule tomorrow that gives automakers a temporary grace period to keep buying graphite, a key battery component, from Chinese companies. The anticipated regulation highlights the difficult balancing act for President Joe Biden as he looks to achieve his EV adoption goals and counter China. POLITICO’s James Bikales breaks down the...

The Biden administration released new permitting rules this week that aim to speed up the building of energy infrastructure while also giving communities more input. But the regulations are already facing pushback and larger permitting priorities remain unaddressed by Congress. POLITICO’s Zack Colman breaks down how big of an impact Biden’s permitting regulations could have and the issues that rem...

Global leaders met in Ottawa, Canada, this past week for U.N. talks aimed at significantly curtailing the world’s plastic pollution. POLITICO’s Jordan Wolman sat down with California Democrat Rep. Jared Huffman on the sidelines of the Ottawa talks to discuss the importance of reaching an ambitious deal, the deep domestic divisions and tricky global dynamics complicating the negotiations and why he...

The U.S. solar industry is divided, and the split could significantly impact President Joe Biden’s climate agenda and America’s ongoing trade war with China. POLITICO’s Kelsey Tamborrino breaks down the domestic solar standoff and the president’s tricky balancing act as he races toward the 2024 election. Plus, the United Nations is drawing up new guidelines to help governments and companies access...

The Biden administration finalized a highly-anticipated suite of regulations aimed at cracking down on pollution from coal-fired and new natural gas power plants – a major move in the president’s efforts to fight climate change. POLITICO’s Alex Guillén breaks down the importance of the latest climate rules along with the expected political and legal challenges. Plus, the Energy Department finalize...