POLITICO Energy

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin faced three high-stakes, sometimes-combative congressional hearings this week, defending President Donald Trump’s proposal to slash the agency’s budget by more than half and promoting the administration’s push to slash regulations and promote fossil energy development. POLITICO’s Alex Guillén recaps Zeldin’s week on the Hill and what’s ahead for him and EPA. Plus, a St...

Years of drought and climate change are shrinking the Colorado River, which supplies water and electricity to 40 million people in the western United States. With the seven states that share that water deadlocked, the Trump administration is preparing to take matters into its own hands, setting off a scramble among the states to cut a side deal. POLITICO’s Annie Snider breaks down the latest in th...

POLITICO Energy host Manuel Quiñones sits down for an extended interview with Pete Maysmith, the president of the League of Conservation Voters, an advocacy group that works to elect pro-environment candidates. They discuss the state of the environmental movement ahead of the November midterms in the wake of recent electoral results that suggest climate issues may not be top-of-mind for voters and...

The war between the United States and Iran is close to entering its third month, and the impact on global energy markets is worsening. POLITICO’s Kelsey Tamborrino and James Bikales break down the energy fallout, how the Trump administration has subtly shifted its messaging, and why there’s growing uncertainty among Republican strategists ahead of the November midterm elections. Kelsey Tamborrino...

Federal energy regulators are preparing a major proposal that could reshape how energy-hungry data centers connect to America’s power grid. POLITICO’s AJ Camacho breaks down what to know about FERC’s proposal and how that decision -- expected in coming weeks -- could reshape America’s AI rollout and power system. Plus, President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to strengthen federal...

POLITICO Energy host Josh Siegel sits down with newly appointed Sen. Alan Armstrong (R-Okla.), a longtime energy executive entering Congress with a singular goal: passing energy permitting reform. They discuss why Armstrong believes he’s uniquely positioned to get a deal done, whether high energy prices could hurt Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterms and the broader energy implications of the Ir...

Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum urged top U.S. oil and gas executives on a call Thursday to increase their companies' production in an effort to lower oil prices. The conversation comes as tensions with Iran escalate and high energy costs are putting pressure on consumers and President Donald Trump’s approval ratings ahead of the midterms. POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre b...

Global economic leaders are gathering in Washington D.C. this week for the spring meetings hosted by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, and energy strategy is at the top of the agenda. But the Trump administration’s energy agenda and the Iran War are adding a new layer of complexity to those talks. POLITICO’s Sara Schonhardt breaks down how that tension could shape global energy and e...

A Wisconsin town recently passed a first-of-its-kind referendum blocking future data center construction, one of several similar efforts appearing on ballots at the local and state level during this year’s midterm elections. These fights come as data centers, a major part of President Donald Trump’s AI agenda, come under increased scrutiny from voters raising concerns about their energy and enviro...

America’s oil industry is privately lobbying top Trump administration officials — including the president himself — to block any permanent peace plan with Iran that would leave Tehran charging tolls in the Strait of Hormuz. POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre explains the oil industry’s short-term and long-term concerns, how the White House is responding, and why this waterway could make or break the deal. Pl...

The Trump administration recently announced plans to restructure how the federal government oversees energy development in federal waters, which accounts for a meaningful chunk of U.S. energy and mineral production and billions of dollars in government revenue. POLITICO’s Ian Stevenson breaks down why the move is controversial and the impact it could have on the future of offshore drilling. Ian St...

Today, POLITICO Energy host Zack Colman sits down with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis for an extended conversation. They discuss what rising energy prices mean for Americans, Democrats’ messaging on energy and climate change ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, and how one of the most prominent blue state governors is navigating the Trump administration. Zack Colman covers climate change for POLITICO. ...

President Donald Trump’s latest address to the nation on the war with Iran is already sending ripples through global energy markets, as oil prices climb and uncertainty grows around the Strait of Hormuz. POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre and James Bikales break down what the administration’s strategy means for energy markets, global supply, and gas prices at home. Plus, senior Trump administration officials...

Across the country, many Democratic governors are shifting from ambitious climate policies to prioritizing energy affordability as costs rise and political pressure builds ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. POLITICO’s Adam Aton explains what’s driving the change, the political trade-offs behind it, how it’s affecting the clean energy industry, and whether it signals a lasting shift for the party...

Today, POLITICO’s James Bikales and Kelsey Tamborrino unpack the biggest takeaways from CERAWeek 2026, one of the world’s most influential energy conferences, as the industry grapples with geopolitical tensions, rising demand from artificial intelligence, and shifting U.S. policy. They also break down POLITICO’s exclusive interviews with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and EPA Administrator Lee Zel...

Today, POLITICO's deputy editor-in-chief Joe Schatz sits down for an extended interview with EPA administrator Lee Zeldin. They discuss the agency’s ambitious deregulatory agenda, President Donald Trump’s energy dominance agenda, the war with Iran, chemical safety and Make America Healthy Again. Joe Schatz is the deputy editor-in-chief of POLITICO. Nirmal Mulaikal is the co-host and executive prod...

Today, POLITICO reporter Francisco “A.J.” Camacho sits down for an extended interview with Judy Chang, a Democratic commissioner at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. They discuss the growing strain on America's power grid, rising electricity prices, FERC’s independence under the Trump administration, and the key policy issues on the agency’s docket. Francisco "A.J." Camacho is a reporter f...

Today, POLITICO’s senior politics columnist Jonathan Martin sits down for an extended interview with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the head of the White House’s National Energy Dominance Council. They discuss President Donald Trump’s energy agenda including the Iran war, Venezuela, high energy prices at home, congressional regulatory reforms, competing with China and more. Jonathan Martin is the...

Today, POLITICO Energy guest host Hannah Northey sits down for an extended interview with John Jovanovic, the chairman and president of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. They discuss the Trump administration’s $12 billion initiative to build a domestic stockpile of critical minerals, the complicated geopolitics of this issue, how the bank fits into the Trump administration’s broader ene...

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering scrapping a decades-old radiation safety standard. It’s a move that would support the Trump administration’s push to expand nuclear power in the United States, but it would also raise key questions about public health risks and the industry’s standards. POLITICO’s AJ Camacho breaks down the proposal, where congressional lawmakers and the nuclear ind...

POLITICO Energy host Manuel Quiñones sits down for an extended interview with Daniel Yergin, the vice chairman of S&P Global and chairman of CERAWeek, one of the world’s largest and most influential gatherings of energy leaders and policymakers. They preview next week’s conference and discuss the major forces shaping the global energy agenda, including the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and...

Today, POLITICO Energy host Nirmal Mulaikal sits down for an extended interview with Jason Bordoff, the founding director of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University and a former senior director for energy and climate change on the National Security Council during the Obama administration. They discuss why the war in the Middle East could — contrary to conventional wisdom — actual...

Global oil prices have surged after the U.S. war with Iran, and they may not fall anytime soon even if the conflict ends quickly. POLITICO’s Scott Waldman explains why high oil prices could persist long after the fighting stops, presenting a political problem for President Donald Trump and the Republican party as voters focus on affordability issues in the run-up to the midterms. Plus, the Justice...

Permitting reform negotiations on Capitol Hill may be gaining new momentum after weeks of stalled talks, and now the White House is stepping into the mix. POLITICO’s Kelsey Brugger breaks down why negotiations restarted now, how rising energy prices and electricity demand are raising the political stakes ahead of the midterms, and whether lawmakers can finally overcome years of failed attempts to...

Today, POLITICO Energy host Arianna Skibell sits down for an extended interview with Charles Hua, the executive director of PowerLines, a nonprofit that advocates for modernizing the nation’s utility regulatory system. They discuss why America’s power bills are going up, how regulators could bring them down, the role of data centers on the grid, and rising electricity costs as a new, defining poli...