POLITICO Energy

On Thursday, FERC Chair Richard Glick said he will depart the agency at the end of the year when the Senate adjourns. Glick’s long-anticipated exit will leave behind a 2-2 deadlock on the commission, which could delay progress on the agency’s ambitious transmission agenda and impact consideration of environmental justice and climate change factors in the permitting process. POLITICO’s Catherine Mo...

Nine east coast states on Monday released a plan to create a fund that would compensate fishing interests for losses related to offshore wind development. These fishing interests are worried that the wind farms will hurt their profitability and create more competition. But some states like New York and New Jersey — along with the Biden administration — are hoping to use the clean energy generated...

After decades of research, US scientists can now create a nuclear fusion reaction that produces more energy than the reaction requires. The breakthrough means that decades from now, nuclear fusion could become a source of clean, inexpensive energy that doesn’t create long-lived radioactive waste or worsen global warming. However, the technology still faces many obstacles to commercial use, namely...

Last month, New York passed the first partial ban on cryptocurrency mining in the nation, which is sending ripple effects throughout the digital currency industry and also encouraging environmentalists to push for similar measures across the nation. POLITICO’s Marie French breaks down the ban and what it means for New York, environmentalists and the industry overall. Plus, a new report from EPA sa...

European and Asian allies are furious at the Biden administration for being cut out of the lucrative U.S. tax credits for electric vehicles. While President Joe Biden has promised to address the situation, he’s pretty limited in what he can do. And congressional Democrats say they have no regrets. POLITICO’s Steven Overly breaks down why Democrats are unrepentant as US trading partners fume over t...

After Democrats failed for a second time to pass permitting reforms, finger pointing on the Hill is in full swing. Democrats blame the GOP for the latest collapse and argue that they offered significant compromises to broker a deal. But, those compromises weren’t enough for Republicans, especially regarding transmission. POLITICO’s Catherine Morehouse breaks down why transmission was a sticking po...

For the second time in three months, Democratic leaders tried and failed to pass energy permitting reform, this time in an ill-fated attempt to attach it to the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act. POLITICO’s Josh Siegel breaks down the latest effort than foundered in the face of Republican and progressive opposition to the measure, and what’s next. Plus, the Biden administration’s third...

For months, the United States and European Union have tried to work out a solution over the new electric vehicle tax credit in the Inflation Reduction Act that European officials argue threatens their auto industry, which is already struggling with high energy costs and the possibility of a recession. POLITICO’s Doug Palmer breaks down the chances that the European Union and United States can work...

The European Union, United States and G-7 nations are trying to squeeze Russia’s massive fossil fuel revenue through newly-enacted sanctions to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. The European Union’s ban on the import of seaborne Russian crude oil went into effect on Monday, along with a $60-a-barrel price cap on Russian oil shipped to the rest of the world. POLITICO Europe’s Chief UK Corr...

On Friday, the Commerce Department said four Chinese solar companies were routing products through Southeast Asian countries in order to evade tariffs. The investigation has worried solar companies in the U.S. that fear they won’t get the imported panels they need for their projects, but Commerce’s findings included key exceptions that could blunt the short-term impact on the sector. POLITICO’s Ke...

FERC Chair Richard Glick recused himself from a major clean energy order this week, signaling he may be leaving his position at the regulatory agency. Former commissioners and agency officials have told POLITICO that the recusal could be driven by a desire to avoid conflicts of interest with potential future endeavors. Glick was renominated to FERC by President Joe Biden after his term expired in...

Retiring Rep. Fred Upton has been a major player in the energy and climate space for years, previously chairing the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee and soon leaving behind a record of bipartisan legislation. The Michigan Republican sat down with POLITICO Energy‘s Josh Siegel to reflect on Upton’s 36-year tenure in the House, what he thinks about the current energy crisis and what a GO...

Starting next year, Congress will need to pass the farm bill, a large funding bill renewed every five years that has a major impact on the agriculture industry and farmers' livelihoods. Democrats are fighting to make farming more climate-friendly - a proposition Republicans are likely to reject. A farming practice called regenerative agriculture might satisfy both parties’ interests. POLITICO’s Ga...

While billions of new federal tax dollars are earmarked to help people leave climate vulnerable areas, a POLITICO investigation found that those programs often fail because of inconsistencies and bureaucracy. But Washington needs to create a solution soon since the impact of natural disasters on real estate, public infrastructure, and insurance is increasing. POLITICO’s Zack Colman discusses how t...

Puerto Rico’s fragile power system, which is still recovering from multiple hurricanes and years of electricity problems, faces important deadlines this week that could determine which entities are responsible for restoring the grid. POLITICO’S Gloria Gonzalez breaks down how the grid operator and Puerto Rico’s government are responding, and why the island’s power grid faces an uncertain future.  ...

Beneath the northeastern Minnesota woods lie massive deposits of copper, nickel and cobalt that the Twin Metals company wants to mine. Mining those critical minerals would help the clean energy industry grow to meet the Biden administration’s climate change goals. But the administration has rejected plans to build the mine because of risks to the environmentally sensitive site – a decision that ha...

Last week, California’s air quality regulation agency laid out steps for the state to reach carbon neutrality by 2045 that lean on clean energy, driving, carbon capture, and forestry. However, state officials have acknowledged that some of those goals are potentially unreachable, and environmental groups have argued that the plan isn't doing enough. POLITICO’s Camille von Kaenel breaks down the ta...

The United Nations climate change conference, COP27, finished Sunday with a historic deal to create a global loss and damage fund. That new pool of money would be collected from richer nations that have historically contributed to climate change and distributed to countries that have already suffered irreversible climate damage. But, even though the agreement was considered a huge win, climate adv...

The Environmental Protection Agency announced on Thursday that a troubled oil refinery on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, which shut down last year after raining oil droplets on the island's majority-Black residents, may take years to meet new permitting requirements to restart operations. POLITICO’s Alex Guillén breaks down the backstory of the plant, what EPA says needs to be done before i...

At the climate change talks in Egypt on Wednesday, the European Union signaled openness to discussing the creation of a new loss and damage fund. The fund, which developing nations have been calling for, would create a new pool of money to disburse to poor countries that have suffered irreversible climate damage. After the EU’s new stance, the spotlight is now on the United States, which has been...

With Democrats controlling the Senate and Republicans likely holding a majority in the House during the next term of Congress, POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre and host Josh Siegel discuss 4 main energy policy areas to watch for: permitting, oversight, smaller opportunities for bipartisan collaboration, and the fight over Biden’s climate regulatory agenda. Plus, New York is considering a cap-and-invest pro...

If Republicans win a narrow majority in the House as expected, a select group of GOP lawmakers will wield significant power as committee chairs for the next two years. According to their own words, those House Republicans plan to conduct a lot of oversight of Democrats’ energy and climate spending, the Biden administration’s green policies, and the Cabinet officials implementing them. POLITICO’s K...

On Friday, President Joe Biden boasted how his administration has taken “unprecedented” climate actions at home and abroad during a speech at COP27 in Egypt. But officials from developing countries remain skeptical that the United States will be able to deliver on the president’s pledges, with Biden facing an unsettled political situation at home following last week’s midterm elections. POLITICO’s...

West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair, won’t hold a hearing this year on the nomination of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chair Richard Glick. Glick can still serve until the end of the year, but Manchin’s decision could deal a potentially major blow to FERC, a regulatory body that’s crucial to President Joe Biden’s climate agenda. P...

In order to pass new energy permitting rules, Republicans will need to consider whether to work with Democrats in the lame-duck Congress or push their own plan in the next term if they succeed in taking control of the House. POLITICO’s Josh Siegel breaks down the paths forward for permitting legislation and why Republicans may not seek a compromise. Plus, environmental groups are calling on Democr...