POLITICO Energy

Big climate and resource investments continue to keep Democrats and Republicans from reaching a deal on infrastructure. Yesterday, the Senate Environment and Public Works committee brokered a compromise that Republicans say is the way in which infrastructure should be approached. But Anthony Adragna reports that Democrats fear that going at infrastructure in parts will derail most of their environ...

While the coronavirus pandemic was the dominant news story, 2020 was also the year with the most hurricanes and wildfires on record. And by the looks of it, 2021 is going to give 2020 a run for its money. Before the summer has even begun, the wildfire season has already kicked off in the US, and forecasters expect an above-average hurricane season. Today, POLITICO’s Zack Colman on the federal gove...

Renewable energy projects need permits to join the grid. But if the permit process takes too long (and it often does), the funders behind the project can back out, making the project unviable but with a permit still pending. POLITICO’s Eric Wolff explains why this bottleneck is slowing the growth of clean energy nationwide and why the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is out to fix it.  Anthony...

In Biden’s America, every week seems to be infrastructure week. For weeks, Democrats on both the House and Senate have been working to get a package that keeps a focus on infrastructure. And this work has focused specially on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman Peter DeFazio. Today, POLITICCO’s Sam Mintz has an update on the role of climate in the bills. Sam Mintz is als...

Many of the country’s biggest states have set up various carbon pricing mechanisms to curb greenhouse gas emissions. And while most of these programs have succeeded at lowering emissions and making money in the process, the idea is still no closer to becoming federal policy a decade after the last attempt famously died on the Senate floor. Today, POLITICO’s Debra Kahn and Anthony Adragna explain w...

On Tuesday,  reports indicated the Biden administration would not be sanctioning the company in charge of building the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline or its owner, a close ally to Russian president Vladimir Putin. This means the final miles of the project could be laid out, but POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre says don't assume it's the US waving the white flag. Ben Lefebvre covers energy for POLITIC...

California summers aren’t just hot and sunny anymore. In recent years, prolonged power outages have also become a mid-year feature in the Golden state. But with his political life at stake, Governor Gavin Newsom can’t take any chances this summer if he wants to win at the polls this fall. Today, POLITICO’s Colby Bermel explains the risk that a season of blackouts would pose to Newsom’s ability to...

On Monday, the Supreme Court handed big oil an important win in a case against Baltimore in one of the climate change lawsuits being brought by states and localities. But in its decision, the Court refused to completely side with oil companies, and the win only extends what’s already expected to be a legal war. Today, POLITICO’s Alex Guillen on how the ruling will impact other cases around the cou...

For years, Democrats have discussed establishing a federally mandated clean energy standard to transition away from high emitting sources of power. But some environmental groups are criticizing the policy before details have even been released. Today, POLITICO Magazine senior writer Michael Grunwald explains what’s at the heart of this criticism.  Anthony Adragna is an energy reporter for POLITICO...

On Wednesday evening, Colonial Pipeline began to gradually restart after a weeklong halt due to a cyber hack. But POLITICO’s Gloria Gonzalez says don't relax just yet: getting gas to the states affected is going to be take a little while longer.    Anthony Adragna is an energy reporter and author of Morning Energy. Gloria Gonzalez is POLITICO's energy deputy editor. Carlos Prieto is a POLITICO pod...

One of Obama’s priorities on the environment was creating a rule to determine which bodies of water were under federal protection. And one of Trump’s was to repel everything with his predecessor’s signature on it. Now, Joe Biden has an opportunity to write a water rule that could last beyond the next Republican president and survive court rulings, and POLITICO’s Annie Snider reports the administra...

Last week, hackers launched a ransomware attack on one of the main fuel pipelines in America. This week, the ripple effects of the cyber-attack made it to the pump as drivers raced to hoard fuel. Today, POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre discusses the fuel shortages along the East coast, and when the government expects things to return to normal. Ben Lefebvre covers energy for POLITICO.Anthony Adragna is an...

Take a breath. Now another. Of all the oxygen you just inhaled, about 20% comes from the Amazon forest. As the planet’s green lung, protection of the Amazon forest is a priority for all environmentalists. But the Biden administration is involved in delicate diplomatic negotiations with Brazil’s president, who watches over most of the Amazon and believes keeping the Amazon intact is keeping his cou...

On Friday, the pipeline that feeds nearly half of the east coast’s fuel supply was put to a halt after the company that runs it fell victim to ransomware. And while the attack hasn’t affected fuel access in the country yet, POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre says it exposes critical vulnerabilities in the American energy field on the cyberspace. Ben Lefebvre covers energy for POLITICO.Carlos Prieto is a Poli...

Yesterday, the Biden administration presented a 10-year plan that would set aside one-third of America’s land and waters for conservation. Democrats and scientists have touted this goal as a measure to slow mass extinction. But POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre reports on why details on Biden's plans to reach this goal are still scarce. Anthony Adragna is an energy reporter for POLITICO and host of POLITICO...

In the 1860s, John D. Rockefeller started his oil empire in Cleveland, Ohio. By his death in the 1930s, he’d built the largest fortune in American history by building a monopoly in the oil industry. But now, his living descendants are fighting Exxon Mobil, the largest remnant of Rockefeller’s Standard Oil, over what they call decades of deception by the company. Today, E&E News reporter Maxine Jos...

The Biden administration is calling for spending tens of billions to help speed the adoption of electric vehicles and bring on the future of clean transportation. But farmers fear that shift away from liquid fuels and they say Biden’s ignoring home-grown biofuels. Now, they’re putting some of their considerable political power into making sure ethanol and other fuels get something from any upcomin...

Ask any Democrat on Capitol Hill about Trump’s regulations and they will almost certainly tell you they were far too weak. But since Dems hold both legislative arms, why not just undo these regulations unilaterally? According to POLITICO’s Anthony Adragna, doing so through the Congressional Review Act carries some untested legal risks.     Anthony Adragna is an energy reporter for POLITICO and hos...

On Earth Day, Joe Biden announced the US’ ambitious goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. But it seems like the calculations that guided the administration’s decision are a secret. Today, POLITICO’s Zack Colman, on why Congress and the private sector want to know the math behind the White House’s climate plan. Zack Colman is an energy reporter for POLITICO.Anthony Adragna is an ene...

California Governor Gavin Newsom directed his administration last week to ban new fracking permits within three years in the state. The move comes after the state legislature, controlled by Democrats, voted against the ban – which Newsom himself said last year he didn't have the power to issue as governor. POLITICO’s Colby Bermel explains the ban and the motivations behind it.   Anthony Adragna is...

This week, the Supreme court heard arguments on two cases that could redefine pipeline construction and the amount of biofuels in America’s gasoline. POLITICO’s Kelsey Tamborrino and Alex Guillen followed along, and they explain the stakes in these cases. Kelsey Tamborrino is an energy reporter and author of Morning Energy. Anthony Adragna is an energy reporter for POLITICO and host of POLITICO En...

On Tuesday, POLITICO’s Alex Guillen and Annie Snider sat down with EPA administrator Michael Regan. The veteran public servant on environmental policy is now one of the government officials with most power to direct federal action on climate change and the environment — and he wants to get his agency back to crafting strong regulations. Anthony Adragna is an energy reporter for POLITICO and host o...

12 years ago, Democrats tried to implement a price on US carbon emissions as part of a complicated process that would try to lower America’s carbon footprint. But while this attempt failed, some American companies privately began internally considering the cost of their emissions. Today, POLITICO’s Lorraine Woellert, on how this shift could help the federal government fight climate change. Lorrain...

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice… After decades of flip-flopping, world leaders aren’t taking the American president’s word on climate at its value. With momentum on climate policy at the White House and Congress, Democrats have an opportunity to show the world the US is serious this time around. Today, POLITICO’s Ryan Heath, on how historic inaction is handicapping Biden’s work on climat...

Joe Biden promised he would return America to a top leadership position on climate. At his own climate summit, President Biden announced the ambitious climate goal that the environmental world had been waiting for. But wait, there’s more! POLITICO’s Zack Colman, on all the news from the day-long climate meeting.  Zack Colman is an energy reporter for POLITICO.Anthony Adragna is an energy reporter...