POLITICO Energy

More than 80 people are dead after catastrophic flooding swept through central Texas last week even though federal forecasters saw it coming. Chelsea Harvey from POLITICO’s E&E News breaks down why accurate federal forecasts weren’t enough to save lives, and how climate change and shrinking federal disaster infrastructure are raising alarms for what’s ahead. Plus, the Federal Energy Regulatory Com...

President Donald Trump signed his “One Big, Beautiful Bill” into law on Friday, achieving a major part of his domestic energy agenda. But the law could potentially put swing-district Republicans at risk in the 2026 midterm elections. POLITICO’s Josh Siegel and James Bikales break down why Trump’s new law could politically hurt his party. Josh Siegel is the host of POLITICO Energy and a congression...

New analyses from four research firms showed the GOP megabill could spike U.S. emissions for years to come, which could in turn hurt global climate goals and America’s green credibility. POLITICO’s Zack Colman breaks down how the megabill could rewrite America’s climate future. Plus, oil production contracted in the second quarter, according to survey results the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas pub...

Senate Republicans narrowly passed their version of President Donald Trump’s party-line reconciliation package on Tuesday, bringing the party closer to executing a key part of the president’s domestic agenda and transforming America’s energy policy. POLITICO’s Josh Siegel, James Bikales and Kelsey Tamborrino break down how the Senate finally passed its version of the bill, the impact on the clean...

A record-breaking heat wave strained the U.S. power grid last week, highlighting the risks of rising electricity demand and extreme weather. POLITICO’s Zack Colman breaks down how the grid held up and the Trump administration’s plans for future heat waves. Plus, the Energy Department and FERC proposed slashing current environmental analysis procedures based off of the current National Environmenta...

The Trump administration is giving seven Western states until November to agree on how to share the Colorado River — or face federal intervention. POLITICO’s Annie Snider breaks down the administration’s ultimatum, why the states that share the river haven’t solved this issue, and what’s next in this saga. Plus, the Department of Energy didn't ensure enough staff or risk controls were in place to...

The Trump administration is proposing steep cuts to the Department of Energy’s network of national research laboratories, which have powered U.S. scientific and technological breakthroughs for decades. POLITICO’s Brian Dabbs breaks down how President Trump wants to reshape the system andwhat it means for the future of U.S. science and energy innovation. Also, the Trump administration has given the...

Experts are warning that some of President Donald Trump’s executive actions could undermine his goal of getting wildfires in the United States under control. POLITICO’s Zack Colman breaks down why wildfires are getting worse in the country, Trump’s wildfire prevention strategy, and the pushback. Plus, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Mike Lee is not backing down from his effort to sell pu...

Hill Republicans are eager to get their reconciliation mega bill to President Donald Trump’s desk by July 4th. But the Senate parliamentarian has deemed large sections of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s portion of the bill in violation of reconciliation budget rules. POLITICO’s James Bikales digs into the measures deemed prohibited, what comes next and what this setback means for the...

The United States’ attack on Iranian nuclear facilities late Saturday caused a global oil price spike — but it hasn’t lasted. Prices have tumbled after Iran’s strikes on US military bases in Qatar and Iraq. POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre explains these price fluctuations and what it all means for President Donald Trump’s low energy cost promises. Plus, New York governor Kathy Hochul is directing the stat...

The second Trump administration is rejecting the GOP’s long-held “all of the above” energy mantra and going all in on fossil fuels and nuclear power — while opposing renewable energy sources like wind and solar. The person tasked with making that plan reality is Jarrod Agen, executive director of President Donald Trump’s newly created National Energy Dominance Council. POLITICO White House Bureau...

The Trump administration lost a court battle this week in its attempt to roll back hundreds of millions of dollars in climate funding issued by the Biden administration. POLITICO’s Alex Guillén breaks down that ruling, along with the other legal and political fights over Biden-era climate funding. Plus, the Supreme Court came to opposite conclusions in two separate but related cases over the prope...

The Senate Finance Committee released its portion of the GOP’s megabill this week, softening House lawmakers’ cuts to the nation’s clean energy tax credits. The proposal likely will spark weeks of debate within the party and could jeopardize the Senate’s self-imposed deadline for passing the bill. POLITICO’s Josh Siegel and Kelsey Tamborrino break down what the Senate proposed, how it compares to...

Five months into President Donald Trump’s second term, federal workers told POLITICO that a combination of budget cuts, work stoppages and uncertainty have left the government unprepared to respond to disasters and halted key scientific research. POLITICO’s Zack Colman breaks down how energy-related agencies are struggling to function. Plus, President Donald Trump has terminated Commissioner Chris...

President Donald Trump recently revoked California's ability to enforce its nation-leading clean-car rules. But how much is California to blame and what recourse does it have? POLITICO’s Debra Kahn breaks down what happened, how a former top California official is responding, and what’s next in this saga. Plus, the Trump administration proposed its first biofuel blending mandates on Friday, increa...

The Trump administration’s proposed rule effectively frees power plants from climate regulation of any kind and will almost certainly invite legal challenges. POLITICO’s Alex Guillén breaks down how EPA is justifying this rule, the pushback from critics, and how an eventual legal fight could help determine whether the federal government can regulate climate pollution from any sector. Plus, Preside...

The Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday it would repeal a historic regulation that places federal limits on climate pollution from power plants, effectively killing the Biden administration’s most ambitious regulatory effort aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. POLITICO’s Alex Guillén breaks down the repeal and how it will impact efforts to fight climate change. Plus, EPA al...

POLITICO Energy host Josh Siegel sits down for an interview at the POLITICO Energy summit with Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. They discuss why Heinrich thinks the Republicans’ party-line reconciliation package could cost the GOP politically in the next election, how Democrats can change the party’s narrative on oil and gas...

As the Trump administration and congressional Republicans try to pull back federal support for climate technologies, carbon capture has mostly avoided the GOP onslaught. POLITICO’s Debra Kahn breaks down how carbon capture has largely dodged GOP attacks and why the technology hits close to home for House Speaker Mike Johnson in her latest Currents column. Plus, a top Interior Department official s...

Elon Musk’s public squabble with President Donald Trump comes as Republicans debate their mega reconciliation bill, which would almost certainly hurt Tesla’s lesser-known solar and battery division. POLITICO’s Matt Daily breaks down how that Tesla division could get caught in Republicans’ crosshairs. Plus, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a rule stating it will not conside...

The auto industry’s powerful trade group is publicly silent about Republicans’ megabill because of internal divisions, even as the Senate considers major rollbacks to a number of tax credits benefiting the industry that have prompted billions of dollars in investments. POLITICO’s James Bikales breaks down why the lobbying group hasn’t taken a public position and where the Senate stands on those cr...

The White House and the Government Accountability Office are at odds over the Trump administration’s decision to pause funding for the national electric vehicle charging program, which puts $5 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure law toward building EV chargers across the country. POLITICO’s Matt Daily breaks down the fight and how the pause is impacting states that were receiving funds from...

After House Republicans passed their version of President Donald Trump’s "big beautiful” reconciliation bill last month, an important energy question has emerged: How far will the Senate go to save the clean energy tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act? POLITICO’s Josh Siegel and Kelsey Tamborrino break down where the Senate stands on the IRA clean energy credits and the timeline for the reco...

President Donald Trump announced the nitty-gritty details of his budget proposal to Congress on Friday, which included slashing EPA’s budget by 55 percent. POLITICO’s Alex Guillén breaks down the proposed cuts, the timeline of the budget process, and why there may be disagreements within the Republican party. Plus, the Trump administration is also seeking to slash funding for the Energy Department...

Today, POLITICO Energy host Cat Morehouse sits down for an extended interview with Matt Christiansen, the former general counsel to multiple chairs of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. During his tenure, Christiansen was deeply involved in hundreds of FERC proceedings over the years, including the creation of landmark - and often controversial - rules. They discuss FERC’s biggest successes...