Republicans grapple with messaging on Biden climate law

5 November 2024 at 05:43

Democrats have been deploying the Inflation Reduction Act against moderate Republicans in tough races. The Trump campaign is also feeling the heat.

Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) speaks during a debate with Democratic challenger John Avlon (left). Avlon accused LaLota of wanting to repeal the 2022 climate law.

Chinese companies use Biden’s climate law to expand their solar dominance

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Benjamin Storrow

4 November 2024 at 01:00

The president tried to weaken China’s control over solar parts globally by funding U.S. manufacturing plants. But Chinese companies are tapping into the cash.

FEMA didn’t answer almost half the calls it received for disaster aid

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Thomas Frank and Adam Aton

2 November 2024 at 04:57

Hurricanes Helene and Milton have left the Federal Emergency Management Agency struggling to handle phone calls from survivors and maintain staffing.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell (left) and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) talk about Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in Charlotte, North Carolina, earlier this month.

But their emails: Federal employees’ communications swept up in conservatives’ dragnet

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Robin Bravender

2 November 2024 at 00:00

Right-leaning groups have filed tens of thousands of information requests as Donald Trump plans a scorched-earth reign over civil servants.

Conservative groups have spent the Biden administration's term submitting records requests to energy and environmental agencies.

The world acted too late to avert climate catastrophes. Now the US effort to deal with them is struggling.

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Zack Colman and Jessie Blaeser

31 October 2024 at 22:00

A $33.6 billion initiative aims to harden the nation's defenses against a warming world. Some communities are still waiting for help.

The Rocky Broad River flows into Lake Lure, North Carolina, and leaves an expanse of debris, following heavy rains from Hurricane Helene.

Old and new energy do battle in New Mexico

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Josh Siegel

30 October 2024 at 17:00

The sprawling congressional district that spans southern New Mexico is divided.

Employees work at the Array Technologies solar equipment plant in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Oct. 2. Around Albuquerque, the growth of the clean energy economy that is transforming the state is hard to miss.

Biden’s energy push sends Nevada into Bizarro World

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Benjamin Storrow

29 October 2024 at 22:00

Conservative mining towns are benefiting under the IRA while Democratic voters skewer the Biden-Harris administration for opening the desert to solar farms.

Mountains overlooking Tonopah, Nevada, as seen from the Silver Top silver mine. A new mining boom is now unfolding in the community, as companies rush to the area to extract lithium for electric vehicle batteries.

Federal ocean agency closes RFK Jr. whale carcass investigation

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Daniel Cusick

29 October 2024 at 02:23

NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement determined the allegation “to be unfounded.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at a campaign rally for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday.

6 months later, many voters unsure what to make of Biden’s billions

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Zack Colman

29 October 2024 at 00:00

A hard-fought presidential campaign has yet to persuade majorities of voters that the president's landmark spending initiatives have made their lives better, a new POLITICO-Morning Consult poll found.

Overall, voters’ attitudes about the Biden-Harris administration’s massive domestic spending initiatives have either barely budged or slightly dimmed since April.

How fracking and EVs could swing election in Blue Wall states

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Nirmal Mulaikal and Josh Siegel

28 October 2024 at 17:00

To understand how these issues are swaying voters one way or the other in these states, POLITICO Energy host Josh Siegel spoke with two researchers.

Fracking in Pennsylvania and the politics around electric vehicles in Michigan are two of the most polarizing issues on the trail — and major points of contrast in the Harris and Trump campaigns.

‘Outrageous abuse of power’: Trump spurned disaster pleas amid feud with governor

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Thomas Frank and Scott Waldman

26 October 2024 at 02:00

Democratic Washington Gov. Jay Inslee had to wait until President Joe Biden took office to get help for a deadly wildfire that occurred during the Trump administration.

Democratic Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (left) and former President Donald Trump.

GOP-linked firm gathers info on people suing the oil industry. It won’t say why.

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Corbin Hiar

24 October 2024 at 00:00

An opposition research group appears to be trying to undermine a lawsuit that accuses oil companies of causing a deadly heat wave in Oregon.

A record-setting heat dome killed 69 people in Oregon in 2021. Local officials have accused the fossil fuel industry of contributing to the disaster.

The GOP’s electric car attacks crash into Dems’ closing message

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Timothy Cama

22 October 2024 at 04:58

In Michigan, New York, Montana and elsewhere, Republicans have seized on Biden administration electric vehicle policies.

Michigan Senate candidates Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D) and former Rep. Mike Rogers (R) have been sparring about issues related to electric vehicles.

This possible Trump adviser says electric cars, walkable cities and even talking about climate change are harmful

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Scott Waldman

20 October 2024 at 04:00

Former Ambassador Carla Sands focuses on energy issues at the America First Policy Institute, a Trump-aligned think tank.

Carla Sands, then a candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, speaks at a 2022 political forum.

Supreme Court lets Biden’s power plant climate rule take effect

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Alex Guillén

17 October 2024 at 04:31

The justices said relief isn't necessary right now because the D.C. Circuit has fast-tracked the case.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan unveiled the power plant climate rule at Howard University on April 25.

Why North Carolinians probably won’t take the federal buyouts after Hurricane Helene

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Zack Colman

16 October 2024 at 22:00

Aid workers, community groups and environmental organizations say few people are likely to take advantage of federal programs to help move out of flood-damaged homes that are flush with new funding from Congress.

Congress recently beefed up programs to help people move out of flood-ravaged homes, but those initiatives will likely face resistance in western North Carolina towns hard hit by Hurricane Helene.

‘They’re so vindictive’: Why some federal employees are fearing Trump 2.0

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Robin Bravender

16 October 2024 at 03:37

They’re finalizing Biden priorities, dusting off their resumes and delaying home repairs as they fear losing their jobs.

Employees in environmental and energy agencies are anxious about the possible return of a Trump administration.

DOE’s No 2: Congress needs to move on permitting reform

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Nirmal Mulaikal and Josh Siegel

15 October 2024 at 17:00

David Turk sat down recently for an extended interview with POLITICO Energy host Josh Siegel, and his comments come as the lame duck session looms and a permitting bill in the Senate is gathering momentum.

Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk has a warning: the administration won’t be able to meet its climate goals without more substantial permitting reform from Congress.

How ‘green’ inhalers could evade Biden’s drug pricing legacy

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Ariel Wittenberg

14 October 2024 at 22:00

The Biden administration has reformed Medicare, gone after bogus drug patents and pushed pharmaceutical companies to reduce inhaler costs for patients. “Climate-friendly inhalers” could jeopardize those wins.

EE.Wittenberg.GreenInhalers.Illustration.LEAD

Historic ocean liner could soon become the world’s largest artificial reef

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Associated Press

13 October 2024 at 12:05

The 1,000-foot-long SS United States still holds the transatlantic speed record it set more than 70 years ago.

A person runs past the SS United States moored on the Delaware River in Philadelphia, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

How scientists pinpoint climate’s ‘telltale signs’ on Hurricanes Milton and Helene

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Zack Colman

12 October 2024 at 05:30

POLITICO discussed the emergence of attribution science and the human fingerprints on Helene and Milton with Gabriel Vecchi, a Princeton University professor of geosciences.