Trump’s wildcard Cabinet choices leave oil industry scratching its head

15 November 2024 at 09:10

Some surprise nominees have the sector and lawmakers wondering if the president-elect will seek to install an unexpected person to one of the top energy roles.

Many in the energy industry are giving up on even reading tea leaves on President-elect Donald Trump’s nominations for key Cabinet positions.

Musk’s sway over Trump could devastate electric vehicles — except his own

Politico | Energy & Environment

By David Ferris

15 November 2024 at 05:56

The Tesla CEO’s “government efficiency” role under Trump is raising concerns about conflicts of interest.

Then-presidential candidate Donald Trump (left) shakes hands with Tesla CEO Elon Musk during a campaign event last month in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Kristi Noem rejected climate change and money to fight it

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Thomas Frank and Avery Ellfeldt

13 November 2024 at 23:39

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security and its disaster agency said people aren’t driving temperature increases.

President-elect Donald Trump named South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) to his Cabinet on Tuesday.

The mystery number that’s key to whether Biden’s spending survives

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Jessie Blaeser and Kelsey Tamborrino

13 November 2024 at 03:00

President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act appropriated $145.4 billion in spending for climate efforts. It's unclear how much of it the administration has protected from President-elect Donald Trump.

President Joe Biden speaks in August 2023 at the manufacturer Arcosa Wind Towers in Belen, New Mexico.

Exxon’s chief has a warning for Republicans

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Zack Colman

12 November 2024 at 23:00

The oil giant takes a stance before the Trump administration sets its sights on gutting Biden's climate agenda.

Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with energy sector business leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House on April 3, 2020.

‘We have seen this story’: Leaders react to Trump at climate summit

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Sara Schonhardt and Karl Mathiesen

12 November 2024 at 05:08

Beneath the brave words at the president-elect’s victory were real worries that action will stall without the United States.

U.N. climate chief Simon Stiell (left) and COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev speak at the global climate talks Monday.

Aftermath of Trump’s win eclipses Chinese solar project in Texas

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Benjamin Storrow and Kelsey Tamborrino

12 November 2024 at 01:00

Trina Solar built a Texas factory to receive almost $2 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act. It changed course the day after Donald Trump’s election victory.

President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to dismember the climate law passed in 2022.

‘Science is still science’: US still committed to climate fight despite Trump’s win, Podesta says at COP29

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Sara Schonhardt

11 November 2024 at 23:51

President-elect Donald Trump’s victory is roiling the opening day of the global climate talks.

U.S. climate envoy John Podesta downplayed the effect that President-elect Donald Trump's victory would have on the global climate fight.

Whitehouse seeks to ‘reassure’ world at climate conference

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Emma Dumain

11 November 2024 at 05:00

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said much of the U.S. is still “committed to steering the planet away from climate catastrophe.”

Senate Budget Chair Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said he will attend this year's United Nations climate conference and seek to assuage allies.

Why Trump’s 2nd withdrawal from the Paris Agreement will be different

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Sara Schonhardt

11 November 2024 at 05:00

The president-elect could act faster this time.

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to quit the global climate pact after he takes office in January.

Ex-energy regulator says he offered Trump team plan to cut his old agency

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Catherine Morehouse

8 November 2024 at 08:35

Other former FERC officials warned ex-FERC chair Neil Chatterjee’s message could prompt an exodus of talented staff at the agency that regulates the nation’s interstate pipelines and electricity markets at a critical period for the power industry.

Neil Chatterjee was demoted from his position as FERC chair by Donald Trump in 2020.

Will Trump’s win be a pyrrhic victory for the oil industry?

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Ben Lefebvre

8 November 2024 at 05:00

Sagging crude oil prices will have a bigger impact on industry behavior than federal policy, and rising trade tensions could dampen the outlook for U.S. companies.

President Trump promised to boost oil production, already at a record high.

RFK Jr.’s plan to ban fluoridation? Work’s already underway

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Annie Snider

8 November 2024 at 03:00

Emerging research about excessive fluoride exposures and a recent ruling from an Obama-nominated judge could ease the path to a federal turnabout.

Donald Trump has pledged to let Kennedy — whose anti-vaccine activism has long thrived on public mistrust of government — “go wild” on health issues.

Soaring temperatures to set new global heat record, surpassing last year's mark

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Zack Colman

8 November 2024 at 02:49

Full-year temperatures are expected to rise 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels for the first time ever.

This year is likely to be the hottest year ever recorded, World Meteorological Organization and the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service said Thursday.

With Trump’s win, Biden’s historic climate policies are poised to be undone

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Benjamin Storrow and Corbin Hiar

8 November 2024 at 01:00

The president-elect vowed to promote fossil fuels, weaken pollution regulations and reverse Biden climate efforts.

President-elect Donald Trump celebrates early Wednesday morning with future first lady Melania Trump in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Republicans grapple with messaging on Biden climate law

Politico | Energy & Environment

By Timothy Cama and Emma Dumain

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.