POLITICO Energy

Recent Episodes

1. Meet the new Republican leading America's solar industry

   Jul 20, 2026

   Tim Polenti, former Minnesota governor and Republican politician, discusses his new role as president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). The conversation focuses on the solar industry's challenges in a Republican-controlled Washington, strategies for building bipartisan support, and how solar can compete on economic grounds rather than environmental ideology. Polenti outlines priorities including permitting reform, domestic supply chain development, and potential tax policy discussions.

2. Inside the energy fight splitting Virginia Democrats

   Jul 17, 2026

   Virginia State Senator L. Louise Lucas, Senate President pro tempore, discusses her aggressive campaign against data center tax incentives in Virginia, pushing back against Governor Abigail Spanberger's compromise on energy taxation. Lucas details her statewide listening tour efforts, grassroots opposition to data centers driven by environmental and community concerns, and her position that data centers should pay full sales and use taxes rather than receiving exemptions worth $1.9 billion annually.

3. The SCOTUS ruling behind America’s data center boom

   Jul 15, 2026

   Miranda Wilson, reporter for Politico, discusses her investigation into how a 2023 Supreme Court ruling (Sackett v. EPA) and subsequent Trump administration actions have dramatically accelerated federal permitting for AI data center construction. The ruling narrowed Clean Water Act protections for wetlands and streams, allowing many data centers to bypass or streamline environmental reviews. Wilson's reporting found at least 25 data center projects obtained expedited permits since early 2024, with communities experiencing reduced transparency and public engagement opportunities in the permitting process.

4. Gov. Hochul on New York’s energy and climate balancing act

   Jul 13, 2026

   Governor Kathy Hochul of New York discusses her state's energy and climate strategy, balancing ambitious clean energy goals with affordability concerns. She defends recent delays to climate regulations and emissions targets, citing inflation and supply chain disruptions, while highlighting major infrastructure projects including offshore wind, Canadian hydroelectric transmission (CHIPS), and a planned nuclear power expansion. Hochul addresses criticism from climate advocates, conflicts with the Trump administration, and how Democrats should unite on energy policy.

5. The US-Iran ceasefire is over. What does that mean for energy?

   Jul 10, 2026

   James Bicallas, Politico's energy correspondent, discusses the collapse of the US-Iran ceasefire and its implications for global energy markets. The conversation covers how disputes over Strait of Hormuz shipping routes triggered the ceasefire breakdown, recent oil price movements ($71-75/barrel), and whether markets have already priced in the conflict uncertainty. Bicallas explores whether renewed tensions could spike gas prices ahead of midterm elections, noting that low global crude inventories remain a key risk factor.

6. How Trump's cuts could hurt America's weather forecasts

   Jul 8, 2026

   Zach Coleman, energy and climate reporter for Politico, discusses his investigation into how staffing shortages at the National Weather Service under the Trump administration may be degrading America's weather forecasting capabilities. The core issue: over 100 meteorologist positions remain unfilled, forcing staff to skip critical early-morning weather balloon launches on the west coast, which disrupts the data flow essential for predicting severe weather events like tornadoes and hurricanes. Coleman reports real-world consequences, including a April tornado in Kansas that struck without adequate advance forecasting, and explores whether NOAA can quickly resolve the workforce crisis.

7. Gov. Spanberger on affordability, data centers, NextEra-Dominion and more

   Jul 6, 2026

   Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger discusses her first year in office navigating major energy policy challenges including utility bill affordability, data center expansion and taxation, and the proposed NextEra-Dominion merger. She explains her balanced approach to incentivizing clean energy investment while keeping costs down, her rationale for the consumption tax on data center electricity rather than eliminating sales tax breaks, and her cautious stance on the utility mega-merger pending full details and SEC filing review.

8. This summer’s heat waves are getting political

   Jul 1, 2026

   Climate reporter Chelsea Harvey discusses the contrasting European and U.S. heat waves occurring simultaneously in summer 2024. Europe experienced record-breaking temperatures in June causing over 1,300 deaths, while the U.S. faces a massive heat wave affecting 175 million people across more than half the country. Harvey explains how climate science links these events to global warming and explores the starkly different political responses: European leaders calling for fossil fuel transition versus U.S. officials downplaying climate impacts and promoting oil and gas expansion.

9. Sierra Club chief: The climate vote isn't dead. It’s just evolving.

   Jun 29, 2026

   Lauren Blackford, executive director of the Sierra Club, discusses the environmental movement's challenges following Trump's reelection, internal organizational turmoil under her predecessor, and her strategy for rebuilding the group as the organizing arm of the environmental movement. Blackford addresses how climate messaging is evolving to emphasize pocketbook issues like utility rates and health impacts, the group's electoral strategy for the midterms, and why expanding environmental work to include racial and social justice issues is essential rather than a mistake.

10. The Trump-Big Oil alliance is getting complicated

    Jun 26, 2026

    James Bikalis, Politico's energy correspondent, discusses the Trump administration's complicated relationship with Big Oil following a week of mixed signals. While a U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement reopened the Strait of Hormuz and provided relief to oil markets, President Trump simultaneously ordered the Department of Justice to investigate major oil companies for alleged price gouging. Bikalis examines the geopolitical implications of the ceasefire, the 'rockets and feathers' phenomenon explaining gas price delays, and the political motivations behind the investigation ahead of midterm elections.