Episodes

  • FERC Chair Laura Swett: 'Buckle up' for a major data center decision

    FERC Chair Laura Swett: 'Buckle up' for a major data center decision
    Jun 12 2026
    POLITICO’s deputy editor-in-chief Joe Schatz sits down for an exclusive interview with Laura Swett, the chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. They discuss how FERC might regulate energy-hungry data centers in the near future, rising power demand across the country, the controversy surrounding the nation’s largest grid operator, and what Swett wants to change about energy permitting in the United States. Nirmal Mulaikal is the co-host and executive producer of POLITICO Energy. KJ Cline is the video producer for POLITICO Energy. Matt Daily is the energy editor for POLITICO. Debra Kahn is the editorial director for energy and environmental coverage at POLITICO. Veronica Tejera is the deputy head of Audio/Video at POLITICO. Our theme music is by Pran Bandi. Follow the show on Apple, Spotify, Youtube and Instagram. Follow POLITICO here: ➤ X: https://x.com/politico/ ➤ Instagram: / politico ➤ Facebook: / politico For more reporting on energy and the environment, subscribe to Power Switch, our free evening newsletter: https://www.politico.com/power-switchAnd for even deeper coverage and analysis, read our Morning Energy newsletter by subscribing to POLITICO Pro: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter-archive/morning-energy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    22 mins
  • Has America’s clean energy industry outgrown green tax credits?

    Has America’s clean energy industry outgrown green tax credits?
    Jun 10 2026
    While Democratic leaders are pledging to restore wind and solar tax credits if they regain control of Congress and the White House, some clean energy developers are questioning whether continuing to pursue those incentives is necessary or even politically wise. POLITICO's Nico Portuondo breaks down why Democrats and parts of the renewable energy industry are increasingly at odds over those credits and what the debate means for America's clean energy future. Plus, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said that global oil consumption in 2026 is expected to fall from last year, and Constellation Energy's plan to reopen the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear site is one step closer to Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval. Nico Portuondo is a congressional energy reporter for POLITICO’s E&E News. Nirmal Mulaikal is the co-host and executive producer of POLITICO Energy. KJ Cline is the video producer for POLITICO Energy. Matt Daily is the energy editor for POLITICO. Cyril Zaneski is executive editor of POLITICO’s E&E News. Debra Kahn is the editorial director for energy and environmental coverage at POLITICO. Veronica Tejera is the deputy head of Audio/Video at POLITICO. Our theme music is by Pran Bandi. Follow the show on Apple, Spotify, Youtube and Instagram. Follow POLITICO here: ➤ X: https://x.com/politico/ ➤ Instagram: / politico ➤ Facebook: / politico For more reporting on energy and the environment, subscribe to Power Switch, our free evening newsletter: https://www.politico.com/power-switch And for even deeper coverage and analysis, read our Morning Energy newsletter by subscribing to POLITICO Pro: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter-archive/morning-energy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    11 mins
  • North Dakota Gov. Armstrong leads an oil-and-wind state. Is Trump's energy agenda helping or hurting?

    North Dakota Gov. Armstrong leads an oil-and-wind state. Is Trump's energy agenda helping or hurting?
    Jun 8 2026
    Today, POLITICO Energy host Zack Colman sits down for an extended interview with North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong, a Republican who leads a state that relies heavily on both oil and wind power while enjoying some of the nation's lowest electricity prices. They discuss how the Trump administration's energy agenda is affecting the state, including restrictions on new wind and solar projects, rising electricity demand, grid reliability, permitting reform and the conflict with Iran. Zack Colman covers climate change for POLITICO. Nirmal Mulaikal is the co-host and executive producer of POLITICO Energy. KJ Cline is the video producer for POLITICO Energy. Matt Daily is the energy editor for POLITICO. Cyril Zaneski is executive editor of POLITICO’s E&E News. Debra Kahn is the editorial director for energy and environmental coverage at POLITICO. Veronica Tejera is the deputy head of Audio/Video at POLITICO. Our theme music is by Pran Bandi. Follow the show on Apple, Spotify, Youtube and Instagram. Follow POLITICO here: ➤ X: https://x.com/politico/ ➤ Instagram: / politico ➤ Facebook: / politico For more reporting on energy and the environment, subscribe to Power Switch, our free evening newsletter: https://www.politico.com/power-switch And for even deeper coverage and analysis, read our Morning Energy newsletter by subscribing to POLITICO Pro: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter-archive/morning-energy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    26 mins
  • The next phase of the Iran energy shock may be near

    The next phase of the Iran energy shock may be near
    Jun 5 2026
    The oil industry is telling the Trump administration that oil and fuel stockpiles are running dangerously low and that global energy prices could spike in a matter of weeks. POLITICO’s James Bikales breaks down why the warning is coming now, how the Trump administration is responding, and the impact on consumers and the global economy. Plus, President Donald Trump is expected to invoke the Defense Production Act as part of a plan to provide almost $700 million to refurbish and expand the nation’s coal power fleet. James Bikales is an oil and gas reporter for POLITICO. Nirmal Mulaikal is the co-host and executive producer of POLITICO Energy. KJ Cline is the video producer for POLITICO Energy. Matt Daily is the energy editor for POLITICO. Cyril Zaneski is executive editor of POLITICO’s E&E News. Debra Kahn is the editorial director for energy and environmental coverage at POLITICO. Veronica Tejera is the deputy head of Audio/Video at POLITICO. Our theme music is by Pran Bandi. Follow the show on Apple, Spotify, Youtube and Instagram. Follow POLITICO here: ➤ X: https://x.com/politico/ ➤ Instagram: / politico ➤ Facebook: / politico For more reporting on energy and the environment, subscribe to Power Switch, our free evening newsletter: https://www.politico.com/power-switch And for even deeper coverage and analysis, read our Morning Energy newsletter by subscribing to POLITICO Pro: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter-archive/morning-energy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    10 mins
  • Are we seeing a fossil fuel comeback in New England?

    Are we seeing a fossil fuel comeback in New England?
    Jun 3 2026
    As the Trump administration pushes to expand fossil fuel infrastructure, it may have found some unexpected allies: Democratic governors in New England. POLITICO's Ben Storrow breaks down what's driving that shift in a region long defined by its climate ambitions, how the White House and green groups are responding, and what it could mean for the future of Democratic energy policy. Plus, seven states filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's nearly $1 billion deal with TotalEnergies to cancel its offshore wind leases in the United States, and a federal judge stopped the Trump administration on Monday from dismantling the National Center for Atmospheric Research, which is one of the country's top climate science organizations. Ben Storrow is a reporter for POLITICO’s E&E News. Nirmal Mulaikal is the co-host and executive producer of POLITICO Energy. KJ Cline is the video producer for POLITICO Energy. Matt Daily is the energy editor for POLITICO. Cyril Zaneski is executive editor of POLITICO’s E&E News. Debra Kahn is the editorial director for energy and environmental coverage at POLITICO. Veronica Tejera is the deputy head of Audio/Video at POLITICO. Our theme music is by Pran Bandi. Follow the show on Apple, Spotify, Youtube and Instagram. Follow POLITICO here: ➤ X: https://x.com/politico/ ➤ Instagram: / politico ➤ Facebook: / politico For more reporting on energy and the environment, subscribe to Power Switch, our free evening newsletter: https://www.politico.com/power-switch And for even deeper coverage and analysis, read our Morning Energy newsletter by subscribing to POLITICO Pro: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter-archive/morning-energy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    16 mins
  • FERC’s big AI rule is coming. Here’s what Commissioner David LaCerte thinks.

    FERC’s big AI rule is coming. Here’s what Commissioner David LaCerte thinks.
    Jun 1 2026
    Today, POLITICO Energy host Josh Siegel sits down for an extended interview with David LaCerte, a Republican commissioner at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. They discuss FERC’s highly anticipated proposal on connecting AI data centers to the power grid, the turmoil surrounding America’s largest power grid operator PJM Interconnection, rising electricity costs, permitting reform, whether FERC is coordinating with the White House and more. Josh Siegel is the host of POLITICO Energy and a congressional energy reporter for POLITICO. Nirmal Mulaikal is the co-host and executive producer of POLITICO Energy. KJ Cline is the video producer for POLITICO Energy. Matt Daily is the energy editor for POLITICO. Cyril Zaneski is executive editor of POLITICO’s E&E News. Debra Kahn is the editorial director for energy and environmental coverage at POLITICO. Veronica Tejera is the deputy head of Audio/Video at POLITICO. Our theme music is by Pran Bandi. Follow the show on Apple, Spotify, Youtube and Instagram. Follow POLITICO here: ➤ X: https://x.com/politico/ ➤ Instagram: / politico ➤ Facebook: / politico For more reporting on energy and the environment, subscribe to Power Switch, our free evening newsletter: https://www.politico.com/power-switch And for even deeper coverage and analysis, read our Morning Energy newsletter by subscribing to POLITICO Pro: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter-archive/morning-energy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    24 mins
  • Pennsylvania and New Jersey jump into the AI energy fight

    Pennsylvania and New Jersey jump into the AI energy fight
    May 29 2026
    The governors of Pennsylvania and New Jersey announced plans this week to build guardrails around data center development -- the latest sign that states are taking a more active role in shaping how and where data centers get built amid worries about soaring electricity prices, grid reliability and community impacts. POLITICO’s Kelsey Tamborrino breaks down what the two Democratic governors are proposing, how their plans compare, and what they signal about the raging national debate on data centers Plus, the House is planning to vote on a bipartisan package of bills next week aimed at easing the permitting process for geothermal energy, and EPA’s independent watchdog says that only 41 percent of the billions of dollars in agency funding included in former President Joe Biden’s infrastructure law had been spent as of January. Kelsey Tamborrino is a reporter covering clean energy for POLITICO. Nirmal Mulaikal is the co-host and executive producer of POLITICO Energy. KJ Cline is the video producer for POLITICO Energy. Matt Daily is the energy editor for POLITICO. Cyril Zaneski is executive editor of POLITICO’s E&E News. Debra Kahn is the editorial director for energy and environmental coverage at POLITICO. Veronica Tejera is the deputy head of Audio/Video at POLITICO. Our theme music is by Pran Bandi. Follow the show on Apple, Spotify, Youtube and Instagram. Follow POLITICO here: ➤ X: https://x.com/politico/ ➤ Instagram: / politico ➤ Facebook: / politico For more reporting on energy and the environment, subscribe to Power Switch, our free evening newsletter: https://www.politico.com/power-switch And for even deeper coverage and analysis, read our Morning Energy newsletter by subscribing to POLITICO Pro: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter-archive/morning-energy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    11 mins
  • Why North Carolina’s clean energy boom is hitting a political wall

    Why North Carolina’s clean energy boom is hitting a political wall
    May 27 2026
    Today, POLITICO Energy host Arianna Skibell sits down with Matt Abele, the executive director of the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association who serves on Governor Josh Stein’s Clean Energy Task Force. They discuss why North Carolina, which was one of the South's earliest and biggest adopters on clean energy, is slowing down its climate and green ambitions and what that trend reveals about affordability, rising utility bills and the growing impact of data centers across the region. Arianna Skibell is a climate and energy reporter at POLITICO. Nirmal Mulaikal is the co-host and executive producer of POLITICO Energy. KJ Cline is the video producer for POLITICO Energy. Matt Daily is the energy editor for POLITICO. Cyril Zaneski is executive editor of POLITICO’s E&E News. Debra Kahn is the editorial director for energy and environmental coverage at POLITICO. Veronica Tejera is the deputy head of Audio/Video at POLITICO. Our theme music is by Pran Bandi. Follow the show on Apple, Spotify, Youtube and Instagram. Follow POLITICO here: ➤ X: https://x.com/politico/ ➤ Instagram: / politico ➤ Facebook: / politico For more reporting on energy and the environment, subscribe to Power Switch, our free evening newsletter: https://www.politico.com/power-switch And for even deeper coverage and analysis, read our Morning Energy newsletter by subscribing to POLITICO Pro: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter-archive/morning-energy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    25 mins