Recent Interviews
Why Biden’s climate agenda has faltered
President Joe Biden ran for office on a pledge to tackle the global climate crisis. Instead, he has seen his legislative ambitions defeated by Congress, the Supreme Court has delivered a hammer blow to the federal government’s ability to regulate greenhouse…
Here’s what could happen if Biden declares a climate emergency
Climate change, as many activists and politicians say, is an emergency. President Biden may soon make that official. Biden is weighing declaring a national climate emergency, an extraordinary move that would allow the president to tap…
Gridlock in Washington imperils the US Paris climate targets
Commitments to reduce emissions in jeopardy after senator Joe Manchin scuppers crucial legislation West Virginia senator Joe Manchin refused to back nearly $300bn in tax incentives for clean energy as part of a flagship bill this summer…
‘A modern-day villain’: Joe Manchin condemned for killing US climate action
Joe Manchin’s decision to kill off sweeping US climate legislation has been called “nothing short of a death sentence” for younger people and a livable climate on Earth, amid an outpouring of anger and despair from activists, scientists and even…
How One Senator Doomed the Democrats’ Climate Plan
First, he killed a plan that would have forced power plants to clean up their climate-warming pollution. Then, he shattered an effort to help consumers pay for electric vehicles. And, finally, he said he could not support government incentives for solar and…
As UK conservatives dump Johnson, most in GOP still embrace Trump’s far graver threat
Winston Churchill, the figure embattled UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson claims as his role model, once defined a politician as someone who “is asked to stand, wants to sit, and is expected to lie.” Yet in the end, Johnson’s…
The climate clock is ticking for Dems
Last week’s Supreme Court defeat for the Biden administration has progressives pushing for Congress to take back the initiative on climate change — and pass laws that would stand the test of time…
Democrats in Congress, not courts or GOP, must address climate — a good bill is waiting
The Supreme Court decision this week to restrict federal regulatory authority over carbon dioxide emissions from power plants should provide Democrats in Congress the last impetus they need to finally act on comprehensive climate change legislation. And…
How millions of lives can be saved if the US acts now on climate
The rapidly shrinking window of opportunity for the US to pass significant climate legislation will have mortal, as well as political, stakes. Millions of lives around the world will be saved, or lost, depending on whether America manages to propel itself…
Methane leak at Russian mine could be largest ever discovered
Possibly the world’s biggest leak of methane has been discovered coming from a coal mine in Russia, which has been pouring out the carbon dioxide equivalent of five coal-fired power stations. About 90 tones an hour of methane were being…
Why an energy crisis and $5 gas aren’t spurring a green revolution
Big solar projects are facing major delays. Plans to adapt the grid to clean energy are confronting mountains of red tape. Affordable electric vehicles are in short supply…
Democrats must limit oil shocks along with climate risks
Energy issues are defining U.S. consumer, economic and security challenges more profoundly than any time since the oil embargoes of the 1970s. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has placed enormous pressure on global oil and…
Are high energy prices displacing climate action in Congress?
Progressives and environmental advocates made huge gains in the 2020 campaign by pushing climate change to the forefront, but they are increasingly concerned that high energy prices and calls for greater fossil fuel production could destroy those hard-fought wins.
Europe’s Quest to Replace Russian Gas Faces Plenty of Hurdles
Russia’s natural-gas supplies have become a tool of leverage in its conflict with Europe over the Russian invasion of Ukraine. And the stakes are high for Europe, which relies on Russia for 40 percent of the…
Are EV tax credits back on the table? Maybe
President Joe Biden last year scored record funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, but his proposal to lower the sticker price for zero-emission cars and trucks all but died on the vine — threatening the pace of consumer adoption…
Letter: War is chance for US to drive green energy policies
Derek Brower’s Big Read (April 14) correctly details US efforts to increase near-term oil and natural gas supplies to address shortages resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But history shows that high prices and security…
Yes, There Can Be a Climate-Safe Energy Bill This Year
AUDIO: This is a momentous juncture for President Joe Biden and for geopolitical and geophysical security. On this overheating planet facing a…
Where is the natural gas coming from?
The White House and European Commission announced plans last week to find 15 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas to help the EU replace Russian gas imports…
Why the Senate hasn’t made a climate deal yet
Democrats will need a miracle if they want to keep their majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives this fall. The president’s party almost always loses in midterm elections. But to make matters worse…
War means Biden needs a more muscular energy plan
As he travels to Europe this week, President Biden seems to face nearly insurmountable new energy challenges. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has spiked global oil prices, and constricted Europe’s natural gas supplies…
Podesta’s permitting reveal
White House clean energy adviser John Podesta is set to unveil the Biden administration’s priorities for reforming the nation’s permitting rules this morning in a heavily promoted…
Washington DC’s 500 Most Influential People of 2023
Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Bledsoe wrote reports warning that the EU’s dependency on Russian gas represented huge geopolitical and climate risks, in part due to high methane-leakage rates from Russia’s gas system…
Granholm’s Mountain Valley pipeline support creates firestorm
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s endorsement of the controversial Mountain Valley pipeline on Monday is putting environmentalists on high alert and stirring speculation about how the move will affect the project and congressional permitting negotiations…
Many Young Voters Bitter Over Biden’s Support of Willow Oil Drilling
In the past three weeks, President Biden’s administration has proposed regulations to speed the transition to electric vehicles, committed $1 billion to help poor countries fight climate change and prepared what could be the first limits on…
President Biden’s Earth Day promise: The incumbent has a real plan for a greener future, unlike Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis
Last week, a meeting of Florida flooding policy managers was washed out in South Florida by a deluge of 26 inches of rain in just eight hours, unprecedented rainfall made far larger due to the climate change crisis that…
Permitting reform can cut consumer energy costs and emissions
America could have cleaner, cheaper energy if only we could agree to get out of our own way. The obstacle we have created is a thicket of federal and state regulations requiring energy projects to undergo lengthy, expensive, one-by-one…
Can the UAE help get a planet-saving methane deal at COP28?
Environmental advocates are rightfully skeptical that the head of a national oil company can credibly steer the parties at the upcoming UN climate summit COP28 to the strong climate mitigation needed to meet the climate emergency, especially…
Hello, high oil prices, my old friends
One of President Joe Biden’s most persistent political headaches — high oil prices — could make an unwelcome return just in time for the summer driving season…
He wrote the book on crushing ‘wokeism.’ Now he’s running for president.
Ron DeSantis rails against the “woke mob.” Nikki Haley calls wokeness a “virus.” But for all their use of the W-word, these and other GOP politicians cannot claim to have written the book on attacking it: That distinction goes to a little-known…
Inside the Biden team’s wild week on the environment
The Biden administration made big environmental news this week, with something to love — or hate — for just about everyone. It began Sunday, when the Biden administration rolled out a drilling ban in the Arctic Ocean. On Monday…
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