Recent Interviews
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…
Could Ukraine war help end west’s reliance on hydrocarbons?
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will have a profound impact on the world’s race to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions, climate experts have warned – but it may not all be negative…
Energy déjà vu
Different crisis, same convo. Policymakers, politicians and parties are clinging to entrenched positions in an election year despite massive changes in the world order and global markets wrought by…
‘Groundhog Day’: Biden, GOP revive decades-old energy fight
With the price of gasoline heading north of $4 a gallon, Democrats’ reluctance to call for more oil drilling was becoming increasingly unpopular. So, they started talking about the thousands of permits to drill on public land that oil companies weren’t even using…
Inflation is at a 40-year high. Is clean energy the solution?
Over the past several months, Americans have learned how bad a “good” economy can feel. On the one hand, wages are up and the country’s economy is growing at its fastest clip since 1984…
Manchin’s energy and deficit-reduction bill can fight inflation — and Russia
President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address last week highlighted two of the greatest foreign and domestic challenges facing the United States. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has undermined decades of peace in…
E.U. presents plan to cut Russian gas imports by two-thirds this year, stops short of boycott
The European Commission on Tuesday presented a plan to cut Russian gas imports by two-thirds this year, steeply reducing – but not severing – energy ties to Moscow…
White House reaches out to Venezuela, a longtime foe, amid Russia crisis
The Biden White House inched closer Monday to modest rapprochement with oil-rich Venezuela, a bitter foe due to the oppressive policies of President Nicolas Maduro…
Amid war, Biden reluctant to unleash clean energy rhetoric
Republicans are calling for more oil drilling. Europe says it’s doubling down on clean energy. But as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues into its second week, President Biden has stayed mum about how..
Biden Needs To Remind Voters He’s Always Been Pro-Business
Anew AP poll found that only 31% of Americans approve of President Joe Biden’s handling of the economy, a result both shocking and familiar. Shocking because no modern president has received such poor marks during a period of…
Climate group with GOP roots a go-to for tariff push
Four senators — two Democratic, two Republican — plan to unveil proposals in coming weeks that would slap a tariff on carbon-intensive goods coming into the United States from abroad. Each bill will look very different in the approaches…
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…
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