DITCHED: Why 2020 Could Be a Tipping Point for Fossil Fuels

After 160 episodes and five years of interviews, debates and friendly bipartisan banter, Political Climate will be taking a break starting in 2023. This will be the final episode (for now).

This podcast was launched to create a forum for respectful, informative dialogue across the political divide on the policy and politics of climate and energy. Host Julia Pyper, Republican co-host Shane Skelton and Democratic co-host Brandon Hurlbut have never debated the science of climate change, but have had in-depth discussions on how to craft climate policy that’s not only effective but politically feasible. The show has spanned the most pivotal five years for climate action, culminating in the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest national investment in clean energy in history. 

In this final episode, the hosts dig into the archives to hear from some of the show’s most notable guests including Political Climate supporter Arnold Schwarzenegger, activist Greta Thunberg, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and many more. They also reflect on the rocky journey that led to this point, changes in public opinion on climate change, and the widening Overton window for climate action. 

Thank you to everyone for listening and for your support over the years. 

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Political Climate is brought to you by MCE. Today, MCE offers nearly 40 Bay Area communities almost twice as much renewable energy as the state average. The power of MCE is about more than clean energy — it’s the power of people over profit. Learn more at mceCleanEnergy.org.

Support for Political Climate also comes from Climate Positive, a podcast from Hannon Armstrong, the first U.S. public company solely dedicated to investing in climate solutions. The Climate Positive podcast features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators and changemakers driving our climate-positive future. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

The Inflation Reduction Act is the largest investment in clean energy ever made by the federal government. Among the bill’s more than 700 pages is a lesser-known provision that could play a pivotal role in transforming existing dirty energy infrastructure to serve the clean energy economy of the future. 

The new Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment Program — also known as the Section 1706 program — gives the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office $5 billion, with the authority to provide up to $250 billion in low-interest loans. These loans could radically change the energy landscape. The program could fund efforts to repurpose old coal and gas plant sites to deploy clean energy projects, leveraging existing infrastructure to save on costs while delivering economic benefits to communities. 

Political Climate hosts Julia Pyper, Shane Skelton and Brandon Hurlbut are joined by two guests to discuss this new program: Alexander Bond, deputy general counsel for climate and clean energy at the Edison Electric Institute, and Uday Varadarajan, a principal at the clean-energy nonprofit RMI. They discuss the innovative structure of the Section 1706 program, challenges the Loan Programs Office will face as it rolls out the funding, and the opportunities for the program to help clean up the U.S. electric grid. 

Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or pretty much wherever you get podcasts! Follow us on Twitter at @Poli_Climate.

Recommended reading:

• Canary Media: How will DOE loan out $250B to make dirty energy systems clean?
• Canary Media: What challenges will confront DOE loan program for energy retrofits?
• RMI: The Most Important Clean Energy Policy You’ve Never Heard About
• DOE: Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment

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Political Climate is brought to you by MCE. Today, MCE offers nearly 40 Bay Area communities almost twice as much renewable energy as the state average. The power of MCE is about more than clean energy — it’s the power of people over profit. Learn more at mceCleanEnergy.org.

Support for Political Climate also comes from Climate Positive, a podcast from Hannon Armstrong, the first U.S. public company solely dedicated to investing in climate solutions. The Climate Positive podcast features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators and changemakers driving our climate-positive future. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. 

The 2022 midterm elections are officially behind us. Democrats overcame historical trends to keep control of the Senate, while Republicans won a majority in the House by a surprisingly narrow margin.

Ultimately, there was no red wave. There wasn’t really a “green wave” either. Democrats ushered through an ambitious legislative agenda, with President Biden signing historic bills to tackle climate change, build resilient infrastructure, and accelerate the deployment of American-made clean energy. Yet these issues got relatively little play this election cycle – for or against.

Have we entered a new era for climate politics? Could there even be room for collaboration? Or will a divided government post-election give new life to old debates? 

Political Climate hosts Julia Pyper, Shane Skelton and Brandon Hurlbut dig into the midterm results, discuss what they got right — and wrong — in their election predictions, and break down what it all means for the future of climate policy in America. 

Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or pretty much wherever you get podcasts! Follow us on Twitter at @Poli_Climate.

Recommended reading:

• Wesleyan Media Project: Advertising Issue Spotlight
• The Atlantic: Wait, Why Wasn’t There a Climate Backlash?
• Canary Media: How Democratic state wins in the midterms could rev up climate progress
• WaPo: How different groups voted according to exit polls and AP VoteCast

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Political Climate is brought to you by MCE. Today, MCE offers nearly 40 Bay Area communities almost twice as much renewable energy as the state average. The power of MCE is about more than clean energy — it’s the power of people over profit. Learn more at mceCleanEnergy.org.

Support for Political Climate also comes from Climate Positive, a podcast from Hannon Armstrong, the first U.S. public company solely dedicated to investing in climate solutions. The Climate Positive podcast features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators and changemakers driving our climate-positive future. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. 

Many Americans are pessimistic about the U.S. election system. From skepticism around mail-in ballots and voting machines to coping with long lines and shuttered polling places, voter confidence has slumped. When it comes to climate, research shows 66% to 80% of people support major mitigation policies. But are election related barriers preventing these voter preferences from being captured at the ballot box?

With the midterm elections less than a week away, we’re examining the fundamentals of the democratic process: the right to vote and public trust in elections. Plus, how the redistricting process influences both electoral outcomes and policymaking – including on climate and energy issues.

Political Climate hosts Julia Pyper, Shane Skelton and Brandon Hurlbut are joined by USC Political Science and Public Policy Professor Christian Grose to discuss his research on how to improve voter access and voting rights and reduce polarization. Grose, who serves as academic director of the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, also previews new polling on Proposition 30, an environmental related ballot measure in California. Finally, he explains why you should care about redistricting if you care about climate change.

Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or pretty much wherever you get podcasts! Follow us on Twitter at @Poli_Climate.

Recommended reading:

• Enhancing Democracy: Does Funding Elections and Opening Polling Places Cause Higher Voter Turnout?
• USC Schwarzenegger Institute Initiates Democracy Grants for Voting Access and Election Administration
• Independent Redistricting Commissions Increase Voter Perceptions of Fairness

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Political Climate is brought to you by MCE. Today, MCE offers nearly 40 Bay Area communities almost twice as much renewable energy as the state average. The power of MCE is about more than clean energy — it’s the power of people over profit. Learn more at mceCleanEnergy.org.

Support for Political Climate also comes from Climate Positive, a podcast from Hannon Armstrong, the first U.S. public company solely dedicated to investing in climate solutions. The Climate Positive podcast features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators and changemakers driving our climate-positive future. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. 

Some of the most influential people in energy policy are almost completely unknown to the public.

The transition to wind, solar, and other efficient technologies has the potential to make electricity more reliable and affordable for millions of Americans. But in many cases, this shift to clean energy must first be approved by gatekeepers you’ve never heard of.

In this Political Climate episode, host Julia Pyper and producer Maria Virginia Olano are joined by Canary Media Senior Reporter Julian Spector to talk about public utility commissioners — who they are, why they are so important, and how you can engage with them to help shape your own energy future.

Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or pretty much wherever you get podcasts! Follow us on Twitter at @Poli_Climate.

Recommended reading:

• Canary Media: What are public utility commissions? A beginner’s guide
• Vox: The overlooked elections this year with big climate stakes
• Canary Media: Who should pay to help coal communities in the energy transition?
• E&E News: 5 state-level races that could alter the energy transition
• Canary Media: Hawaii surges toward clean energy

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Political Climate is brought to you by MCE. Today, MCE offers nearly 40 Bay Area communities almost twice as much renewable energy as the state average. The power of MCE is about more than clean energy — it’s the power of people over profit. Learn more at mceCleanEnergy.org.

Support for Political Climate also comes from Climate Positive, a podcast from Hannon Armstrong, the first U.S. public company solely dedicated to investing in climate solutions. The Climate Positive podcast features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators and changemakers driving our climate-positive future. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. 

The midterm elections are less than a month away. Inflation, the economy, abortion access and election integrity are among voters’ top priorities this cycle, but how will they influence decisions on the ballot and, ultimately, the balance of power? And how will that outcome shape the future of climate and energy policy in the U.S.?

Political Climate hosts Julia Pyper, Shane Skelton and Brandon Hurlbut are back on the podcast to discuss what’s at stake in the 2022 midterms, the latest polling results and wild cards that could drive voter turnout. Will the Inflation Reduction Act give Dems a lift?

Plus, they discuss the failure of Senator Joe Manchin’s bill to reform permitting for energy infrastructure, and what that failure means for the buildout of both clean energy and fossil fuel pipelines. And the hosts talk about another big piece of climate news that received little coverage: the Senate’s ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol in a rare bipartisan vote.  

Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or pretty much wherever you get podcasts! Follow us on Twitter at @Poli_Climate.

Recommended reading:

• Vox: The unlikely allies who sank Joe Manchin’s energy deal
• Political Climate: 'Need for Speed': Why Solving Climate Change Is About More Than CO2
• U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee: Menendez Makes Final Push for Senate Approval of Kigali Amendment to Montreal Protocol
• Real Clear Politics: Latest polls

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Political Climate is brought to you by MCE. Today, MCE offers nearly 40 Bay Area communities almost twice as much renewable energy as the state average. The power of MCE is about more than clean energy — it’s the power of people over profit. Learn more at mceCleanEnergy.org.

Support for Political Climate also comes from Climate Positive, a podcast from Hannon Armstrong, the first U.S. public company solely dedicated to investing in climate solutions. The Climate Positive podcast features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators and changemakers driving our climate-positive future. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Clean energy is known to help grow economies and reduce carbon emissions. Can it also help strengthen democracies? 

That may seem like a tall order for a set of technologies. But when you consider how petro-dictatorships have roiled global markets in the past year – triggering price spikes, resource shortages, and even war – making the U.S. an arsenal of clean energy could help pave the way to greater stability. 

Political Climate launched the “Arsenal of Clean Energy” podcast series to tackle tough questions on how to balance climate action with immediate energy demands, while maintaining affordable prices for consumers, promoting economic growth and enhancing national security. In this fourth and final episode of the series, host Julia Pyper sits down with Josh Freed, the head of Third Way's Climate and Energy Program, to connect the dots on these topics and how to think about the path forward. 

To round out the episode, we hear from U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on why now is a critical time for America to lead. 

The “Arsenal of Clean Energy” is made possible by Third Way, a center-left think tank championing modern solutions to the most challenging problems in US policy. Learn more at thirdway.org

Recommended content:

• Third Way: When America Leads: Competing for the Future of Clean Energy
• Third Way: The Arsenal of Clean Energy (Podcast Series)

Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music or pretty much wherever you get podcasts! Political Climate is supported by the USC Schwarzenegger Institute and published in partnership with Canary media. Follow us on Twitter at @Poli_Climate.

The Inflation Reduction Act has not only been signed into law, President Biden and Democratic leaders hosted a nearly full-day celebratory event at the White House last week to underscore passage of the historic bill. But the hard work of implementing the law and rolling out its $370 billion in climate and clean energy investments is only just beginning. 

In this Political Climate Newsflash episode, host Julia Pyper and producer Maria Virginia Olano bring you an inside look at what’s next for companies and organizations on the front lines of making the promise of the IRA a reality. Cleantech industry leaders from BlocPower, Sunrun, Q-Cells, Breakthrough Energy and beyond gathered at a roundtable ahead of the White House event to discuss the road ahead. This episode features voices from that conversation. 

Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music or pretty much wherever you get podcasts! Follow us on Twitter at @Poli_Climate.

Recommended reading:

• Canary Media: Climate law may revolutionize US cleantech manufacturing. Here’s how
• Political Climate: A new era for US energy innovation
• Utility Dive: Biden administration awards $900M to 35 states for EV charging network as automakers ramp up battery plans
• New York Times: A huge side benefit of the new climate bill

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Political Climate is brought to you by MCE. Today, MCE offers nearly 40 Bay Area communities almost twice as much renewable energy as the state average. The power of MCE is about more than clean energy — it’s the power of people over profit. Learn more at mceCleanEnergy.org.

California experienced a record-setting heat wave in early September that brought the state’s electricity grid very close to failure and forced tough choices on customers trying to stay cool while complying with alerts to save energy. 

Against that backdrop, the state legislature moved to pass a suite of climate and energy bills, a record $54 billion in new climate spending, and a plan to extend the life of the state’s last nuclear power plant — all just days after the state finalized one of the most ambitious rules to stop the sale of new gas-powered cars. 

What does this big policy push say about the state of California’s energy mix? And how is the world’s 5th largest economy planning to cope with the intensifying impacts of climate change? 

Political Climate hosts Julia Pyper and Shane Skelton are joined by Sammy Roth, staff writer at the LA Times and author of the weekly Boiling Point newsletter, to discuss how the clean energy transition is playing out in California and the lessons it can teach the rest of the country. 

Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or pretty much wherever you get podcasts! Follow us on Twitter at @Poli_Climate.

Recommended reading:

• LA Times: Repowering the West
• LA Times: Newsom enjoys his most successful legislative session yet with wins on climate, Diablo Canyon
• Canary Media: California faces big power challenges — even if Diablo Canyon stays open
• LA Times: Gov. Newsom’s plan to prevent power outages has a big downside: fossil fuels
• Grist: Drilling setbacks, net-zero, and a nuclear lifeline. Here’s what just happened in California.

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Political Climate is brought to you by MCE. Today, MCE offers nearly 40 Bay Area communities almost twice as much renewable energy as the state average. The power of MCE is about more than clean energy — it’s the power of people over profit. Learn more at mceCleanEnergy.org.

Many of our homes use fossil fuels to keep us warm, heat our water, and cook our food. But as the U.S. moves to decarbonize, there’s a push for homeowners to switch to electric appliances and systems. Now, with the Inflation Reduction Act signed into law, there’s an enormous amount of new funding available to accelerate that transition. 

In this Political Climate Newsflash episode, host Julia Pyper and producer Maria Virginia Olano are joined by Ari Matusiak, CEO of Rewiring America, a non-profit working to electrify everything in our homes, businesses and communities. They break down the rebates, tax credits, and other programs in the climate law that will help American households go electric – and how much money consumers can save in the process.

Listen and subscribe to Political Climate on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or pretty much wherever you get podcasts! Follow us on Twitter at @Poli_Climate.

Recommended reading:

• Rewiring America: How much money will you get with the Inflation Reduction Act?
• Canary Media: Climate bill could spur ​‘market transformation’ in home electrification
• Rewiring America: The Electric Explainer: Key programs in the Inflation Reduction Act and what they mean for Americans
• Rewiring America: An overview of the climate and electrification provisions for disadvantaged communities in the Inflation Reduction Act

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Political Climate is brought to you by MCE. Today, MCE offers nearly 40 Bay Area communities almost twice as much renewable energy as the state average. The power of MCE is about more than clean energy — it’s the power of people over profit. Learn more at mceCleanEnergy.org.