Live and On-Demand Briefings
Subscribers have access to monthly live briefings with E&E News reporters as they provide behind-the-scenes insight into critical news topics, along with an opportunity to get their questions answered. Recordings of recent events are available below.
Summer 2024: An ‘Extraordinary’ Weather Season?
June 18th, 2024 | AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND
Tom Frank, Chelsea Harvey, Evan Lehmann, and Ariel Wittenberg
Forecasters predict this summer will be one of the most active weather seasons ever. Are officials in Washington and across the country ready to respond?
Biden’s Billions
May 21st, 2024 | AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND
Jessie Blaeser, David Ferris and Benjamin Storrow
President Joe Biden is trying to secure an FDR-style legacy with $1.6 trillion in spending and tax breaks embodied in his climate, infrastructure, chips and pandemic-relief laws. But our analysis finds he’s running short on time — with huge chunks of the money still in waiting as he faces a rematch with former President Donald Trump.
The Great Rebuild: American Infrastructure in 2024
April 16th, 2024 | AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND
Andy Picon, AJ Camacho, Hannah Northey, and Mike Lee
Rebuilding, upgrading, and “greening” American infrastructure is a key priority on the Biden Administration agenda. From improved public transit systems and updated roadways to an overhaul of water systems and overall industrial decarbonization, projects supported by funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act are underway. While funding has been allocated to various programs across the country, progress on large-scale projects can often be slow. As November approaches, President Biden’s campaign aims to emphasize successful achievements.
On the Horizon: What’s Next on Capitol Hill For Energy & the Environment
March 19th, 2024 | AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND
Manuel Quiñones, Kelsey Brugger, Emma Dumain and Andy Picon
Congress is slowly working to meet multiple funding deadlines and lawmakers recently released six spending bills, many of which cover federal energy and environment programs. More are due later this month. Most Democrats and Republicans are grudgingly accepting the compromise, which includes both funding boosts and reductions. Although a government shutdown has so far been narrowly avoided with the bipartisan negotiations, is more collaboration like this realistic in an election year?
Powering Tomorrow: A 2024 Grid Outlook
February 21st, 2024 | AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND
Peter Behr, Joel Kirkland, Zachary Bright and Jeffrey Tomich
To meet ambitious climate goals, the U.S. will need to address transmission capacity and an aging grid infrastructure. The Biden Administration, through the 2021 infrastructure deal and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, has committed billions of dollars in investments to upgrading the grid and building out transmission networks, but permitting challenges and legal battles threaten to prolong any infrastructure build-out even further.
Exploring the Future of the Hydrogen Industry
January 23rd, 2024 | AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND
Christian Robles, Jean Chemnick, Brian Dabbs and Nico Portuondo
The Biden Administration and the Department of Energy are gearing up for an important year in clean energy regulation with a renewed focus on hydrogen production. The bipartisan infrastructure law provides $8 billion to help boost clean hydrogen and fortify the transition away from fossil fuels, but new guidance on the hydrogen tax credit sparked concern among producers.
The New Carbon Economy
November 7th, 2023 | AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND
Marc Heller, Anne Mulkern and Corbin Hiar
Tracking and reducing carbon emissions has become a vital piece of corporate strategy recently and continues to grow in importance as the world seeks to slow climate change. As companies look to shore up zero emissions targets and comply with carbon regulations, there are many questions around ESG ratings, carbon offset standards and the data needed to implement these strategies.
Celebrating 25 Years of E&E News: The Future of U.S. Energy
October 11th, 2023 | AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND
Amy Carlile, Hannah Northey, Michael Doyle, and others
What’s the future of U.S. energy? The answer may hinge on what happens on federal land. Once used heavily for hard-rock mining and oil production, large swaths of the West are now being eyed for solar, wind and geothermal projects; transmission corridors; carbon sequestration and mineral extraction for electric vehicle batteries and other low-emission technologies. While using federal tracts for renewable energy has great promise, there is conflict with efforts to protect endangered species and other natural resources.
Clearing the Air: What’s next for the carbon capture industry?
September 12th, 2023 | AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND
Jean Chemnick, Carlos Anchondo, Corbin Hiar and Mike Soraghan
Efforts to capture carbon pollution from smokestacks and the atmosphere have received strong support from Congress and the White House. Yet questions remain about the technology, economics, infrastructure and community support needed to scale up the carbon capture projects that the Biden administration is counting on to meet its climate goals. Will the legislative and regulatory incentives for carbon capture, pipelines and storage sites be enough to build a viable new industry?
Addressing Extreme Weather Emergencies
August 15, 2023 | AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND
Chelsea Harvey, Thomas Frank, and Ariel Wittenberg
From extreme heat and widespread drought to historic flooding and devastating wildfires, there is growing uncertainty around how to tackle everyday impacts of climate disasters. The increased frequency of back-to-back emergencies is taking a toll on the workers in certain industries and greatly impacting the overall economy. Join E&E News reporters Ariel Wittenberg, Tom Frank and Chelsea Harvey. They will discuss what the Biden Administration can do to address communities pummeled by the extreme heat, how the government can continue to finance the increasingly regular climate emergencies, and the outlook on extreme weather trends for the future.
Farm Bill: The Negotiation Landscape
July 11, 2023 | AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND
Marc Heller, Kelsey Brugger, and Garrett Downs
The Farm Bill reauthorization process has been underway for months but the divide among the House Republican caucus could put the must-pass legislation in jeopardy. The Inflation Reduction Act passed last year infused billions of dollars into existing farm bill programs, but there have been concerns raised that the money should be allocated differently. Similar to the debt limit, another major sticking point will be the push for stricter work requirements under the SNAP program.
U.S.-China Battle in Energy & Tech
June 13, 2023 | AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND
Joel Kirkland, Corbin Hiar, Hannah Northey and Sara Schonhardt
U.S.-China political tensions are posing a growing threat to the fight against climate change. The battle for supremacy cuts across the energy and technology sectors, and it’s introducing friction into the already daunting task of moving away from fossil fuels. China controls much of supply chain for solar panels and battery technology, including critical minerals processing. As the U.S. tries to catch up, a lot has been made of efforts to cut ties with China and its suppliers. Will that affect the timeline for a U.S. energy transition? The Inflation Reduction Act poured money into building out the U.S. manufacturing base. And ‘Buy America’ requirements pose new hurdles for automakers and energy-tech companies. What permitting challenges lie ahead?
EPA Power Plans
May 16, 2023 | AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND
Jean Chemnick, Sean Reilly, Timothy Cama, Hannah Northey
The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act aimed hundreds of billions of dollars to fund clean energy projects, pollution controls and energy costs. To thread the transition needle, the EPA is getting aggressive on the regulation front. From new standards for power plant carbon dioxide emissions and a new national drinking water standard to regulations aimed at tailpipe emissions to limit smog and carbon from trucks and cars, proposals have been flooding since the start of 2023.
The Oil Dilemma
April 11, 2023 | AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND
Shelby Webb, Benjamin Storrow, Lesley Clark, and Jeremy Dillon
It is good to be an oil company these days. Spending on new offshore oil projects over the next two years is projected to soar to levels not seen in a decade and American oil and gas drillers are on track to set new pumping records. The Biden Administration made a controversial decision to support ConocoPhillips’ Willow oil project in Alaska and House Republicans’ energy bill includes provisions to increase U.S. oil production and ease permitting. But the latest IPCC’s climate assessment proclaims the world is far from hitting the emissions cuts needed to avoid the most catastrophic climate impacts and puts even greater pressure on oil companies to invest in renewable energy and other emission-cutting actions.
2023 Farm Bill: Headwinds and Windfalls
March 14, 2023 | AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND
Marc Heller, Adam Aton and Chelsea Harvey
The current Farm Bill – worth trillions in funding and support – expires in September. Much of the bill is under serious debate including regulations on the industry, how to help farmers manage natural disasters and take better care of their land, and how to encourage scientific advancements to produce food in more efficient ways that withstand and even reduce climate impacts. Climate change will be omnipresent in the discussions both in terms of its impact on the industry and agriculture’s impact on climate.
Implementing the Inflation Reduction Act
February 14, 2023 | AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND
Timothy Cama, Kelsey Brugger, Sean Reilly, David Ferris, and Brian Dabbs
Decisions made this year by federal agencies on the Inflation Reduction Act will determine the law’s impact on technology, industry, and emissions for decades to come. The landmark climate law included billions for electric vehicles tax credits, renewable energy investment tax credits, demonstration project funding, competitive grants, and more. The Treasury Department, U.S. EPA, Energy Department, and others have already announced some of these guidelines and are ready to tackle many more shortly. Members of the GOP are looking for ways to slow the agencies down and will scrutinize every decision. Join E&E News reporters to review what has been rolled out so far, what is to come, who are the key players and what stakeholders are on the lookout for.
Energy & Environment in the 118th Congress
January 18, 2023 | AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND
Manuel Quinones, Emma Dumain, Adam Aton, Jeremy Dillon, and Nico Portundo
Republicans have taken control of the House, vowing to contest Biden Administrations energy policies regarding fossil fuel production on public lands and climate disclosure rules for public companies. Senate Democrats said they aim to blunt the impact of the Republican actions and continue to push their climate and energy policy. Still, some lawmakers hope to find compromise in a divided Congress, including on infrastructure.
Listen to E&E News reporters as they look ahead to energy and environmental policy in the 118th Congress.