Shift Key with Robinson Meyer and Jesse Jenkins

How Democrats Are Trying to Trump-proof Their Big Climate Law

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Dec 4, 2024

In this discussion, Kristina Costa, Deputy Assistant to the President for Clean Energy Innovation, outlines pivotal aspects of the Inflation Reduction Act. She highlights its unprecedented scale and urgency amidst potential political shifts. Costa delves into the importance of state capacities in advancing these climate goals and the need for innovative federal tools to compete with global leaders like China. Additionally, she shares strategies to safeguard these climate initiatives from future threats, emphasizing collaborative efforts in the private sector.

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ANECDOTE

Revitalizing Communities

The Form Energy factory in Weirton, West Virginia, revitalizes a former steel community.
This allows young people to find clean energy jobs locally.

INSIGHT

Awareness and Media

The IRA's impact hasn't fully reached public awareness, partly due to timing and media focus on politics over policy.
Local media, however, covers community-level impacts better.

ADVICE

Obligating Funds

Obligate grant funding to protect it from future administrations, making it harder to reclaim.
The Biden administration aims to obligate at least 80% of available IRA grant funding before leaving office.

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The Inflation Reduction Act, President Joe Biden’s landmark climate law, is the biggest investment in clean energy in American history. It is also in danger. In January, the Trump administration and a GOP Congress will take over the federal government — and they have made a variety of promises about how they’ll disrupt the law, ranging from full repeal to a more “surgical” reform approach.

On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse talk with Kristina Costa, who has worked since 2022 to implement the IRA’s climate provisions at the White House. She joins us to discuss what went right about the Biden administration’s rush to implement the law, why state government capacity is holding back Democratic policy goals, and why the federal government needs more tools to support energy innovation if it wants to keep up with China. She also discusses how the administration is trying to Trump-proof the law. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.

Mentioned:

Biden has obligated more than $100 billion in IRA grants

The administration’s three big tax credit goals by the end of the year: hydrogen, advanced manufacturing, and technology-neutral clean electricity

Jesse’s upshift; Rob’s upshift.

(And here’s what’s 250 miles from three cities: Newark, Chicago, Las Vegas.)

This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …

Watershed’s climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.

As a global leader in PV and ESS solutions, Sungrow invests heavily in research and development, constantly pushing the boundaries of solar and battery inverter technology. Discover why Sungrow is the essential component of the clean energy transition by visiting sungrowpower.com.

Intersolar & Energy Storage North America is the premier U.S.-based conference and trade show focused on solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure. To learn more, visit intersolar.us.

Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.

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