POLITICO to host first-ever energy summit

POLITICO will host its first-ever energy summit on Thursday to explore how the U.S. is positioning itself as the effort to tackle climate change runs into international trade rivalries and political tensions at home.

Panelists at the summit, including Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, will discuss the Biden administration’s efforts to use the 2021 infrastructure law, last year’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and newly proposed regulations to lessen greenhouse gas pollution, spread the use of electric cars and foster new industries built around clean energy.

All these efforts are under political attack. Republicans’ demands for raising the debt ceiling include axing much of the IRA’s green spending and putting tight limits on future regulations.

It’s going to be challenging to make this quick transition while countering China’s dominance of the supplies and technologies behind clean energy. Beijing’s control of the minerals and gear behind batteries and solar panels is complicating Washington’s efforts to make a swift transition from fossil fuels.

Meanwhile, the effort to birth a clean-energy economy in the U.S. means creating infrastructure such as carbon storage sites, power lines and lithium mines across the U.S., a push that is already encountering opposition from some communities.

Panelists may also talk about clean energy technologies and innovation, including wind energy, solar power, nuclear and battery technologies, as well as the use of so-called environmental, social and governance standards by businesses to combat climate change.

The other panelists on Thursday include Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.); New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat; Heather Boushey of the White House Council of Economic Advisers; Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jayme White; and Jigar Shah, head of the Energy Department’s loan programs office.

A full schedule for the event, as well as a form for registering, can be found here.