Amy Harder

Amy Harder

Energy and Environment Correspondent

Amy Harder reports on the intersection of policy, politics and economics of energy and environment issues for National Journal. This includes covering congressional legislation, executive-branch rulemakings and international policy actions affecting the United States. Harder also moderates the popular Energy & Environment Expert Blog, which includes more than 100 experts, advocacy leaders and lawmakers in Washington and around the country. Harder moderates and participates in panel discussions hosted by National Journal and other organizations. She has appeared on CSPAN, MSNBC, Fox News and NPR, among other media outlets; and she delivers speeches throughout the country on national energy and environment policy.



Before covering energy and environment policy, Harder covered the selection of a new Supreme Court justice as the lead reporter for National Journal’s The Ninth Justice blog. Harder has covered a variety of topics since coming to National Journal in May 2008, including foreign policy, national security and political advertising. Prior to her time here, Harder was a staff writer for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Harder is originally from Washington State and received a B.A. in journalism with honors from Western Washington University.

Amy Harder's Latest Posts

5 Staffers to Watch Among House Freshmen

Running an office of a freshman member of Congress is never easy, but certain lawmakers and their top aides have especially unique challenges. Meet the chiefs of staffs of five House members whose election to Congress is somehow not...

Read More »
CONGRESS

GOP Forces Gridlock Over Obama’s Nominees for EPA, Labor

Senate Republicans are forcing partisan debates about the role of the executive branch and its commitment to transparency by blocking the confirmation of two of President Obama’s nominees to top positions within his administration. Read More »

Senate Faces Test on Small-Ball Energy Bills

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., will soon have at his feet a small handful of bipartisan energy bills primed for passage, but whether he overcomes the politics that have felled similar efforts in past years is a lingering...

Read More »

What Do Technology Innovations Mean for Washington?

The federal government doubled the amount of oil and tripled the amount of natural gas estimated to be stored deep under the Dakotas and Montana. In an announcement last week , Interior Department officials cited the advent of two ...

Read More »
POWER PLAY

What People Close to Obama Think About the Keystone XL Pipeline

To environmentalists throughout the country, denying the Keystone XL oil pipeline would be the most important sign President Obama is committed to combating global warming. Read More »

Debt-Ceiling Fight May Flare This Week

House Republicans will push action on a bill signaling no retreat from their demand for spending cuts as a condition to any ceiling hike. Read More »
ENERGY

The U.S. Has Much, Much More Gas and Oil Than We Thought

The United States has double the amount of oil and three times the amount of natural gas than previously thought stored deep under the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana, according to new data the Obama administration...

Read More »

What the Energy Panel Would Look Like Under Chairwoman Landrieu

If Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., takes over the gavel of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee next Congress, she is in a prime spot to lead on an issue that’s critically important to her state. Read More »

Landrieu Primed to Lead Energy Panel – If She Wins Reelection

A domino effect prompted by Max Baucus’s coming retirement leaves her poised to chair what is arguably the most important committee to energy-rich Louisiana. Read More »

Yucca Mountain Casts a Long Shadow Over Nuclear-Waste Bill Introduced in the Senate

The legislation is silent on whether a proposed agency to manage nuclear waste might consider the nixed Nevada site as a future option. Read More »

Conservatives Come Out for Renewable-Energy Projects

Defying conventional wisdom in the era of Solyndra, conservatives in Washington are coming out to back renewable energy. Read More »

Obama’s Pick for Energy Secretary Blocked Over Cuts at S.C. Nuclear-Waste Plant

In his recent confirmation hearing, Ernest Moniz told senators that one of his very first trips as Energy secretary would be to Hanford, the troublesome nuclear-waste site in Washington state. But Moniz might be wise to detour down ...

Read More »

Hydropower Bills Enjoy Bipartisan Support in Congress

With a pair of bills on hydropower, lawmakers are reviving two pieces of conventional wisdom long forgotten in gridlocked Washington: Energy issues tend to be more geographical than ideological, and Republicans can (and do) support ...

Read More »

What's Holding Back Energy & Climate Policy?

The amount of change happening in Washington right now is impressive. Congressional leaders are debating immigration reform and gun control, and lawmakers from both parties are voicing support for gay marriage. Why isn't this kind ...

Read More »

Reid Appoints Besieged Regulator to Nuclear-Weapons Panel

Late in the evening on Wednesday, one of the busiest and most unnerving times Washington has seen in a long while, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid quietly appointed Gregory Jaczko, a controversial former nuclear-energy regulator t...

Read More »

David McCarthy, Majority Chief Counsel, Environment and Economy Subcommittee

David McCarthy is chief counsel for the majority on the Energy and Commerce Environment and Economy Subcommittee. Read More »

Gary Andres, Majority Staff Director

In leading a staff of almost 70, Gary Andres says he gets the best of all the previous jobs he’s held throughout his career. Read More »

Alexa Marrero, Majority Deputy Staff Director

Alexa Marrero blends her former gig as the committee’s communications director with that of her more strategic role as deputy staff director, a position she took on in July 2012. Read More »

Mike Bloomquist, Majority General Counsel

Lobbying may earn more money, but Mike Bloomquist is drawn to other things Capitol Hill has to offer. And as general counsel to the Energy and Commerce Committee—which has jurisdiction over everything from health and energy policy...

Read More »

Phil Barnett, Minority Staff Director, Full Committee

It’s no surprise that Democratic Staff Director Phil Barnett counts climate change among his very top issues. His boss, Energy and Commerce ranking member Henry Waxman, D-Calif., does, too. Read More »

Karen Christian, Majority Chief Counsel, Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee

Karen Christian, chief counsel for the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, is best known for her lead role in the Solyndra investigation, which dominated much of the GOP agenda on the committee during the last Congress. Read More »

Tom Hassenboehler, Chief Counsel, Energy and Power Subcommittee

When Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., hired Tom Hassenboehler in December 2012, it was a reunion of sorts for the 35-year-old policy expert. Read More »

Companies Battle, With Gas Prices at Stake

The lobbying fight over how much natural gas the United States should export has picked up considerably this year. Read More »

Renewable-Fuels Standard Gets Bipartisan Attention

For the first time since President Obama won the White House in 2008, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., and ranking member Henry Waxman, D-Calif., are working together on a controversial energy policy...

Read More »

A Polarized Committee Reflects a Gridlocked Congress

Shortly after Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., won the chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in December 2010, he invited all the former committee chairmen and their wives to dinner at Carmine’s in downtown Washington. Read More »

How Much Natural Gas Should the U.S. Export?

The Energy and Commerce Committee’s leaders and aides are unsure how to tackle one of the biggest debates in the energy space right now: natural-gas exports. Read More »

Long List of Lobbies Oppose Renewable-Fuels Standard

It’s hard to rival the diversity and sheer number of groups and companies with a vested interest in the renewable-fuels standard, from food and livestock businesses to those in the environmental and energy sectors. Read More »
POWER PLAY

5 Things Immigration, Gay Marriage, and Gun Control Have That Climate Change Doesn't

The amount of change happening in Washington is impressive, but this kind of sea change can’t happen right now with energy and climate policy. Here's why. Read More »

The 50 Insiders Who Know Fred Upton Best

Meet the 50 people inside the beltway closest to Upton. The list includes two former and one current Cabinet official, a handful of mostly telecommunications lobbyists, several current and former senior staffers, a Fox journalist...

Read More »

A Polarized Congress Tests Fred Upton’s Instincts

In the final days of the last Congress, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton spoke out against a bill to provide roughly $50 million to aid the victims of superstorm Sandy. Read More »

House Energy Committee’s Redux Agenda

It’s a new Congress, but it’s hard to tell by looking at the agenda of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Read More »

Natural-Gas Exports Dominate Moniz Confirmation Hearing

Tuesday’s confirmation hearing for President Obama’s nominee to be Energy secretary, Ernest Moniz, was dominated by the energy industry’s topic du jour: natural-gas exports. Read More »

Sen. Murray Keeps Hanford Nuclear Site Safe From Budget Cuts

She may not attend Tuesday’s confirmation hearing for Ernest Moniz, President Obama’s nominee for Energy secretary, but you can bet Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., will make sure the department has all the money it needs to keep the...

Read More »

Is the Keystone XL Pipeline Too Risky?

Do the risks associated with the Keystone XL oil pipeline outweigh the benefits? Read More »
ENERGY

Sen. Wyden to Grill Obama's Energy Nominee on Nuclear-Waste Site

On Tuesday, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Ernest Moniz, President Obama’s nominee for Energy secretary, are going to square off like it’s 1998. Read More »
ENERGY

Arkansas' Oil Spill Stirs Opposition to the Keystone Pipeline

The spill, outside Little Rock, Ark., serves as a stark reminder that energy production comes with unavoidable risks. Read More »

EPA Finds Sweet Spot to Release Controversial Gas Rule

After facing election-year delays, the Obama administration on Friday announced a controversial rule that requires cleaner gasoline. Read More »
POWER PLAY

Ethanol Debate Has Glimpse of Bipartisanship

The top Republican and Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are finally on the same page about a controversial energy policy after reading from two completely different playbooks the last four years. Read More »

Armed With Excuses, Lawmakers Head Home to Sequester Complaints

As lawmakers were preparing to go back home to their districts for a two-week recess, many were already getting an earful of grievances from constituents about the sequester’s impact and were bracing to hear far more in meetings a...

Read More »
PEOPLE

Five Small Business Committee Staffers to Know

Here are the people you need to know on the Small Business Committee staffs on both sides of the Capitol. Read More »

Upton, Waxman Launch Debate on Biofuels Mandate

For the first time since President Obama won the White House in 2008, the top Republican and Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are working collaboratively on a controversial piece of energy policy: the renewable-fu...

Read More »

5 Staffers to Watch on the House and Senate Budget Committees

The House and Senate will be wrangling with their respective budgets this week. There’s little expectation that the two chambers’ products will be combined into a joint budget resolution, but they serve as the starting points fo...

Read More »

Approving the Keystone Pipeline Won't Bring Obama Bipartisan Goodwill

If President Obama wants to approve the Keystone XL pipeline as a way of extending an olive branch to congressional Republicans, they are likely to see it as one riddled with thorns. Read More »

GOP Aide: Obama's 'Using Us As Props'

President Obama continued his goodwill tour this week with stops at the Capitol to meet with House and Senate Republicans. Read More »

Sizing Up Obama's New Energy, Environment Team

What do President Obama's nominees for the Energy and Interior departments and the Environmental Protection Agency say about his second-term agenda on these issues? Read More »
PEOPLE

Five Staff Positions to Watch During Senate Confirmation Hearings on Energy Nominees

Here are some key staffers involved in the vetting of Obama's nominees for his second-term energy and environment team. Read More »

Budget Cuts Keep Freshman Senators in the 'Swing Suites'

The across-the-board cuts to the federal government’s budget are exacerbating an already convoluted process for new senators moving from cramped temporary digs to their permanent offices.  Read More »
POWER PLAY

Harry Reid: The Closet Environmentalist

He doesn’t tout it, but the Senate majority leader is one of the greenest members of Congress. Read More »

What's On the Chopping Block in Energy & Environment Policy?

As the sequester's across-the-board cuts go into effect and Washington stares down a month's end deadline to pass legislation to keep the government running, what's at stake for energy and environment policy? Read More »
PEOPLE

Five Staff Positions to Watch: Chiefs of Staff for Freshman Senators

Meet the chiefs of staff for five of the Senate's newest members. Read More »

Fearing Blame Will Shift to Obama, Democrats Oppose Flexibility in Sequester Cuts

Top lawmakers spent Tuesday searching for leverage points in the coming public-relations war over the automatic spending cuts that almost everyone agrees will now occur even though they were never designed to go into effect. Read More »

After the Sequester, Government Shutdown Looms

Congressional leaders are already shifting their focus to the next spending battle after the automatic budget sequester takes effect on Friday—how to keep the government running—but the Democratic strategy on this fight is far f...

Read More »

Grover Norquist: George W. Bush Said He Would Have Backed Cliff Deal

Former President George W. Bush told Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., that he would have supported the fiscal-cliff deal that McConnell struck with Vice President Joe Biden late last year, antitax advocate Grover Norqu...

Read More »

What Does the Keystone XL Pipeline Represent?

What does the controversial Keystone XL pipeline stand for? And what is at stake when President Obama decides its fate? Read More »
PEOPLE

Who To Watch on Capitol Hill During the Sequestration Fight

Here are 5 leadership staffers critical to developing the policy proposals and political strategy of the sequestration battle. Read More »
POWER PLAY

Senate Democrats Get Ready to Defend Obama's Climate-Change Rules

Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Sen. Barbara Boxer is mounting a relentless defense of Obama’s global-warming rules. Read More »
POWER PLAY

In Washington, Energy and Climate Issues Get Shoved in the Closet

Policy in these areas is taking a back seat to just about everything else on Capitol Hill these days. Read More »

GOP Senator: Super Bowl Blackout Could Add Momentum to Energy Policy

The Super Bowl blackout could provide the momentum for energy policy like the Hispanic vote has done for immigration reform, according to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. Read More »
PEOPLE

Five Energy/Environment Hill Staffers to Watch

Congress is unlikely to tackle any major energy and environment legislation through regular order. So if any sliver of policy does get through either or both chambers, it will be thanks to the small cadre of energy and environment a...

Read More »
ENERGY

Gasoline Rule Emerges From Election-Year Obscurity

After facing election-year delays, an environmental rule requiring cleaner gasoline is now back in the regulatory pipeline, and a top Environmental Protection Agency official said Wednesday the agency expects to propose the rule by...

Read More »

How Should Washington Address Climate Change?

How, if at all, should President Obama and Congress address climate change? Read More »
ENERGY

Frustrated Aides Leaving Capitol Hill

Fed up with gridlock, legislative staffers who specialize in energy and environment are fleeing. Read More »

Cruz to Oppose Boehner’s Debt-Limit Fix

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, will not vote for the House-passed debt-ceiling bill because it does not include spending cuts, his office said on Wednesday. Read More »

How Boehner Tamed an Unruly GOP Caucus

John Boehner is finally learning how to tame the rebellious House GOP caucus. The passage on Wednesday of a measure allowing the Treasury to keep borrowing money until May 19 warded off the risk of a debt default that could have bee...

Read More »

Democratic Senators Pass Torch to EPA on Climate Change

After years of trying—and failing—to get climate-change legislation through Congress, top Senate Democrats are publicly ready to hand over the power to President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency. Read More »

What Obama Wants and What Congress Will Give Him

How the president's vision fits with what Congress is likely to do. Read More »

The Republican Plan to Build That Keystone XL Pipeline

Congressional Republicans have fewer avenues to approve the Keystone XL pipeline than they did when the election was hanging over President Obama’s head. But that doesn’t mean they have no avenues. Read More »

Vitter Purges Environment Committee Staff

The new top Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Sen. David Vitter, R-La., has laid off almost all the professional staff—about a dozen—who worked under his predecessor, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla.,&nb...

Read More »

What's Ahead in 2013 for Energy, Environment Policy?

What major energy and environment issues will Washington face in the new year? Read More »
INFLUENCE

Battle Over Wind Subsidy Leaves Industry Bruised

The battle to get Congress to renew the wind-energy production tax credit before year’s end strained relationships among utilities, splintered support within the industry’s biggest trade group, and is setting up the industry—a...

Read More »
ENERGY

Battle Over Wind Subsidy Leaves Industry Bruised

The battle to get Congress to renew the wind-energy production tax credit before year’s end strained relationships among utilities, splintered support within the industry’s biggest trade group and is setting up the industry—an...

Read More »

Five Sleeper Issues Washington Could Face in 2013

The incoming Congress has big challenges ahead. But don’t be distracted by the bright shiny objects that are tax reform, entitlement reform, and maybe even gun control. There are some important issues for the U.S. economy and U.S....

Read More »

Who Will Succeed Jackson as EPA Head?

After four years in office, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson said on Thursday that she will be stepping down after President Obama’s State of the Union address in January, inviting speculation about who w...

Read More »

Heitkamp to be Key Energy Voice Among Moderate Democrats

Heidi Heitkamp—the Democrat who surprised everyone and beat her Republican challenger Rick Berg to win the North Dakota Senate seat in this year’s election—will be an important leader in a growing group of moderate Democratic ...

Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

EPA Scrambles on Year-End Regulatory Push

Forget the fiscal cliff and the National Rifle Association. The Environmental Protection Agency really went back to business on Friday after an election-year bottleneck. It unleashed two new regulations and a controversial report on...

Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

EPA Administrator Jackson Fuels Rumors on Her Future

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson on Friday unveiled tougher standards for controlling soot pollution, and in the process fueled rumors about whether or not she plans to stay on for President Obama’s ...

Read More »
INFLUENCE

Exelon to Employees: Tell Congress to End Wind Tax Credit

Nuclear power giant  Exelon  is telling its employees to lobby Congress to end the production tax credit for wind power, which will expire at month’s end unless lawmakers vote to extend it. Read More »
ENERGY

Exelon Skips Utility Fly-In to Lobby on Wind Tax Credit

A CEO of a major utility is skipping an industry-wide fly-in on dividend taxes to instead lobby lawmakers to oppose the production tax credit for wind energy. Read More »

What's at Stake for Energy, Environment in Fiscal Cliff?

What are the risks and potential opportunities for energy and environment issues as Washington debates a way to avoid the fiscal cliff? Read More »
INFLUENCE

Upton Taps Natural Gas Lobbyist As Senior Aide

House Energy and Commerce Chairman  Fred Upton , R-Mich., has tapped a top natural gas lobbyist to be the committee’s senior aide on energy and environment issues. Read More »

Is Washington Ready For a Carbon Tax?

Should President Obama and Congress pursue a carbon tax? Read More »

Boehner Taps New Energy Aide

Maryam Brown, chief counsel for the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power, will be House Speaker John Boehner’s top energy aide.  Read More »
INFLUENCE

First Look: Ads Target Exelon on Wind Tax Credit

A Democratic interest group is taking the unusual step of singling out a company by name in a adversiting campaign launching Thursday, chastising nuclear-power giant Exelon for lobbying against the production tax credit for wind power. Read More »
INFLUENCE

API to Energy-State Dems: Support Our Tax Breaks

The American Petroleum Institute launched new advertising on Tuesday calling on a handful of Senate Democrats to support preserving billions of dollars in oil and natural gas tax breaks. Read More »
INFLUENCE

First Look: Sierra Club Launching Wind-Power Ads in Metro

The Sierra Club is launching a new ad campaign in the Capitol South Metro station urging Congress to extend the production tax credit for wind energy. Read More »

In Upset, Heitkamp Wins North Dakota Senate Seat

In an upset win, Democrat Heidi Heitkamp defeated Rep. Rick Berg , R-N.D., to fill the North Dakota Senate seat left by retiring Democrat Kent Conrad. Read More »
INFLUENCE

Environmentalists On The Election: Greens Don't Have the Blues

At a Wednesday afternoon press conference where the radiant faces were hard to miss, half-a-dozen environmental leaders in Washington declared the 2012 election a triumph for the Earth and a victory over dirty fossil fuels. Read More »
ANALYSIS

Midwest Offers Parties Mixed Bag in House Contests

Middle America is a snapshot of the mixed political bag that is the United States. In an otherwise mostly lackluster performance, House Democrats picked up four key seats in Illinois that they had hoped to win thanks to redistrictin...

Read More »
CAMPAIGN 2012

Democrat Heitkamp Prevails in N.D. Senate Race

In what's poised to be an upset victory, Democrat Heidi Heitkamp holds a small but sturdy lead against Rep. Rick Berg for the open North Dakota Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democrat Kent Conrad. Read More »

Heitkamp Poised to Win North Dakota Senate Seat

In what's poised to be an upset victory, Democrat Heidi Heitkamp holds a small but sturdy lead against Rep. Rick Berg , R-N.D., for the open North Dakota Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democrat Kent Conrad . Read More »
INFLUENCE

Trumka Taps His Mining Roots to Blunt Romney in Pa.

Invoking his coal-miner cred, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka is trying to make sure the 11th-hour run by GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney to win Pennsylvania falls flat.   Trumka, who is a former coal miner and forme...

Read More »

Election 2012: What's At Stake for Energy and Environmental Issues?

Updated Wednesday, Nov. 7, at 5 p.m. : With President Obama winning another four years in the White House, Democrats retaining control of the Senate and Republicans control of the House, things look generally the same now as they...

Read More »
INFLUENCE

The Cost of Natural Disasters, By the Numbers

As Washington approaches the fiscal cliff and looks to save money in every budgetary corner it can find, experts are sounding the alarms on the costs of disaster relief and the potential costs a warmer planet could inflict on the c...

Read More »

Washington, 6th House District

Retiring 6th District Democrat Norm Dicks gave his political protégé, Derek Kilmer, the early word in March that he wouldn’t seek a 19th term. “He told me, ‘In about an hour I’m going to announce my retirement, and you sho...

Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

Climate-Change Debate Aside, Sandy Inspires 'Resiliency Planning' for Extreme Weather

Did global warming cause Hurricane Sandy? To government officials grappling with Sandy’s destruction and wondering how best to prepare for future extreme-weather events, the answer to that question does not matter. Read More »
ENERGY

Utilities, Generators Powerless Against Powerful Hurricane Sandy

Major storms like Hurricane Sandy reveal one of the biggest public-perception gaps with energy: You don’t notice it until it’s gone. Read More »

What Is Climate Silence Costing Us?

How is the absence of discussion about global warming going to affect our ability to do something about it? Read More »
BUDGET

White House Holds Back on Sequester Details

There’s a funny thing happening at federal agencies. When it comes to the details of the looming $1.2 trillion cut to their budgets, agency officials find themselves unable to explain just how those cuts would affect myriad progra...

Read More »
CAMPAIGN 2012

Mitt Romney's Secret 'Rock Star' on Energy

Meet the woman in Mitt Romney’s binder nobody knows about: Rebecca Rosen. Read More »

Inhofe to Campaign With Akin

Updated at 7:00 p.m. Read More »

What's Holding Back Electric Cars?

What challenges are facing electric vehicles right now? Read More »
POLITICS

Debate Fact-Check: The Second Presidential Debate Between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney

President Obama and Mitt Romney covered a wide range of topics in the second of their three presidential debates, this one held on Tuesday night at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. Here is a look at some of their statements and...

Read More »
INFLUENCE

Utilities Press Congress to Renew Dividend Tax Rates

While Congress and a small handful of utility companies duke it out over a high-profile production tax credit for wind energy, most of the country's utilities are putting the lion's share of their lobbying power into something not q...

Read More »
INFLUENCE

Energy CEO to Congress: Don't Overreact to Battery Company Bankruptcy

A CEO of a major California-based utility is cautioning lawmakers not to let the bankruptcy of a federally backed advanced battery manufacturer hinder investment in the industry.   Anthony Earley Jr. , CEO, chairman and president ...

Read More »

Should Oil and Natural-Gas Tax Breaks Stay or Go?

Should Congress repeal tax breaks that the oil and natural-gas industry has had for the better part of the last century? Read More »
ENERGY

Big Oil Getting Nervous About Tax Reform

The American Petroleum Institute is in full-throttle defense mode as Washington primes for corporate tax reform next year. In fact, while they won’t say it outright, officials at the powerful oil-industry group seem to indicate...

Read More »
PEOPLE

Clinton Aide Leaves BPC to Start New Firm

Veteran Clinton administration aide Paul Bledsoe is leaving the Bipartisan Policy Center where he has worked since its inception in 2007 to create his own public policy firm. Read More »
INFLUENCE

Skirting Ban, LCV Dominates Spending in Brown-Warren Senate Race

The League of Conservation Voters is not letting a handshake ban on outside spending get in the way of seeking to defeat GOP Sen. Scott Brown in Massachusetts.   The group, which is by far making the largest independent expendi...

Read More »

China vs. the U.S.: What's at Stake for Renewable Energy?

What renewable-energy issues are at stake in the increasingly tense relations between the United States and China? Read More »
CAMPAIGN 2012

Fact Checking the Presidential Debate

The first presidential debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney on Wednesday night covered topics ranging from taxes to health care to job creation. Here is a look at some of their statements and how firmly they are grounded i...

Read More »
INFLUENCE

Coal Lobby Launches Ad Ahead of Debate

With Mitt Romney and President Obama courting voters in coal battleground states like Ohio and Virginia, one of the industry's most powerful interest groups is launching a new ad campaign Wednesday that encourages viewers to vot...

Read More »

Energy Project Permitting: The New Nimbyism?

Should Washington overhaul the permitting process for energy projects of all stripes? Read More »

Sizing Up the Role of Natural Gas

What role should natural gas fill in the United States? Read More »

Tackling Energy's Biggest Hurdles

What are the biggest energy challenges facing the United States? Read More »

Seeking Elusive Energy Independence

How close is the United States to reaching the elusive goal of energy independence? Read More »

Speech Switch Sparks Scramble, Disappoints Attendees

The game was called on account of thunderstorms. Or at least a 30-to-40 percent chance of them. Read More »

Arianna Channels Her Inner Oprah

Scented candles, check. Books on sleep and blood sugar, check. Yoga and meditation. Coconut water, pomegranate juice, all-white furniture, and vases of freshly cut flowers. These are the hallmarks of Oprah Winfrey’s live-your-best...

Read More »

Protests, Security Unleash Chaos in Uptown Charlotte

Rowdy protesters and stepped-up security wreaked havoc in uptown Charlotte on the first day of the Democratic National Convention. Read More »
CONVENTIONS 2012

Dem Keynoter Sets Tough Tone

In the Democratic National Convention’s keynote speech, San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro drew clear lines between Republican nominee Mitt Romney and President Obama on issues ranging from education to the economy. Read More »
CONVENTIONS 2012

Police Arrest 2 After Disrupting Convention Event

Two people protesting corporate greed were arrested on Tuesday after disrupting a National Journal panel on energy.   Read More »

So Far, Obama Is Ducking Romney’s Climate-Change Jab

Mitt Romney threw down the gauntlet on global warming last week by mocking President Obama’s efforts to fight the effects of fossil-fuel pollution. Read More »

Do’s and Don'ts of Charlotte Security

Navigating security at the Democratic National Convention is like being a rat running through a maze with pathways that keep changing. Read More »

Hundreds Protest Coal, Bailouts, Wars—and Obama

The hundreds of people who marched through uptown Charlotte on Sunday protesting everything from coal to bank bailouts to military action in the Middle East shared two things in common: disenchantment with President Obama and a love...

Read More »

Secret Service Readies Whiz-Bang Human Hive Mind

As far as high-profile, high-security events go, Derek Verdeyen has been around the block more than a few times. Read More »

Cops, Cameras, and Copters Keep Eyes on Charlotte

Watch out, convention-goers, because most of the time you’re going to be watched. Read More »
WHITE HOUSE

Obama Returns to Iowa As Lead Slips in State

In his second trip to Iowa this week, President Obama on Saturday is going deep into conservative—and wind—country. Read More »
ENERGY

Hurricane Isaac Prompts Loan From Petroleum Reserve

The Obama administration is loaning 1 million barrels of oil to Marathon Petroleum in the wake of Hurricane Isaac, the Energy Department announced on Friday.   Read More »
ELECTION 2012

Occupy Movement Targets Charlotte, Aiming at DNC and 'Wall Street South'

Even as Democrats try to cast the GOP as the party of the rich, they face a protest against the elites and wealthy of their own party with the Occupy Movement marching around its convention in Charlotte. Read More »
CONVENTIONS 2012

Fact-Checking the GOP Speakers

Here is a look at some of the statements from Thursday night at the Republican National Convention and how firmly they are grounded in fact.   Read More »
CONVENTIONS 2012

Romney Invokes Global Warming Against Obama

After ignoring the issue of global warming since he began his 2012 run for the White House, Republican nominee Mitt Romney is now invoking it to illustrate a key difference issue between him and President Obama. Read More »

Most Gulf Drilling Shut Down in Advance of Isaac

Organizers of the Republican National Convention might consider taking a cue from the oil and natural-gas industry when it comes to responding promptly to hurricanes. Read More »

GOP Support for Coal Tougher in Practice

For all the Republican rhetoric about President Obama’s “war on coal,” there isn’t really a lot that Mitt Romney could do as Obama’s successor to turn around the decline in an industry that has long been the mainstay of th...

Read More »
CONVENTIONS 2012

On Climate, It’s Not the Heat, It’s the Timidity

This year’s unremitting heat, droughts, wildfires, and freak storms have thrust climate change back into the spotlight. But even with the issue fresh in people’s minds—not to mention in media coverage and Washington’s echo c...

Read More »

Sizing Up Romney and Obama Energy Plans

Updated at 6 p.m. Thursday, August 23. Read More »
POWER

Despite Stearns's Loss, GOP's Solyndra Song Will Go On

Despite the surprising primary loss of Rep. Cliff Stearns , R-Fla., who led the investigation into Solyndra by House Republicans, the GOP is determined to keep the drumbeat going. Read More »

Finding the Sweet Spot: Bipartisan Energy and Environment Policies

Which energy and environment policies garner bipartisan support? And what's holding Washington back from acting on them? Read More »
POLITICS

Coal Miners’ Union Sits Out Presidential Race

FAIRMONT, W.Va.—After giving then-Sen. Barack Obama a full-throttled endorsement in the 2008 presidential election, the United Mine Workers of America has decided not to endorse either Obama or the presumptive Republican nominee, ...

Read More »

Should Wind Tax Credit Stay or Go?

Should Congress extend the production tax credit for wind energy or let it expire at year's end? Read More »
POWER PLAY

MIA on Climate Change

This year’s unremitting heat waves, droughts, wildfires, and freak storms have thrust climate change back into the spotlight. But even with the issue fresh in people’s minds—not to mention in media coverage and Washington’s ...

Read More »
CAMPAIGN 2012

Republicans on Romney's Trip: Any Damage Won't Be Fatal

Mitt Romney’s misadventures abroad are no doubt less important to many voters than the state of their pocketbooks or even how many medals American swimmer Michael Phelps ends up collecting at the Games. The bad news for Romney is ...

Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

European Climate Law Poses Problems for U.S. Airlines, Policymakers

In two very different ways on Tuesday, Washington will seek to solve a climate-change and sovereign-law conundrum created by its usual European allies across the Atlantic. Read More »

Is Momentum Building to Act on Climate Change?

Is optimism building that the United States--and the rest of the world--can address global warming? Read More »

What's the Way Forward on Biofuels Policy?

What factors--such as economic, national security, and environmental--should Washington consider as it mulls how to reform biofuels policy? Read More »
POWER PLAY

New England State of Mind

The small, energy-scarce states in New England breed environmentally-friendly Republicans like no other region in the country. Read More »

Is Global Warming Causing Wild Weather?

Does climate change cause extreme weather like the heat waves much of the country has been enduring for the past few weeks? Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

Science, Politics Collide Over Extreme Weather, Climate Change

The relentless heat wave hitting much of the country, the violent thunderstorms that heat wave in part caused on Friday, and the droughts and raging wildfires in Colorado and elsewhere have thrust to the forefront a cyclical debate ...

Read More »

Iran, Oil, and the Politics of Sanctions

The administration recently exempted certain countries from sanctions because they significantly reduced the volume of crude-oil imports from Iran. Do you see the exemptions as a demonstration of the sanctions' effectiveness? Or do ...

Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

Sierra Club Hires EPA Official Felled by 'Crucify' Comments

The Environmental Protection Agency official who recently resigned for saying the government should “crucify” bad actors in the energy industry will go to work for the Sierra Clubl. Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

Court Upholds EPA Climate-Change Rules

A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld the Environmental Protection Agency's regulations to reduce greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change, throwing out legal challenges by states and industry groups that argued the...

Read More »

Tax Reform: What's at Stake for Energy?

As Washington mulls reforming the corporate tax code, what's at stake for energy policy? Read More »
CONGRESS

Poll Finds Public Backs EPA, Not GOP, on Mercury

A majority of Americans don’t support a Republican-backed measure the Senate is expected to vote on Wednesday that would nix a landmark environmental rule controlling air pollution from power plants. But they don’t support the r...

Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

Romney Opposes EPA Mercury Rule

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney opposes a landmark environmental regulation controlling mercury and other toxic air pollution from power plants, according to a campaign statement to National Journal Daily Tuesday. Read More »

EPA'S Clean-Air Rules: Defend, Delay or Abolish?

Should regulations controlling air pollution be upheld or curtailed in some way? Read More »

Confronting America's Nuclear-Waste Dilemma

How can the United States get a handle on its nuclear waste, and what does that challenge mean for the future of nuclear power? Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

EPA Official Felled by ‘Crucify’ Comment Skips House Hearing, Visits Sierra Club

It’s not clear why Al Armendariz,who recently resigned from a top post at the Environmental Protection Agency after saying the government should “crucify” bad actors in the energy industry, abruptly canceled plans to testify b...

Read More »

Sizing Up Obama's 'All of the Above' Energy Plan

Do President Obama's energy policies promote all types of energy sources or just certain kinds? Read More »
Q&A

Nick Akins: Ol’ King Coal

The new CEO of coal utility American Electric Power blasts the Obama administration’s regulatory policies. Read More »
CAMPAIGN 2012

Campaign Energy Messages Differ; Policies Not So Much

As Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney tries to differentiate his energy policies from those of President Obama, the message that keeps coming through is that there isn't much difference. Read More »

What is the Upshot of Low(er) Gas Prices?

What are the policy and political implications of declining gasoline prices? Read More »
ENERGY

Obama's Choice to Lead Nuclear Agency Delights Senate Democratic Leader

In a bow to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., the White House said on Thursday that President Obama plans to nominate Allison Macfarlane, an associate professor of environmental science and policy at George Mason Univ...

Read More »
CONGRESS

Public Wary of Sequestration, Not Clean Energy

A large majority of Americans support a pair of congressional efforts to create an economy based on cleaner-energy sources, according to the latest United Technologies/ National Journal Congressional Connection Poll. Read More »

Powering Our Military: What's the Role of Clean Energy?

This week's question brought to you by Amy Harder of the Energy Experts Blog. Check out their responses. Read More »

Powering Our Military: What's the Role of Clean Energy?

How does clean energy fit into the military's mission? And what role should the military play in fulfilling President Obama's goal of creating an economy based on cleaner-energy sources? Read More »

Boom and Bust: Renewable Energy's Future?

Could the recent boom in U.S. renewable energy go bust? Read More »
POWER PLAY

Playing Nice?

Don’t let the political food fights over the Keystone XL pipeline and tax breaks for big oil fool you: The White House and the oil and natural-gas industry are getting along better than they have at any time under President Obama...

Read More »

The Nexus Between Biofuels, Energy, and Agriculture

What role should biofuels fill in U.S. energy policy? And how would that role impact agricultural demands? Read More »
ENERGY

War Over Natural Gas About to Escalate

The Sierra Club is leading an effort to reduce production of natural gas, a fossil fuel once embraced by leading environmental groups as a cleaner alternative to coal and a transition fuel to renewable energy. Read More »
ENERGY

Markey Unconvinced by Brookings' Findings on Natural-Gas Exports

A senior House Democrat welcomed a major Brookings Institution report on natural-gas exports released on Wednesday, but said the findings underestimate the detrimental impact an export trend could have on America’s economy. Read More »
ENERGY

Natural-Gas Boom Has Regulators Scrambling

The Obama administration is moving forward on multiple fronts to regulate what has been described as America’s newfound energy panacea: natural gas.   Read More »
ENERGY

When Energy Isn’t Popular—Anywhere

What do the words "banana," "cave," and "nope" have in common? To industry wonks, they are all acronyms explaining the opposition energy projects of all stripes face. The most familiar term for that is NIMBY, or “not in my backyard.” Read More »

Regulating Natural Gas: What's the Right Balance?

What is the right balance of federal and state regulation for natural-gas production? Read More »
POWER PLAY

The Frack Show

Watch out, Washington. The next Gasland is directed at you. Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

U.S. Climate Emissions Back on the Upswing

As the economy heats up so does the planet, the Environmental Protection Agency suggested in a report released on Monday.   Read More »

What's Really Causing Coal's Decline?

Are EPA's clean-air rules putting an end to the coal industry? Read More »
ENERGY

Oil, Gas Lobbyists Offer Cautious Praise To Salazar’s Permitting News

The nation’s biggest oil and natural gas groups offered cautious cheers in reaction to Secretary Ken Salazar announcing Tuesday that his department will implement new tracking systems that are designed to cut by two-thirds the tim...

Read More »

What Will Be Upshots of EPA's Climate Rules?

What effect will President Obama's climate-change rules have on the nation's economy, energy mix, and environment? Read More »
ENERGY

Obama Caught in a Quandary Between Economic Growth and High Gasoline Prices

President Obama came remarkably close to saying high gasoline prices can be a good thing during remarks in the White House Rose Garden on Thursday morning, just before the Senate was to vote on a bill to repeal tax subsidies for ...

Read More »
ENERGY

Despite Obama’s Call, Senate Blocks Oil-Subsidies Bill

Capping off a week filled with politicking over high gasoline prices and energy policy, the Senate on Thursday blocked a Democratic measure that would have repealed tax breaks for major oil companies.   Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

EPA Proposes First-Ever Climate Rules

The Environmental Protection Agency proposed limits on greenhouse-gas emissions from new power plants on Tuesday, taking the first major regulatory action to address climate change as promised by President Obama's administration soo...

Read More »

Obama's Energy Push: More Than Words?

Is President Obama's effort in the last several weeks to tout his administration's commitment to energy production and to streamline energy infrastructure all talk--or is it action, too? Read More »
ENERGY

Two Bills Offer Insights Into an Energy Debate

A Senate vote set for Monday to repeal tax breaks for the country’s biggest oil and natural-gas companies will be an exercise in political messaging. Read More »
WHITE HOUSE

Obama Kicks Off 'All of the Above' Tour

President Obama starts a four-state tour on Wednesday to highlight the administration’s “all of the above” strategy for meeting the nation’s energy needs. Read More »

Who's to Blame for High Gas Prices?

Who--or what--is to blame for high gasoline prices? And what can be done to lower the prices? Read More »
ENERGY

Gas Exporter Talks ‘Energy Business’ With Chu

A top executive whose company is poised to be the first exporter of natural gas from the U.S. mainland in more than 40 years met with Energy Secretary Steven Chu this week, just as concerns over exporting the resource increase both ...

Read More »
ENERGY

Bingaman: GOP Playing Politics With Wind Tax Credit

A key Senate Democrat charged on Wednesday that the GOP is playing politics with a key wind-energy tax credit. Republicans deny that. Read More »
ENERGY

Chu Backtracks on High Gas Prices

Energy Secretary Steven Chu on Tuesday retracted his now-infamous quote from 2008: “Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe.” Read More »
ENERGY

Utility Eyes Security Exemption for EPA Rule

HOUSTON — Major coal-based utility Dominion is considering asking the Obama administration to invoke a rarely used statutory tool that grants companies more time to comply with clean-air rules if the country’s national security ...

Read More »
ENERGY

Former Governors: Obama Most Politically Vulnerable to High Gas Prices

If gasoline prices reach $5 a gallon as some experts are predicting, President Obama has the most to lose in his bid to keep his job, two former governors said on Friday. Read More »
ENERGY

ExxonMobil CEO: Politics Swamped Keystone

HOUSTON—The top executive of ExxonMobil slammed President Obama’s decision to reject the oil-sands Keystone XL pipeline as “political calculus.” Read More »
ENERGY

Industry Execs Mull Exports of Natural Gas

Natural-gas prices have been the talk of the town at a world energy conference in Houston all week. Read More »
ENERGY

Chemical Exec Warns Against Inaction On Energy Policy

HOUSTON—As Congress slogged through a mishmash of mostly political messaging votes on energy and environmental policies, a top industry executive warned that America’s lack of an energy policy could compel global companies to...

Read More »
ENERGY

Push for Natural Gas Vehicles Opposed By Both Environmentalists, Deficit Hawks

President Obama, top energy executives, and state officials are all touting natural-gas-powered cars and trucks in a series of events this week. But some environmentalists and conservative groups are starting to push back as the Sen...

Read More »
ENERGY

Utility Exec: White House Needs New Adviser

The head of the main lobbying arm for electric utilities is concerned that President Obama is not getting enough advice on energy issues at a time when Congress is doing nothing to address the nation's energy needs.   Read More »
ENERGY

Experts Fear Unknown Impacts of Gas Boom

HOUSTON — Everyone agrees it’s cleaner than coal, but the trend toward making natural gas America’s top energy source is fueling fears that it may not be so great for the problem of global climate change. Read More »
CAMPAIGN 2012

Ohio’s Kasich: Santorum Deserves Credit for Primary Push

Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich did not endorse anyone before his state’s big Super Tuesday primary, but now that it’s over, he’s being generous with his praise for runner-up Rick Santorum. Read More »
ENERGY

Execs Acknowledge Concerns About Gas Boom

Leaders of some of the world’s biggest oil and natural gas companies are issuing a plea to their industry to do a better job managing what they call the “shale gale”—vast resources of shale natural gas recently discovered...

Read More »
ENERGY

World Gas Producers Courting the U.S.

HOUSTON—The secretary general of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, a group of the leading natural gas-producing nations outside the United States—now the world's No. 1 gas producer—says the influential group has asked t...

Read More »
ENERGY

Staffers Bring Partisan Spirit to Texas Conference

HOUSTON — Two top Capitol Hill aides took their partisan bickering outside the Beltway and onto a stage at a major energy conference that kicked off here this week. Read More »
ENERGY

BP Oil Spill Absent From Texas Confab

HOUSTON — In front of a huge crowd of fellow oil and natural-gas executives at a major conference here last year, BP chief executive Robert Dudley apologized for his company’s massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in the sp...

Read More »
ENERGY

New Keystone Permit Request Coming Soon

TransCanada, the company seeking to build the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, is close to submitting a new permit application for the project, a TransCanada executive said on Tuesday. Read More »
ENERGY

Going Against the Green Grain on Natural Gas

HOUSTON—The Environmental Defense Fund is known for its willingness to work with industry on energy and climate-change policies. That inclination is on display more than ever at a major energy conference that kicked off here on Mo...

Read More »
ENERGY

Congressional Staffers at Texas Conference Demonstrate the Washington Partisan Spirit

HOUSTON—Two top Capitol Hill aides took their partisan bickering outside the Beltway and onto a stage at a major energy conference that kicked off here on Monday. Read More »
ENERGY

Oil Prices Set Stage for Energy Conference

It has become a daily routine for lawmakers in Washington to bicker over what they can do to lower skyrocketing gasoline prices. In Texas, where the oil industry is synonymous with the economy, people know better. Read More »

Sizing Up Bingaman's Clean-Energy Standard

What are the broader implications of new legislation that creates a national clean-energy standard? Read More »
ENERGY

Obama Walks Tightrope on Oil Reserve

When President Obama tapped the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve on June 24 of last year, the national average price of a gallon of gasoline was $3.60. Read More »
ENERGY

Clean-Energy Bill a Conversation-Starter

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman  Jeff Bingaman , D-N.M., is introducing a bill on Thursday morning to set a national clean-energy standard.   Read More »
ENERGY

Gas-Price War Escalates on Capitol Hill

Democrats blamed Wall Street speculators while Republicans continued to point fingers at President Obama on Wednesday as the political battle over high gasoline prices intensified on Capitol Hill. Read More »
ENERGY

Gas-Price Battle Heats Up on Capitol Hill

An escalating political war over gasoline prices boiled over on a rainy Wednesday in Washington as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle—and all over the Capitol—jumped on the issue to hone their election-year messaging. Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

EPA Defends Clean-Gasoline Rule Amid GOP Scrutiny

Responding to a December inquiry by House members, the chief of air programs at the Environmental Protection Agency said a forthcoming rule mandating cleaner gasoline will add just a penny to the price at the pump. Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

As Legal Fight Looms, EPA Shields Small Carbon Emitters

The Obama administration on Monday reaffirmed its plans to control climate-change emissions from only large power plants and oil refineries and not from small polluters such as restaurants and farms.   Read More »

What's at Stake in Climate Debate?

What's at stake for climate change in the legal fight over the Obama administration's power to regulate carbon emissions? Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

Climate-Change Fight is Back in Hill Spotlight

A pair of disparate but inherently linked events involving climate change will thrust the politically volatile and usually back-burner issue to the forefront this week. Read More »
ENERGY

Gas Exporter Dismisses Democrats' Concerns

A top executive whose company is poised to be the first exporter of natural gas from the U.S. mainland in more than 40 years is dismissing congressional Democrats’ concerns that the move could trigger a spike in energy prices. Read More »
ENERGY

Cuban Offshore Drilling an Unsettling Backdrop for Obama Visit to Florida

While President Obama is not likely to bring up the controversial subject of deepwater oil drilling off the coast of Cuba when he speaks about energy in Miami on Thursday, energy experts and some U.S. lawmakers say the United Sta...

Read More »
ENERGY

Obama Tax-Reform Plan Calls Out Oil Industry

President Obama is asking the powerful oil and gas industry to put its money where its mouth is — literally.   Read More »
ENERGY

Chu Confident on Loan Guarantee Projects

Energy Secretary Steven Chu said on Thursday that he would be “very surprised” if his department’s loan-guarantee program lost as much as $3 billion when propping up nascent clean-energy technologies. Read More »
POWER PLAY

Keystone Quandary

Environmentalists and their advocates in Congress are walking a fine line by pushing a measure that would ban exports of oil shipped through the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. Read More »
ENERGY

Budget Request Previews Campaign Theme

If there was any doubt what President Obama’s energy message will be on the campaign trail, his 2013 budget proposal released on Monday helps bring it into focus. Read More »
BUDGET

EPA: Agency Faces Third Straight Year of Cuts

President Obama’s environmental agenda, under political attack and on the back burner in a sluggish economy, will face budget cuts for the third straight year. Read More »

Is America Poised For A Nuclear Renaissance?

Is the regulatory approval of two new reactors a sign the nuclear power industry is poised for its renaissance after more than 30 years of stagnation? Read More »
ENERGY

Mixed Support for Oil-Export Bans in GOP

A top House Republican wants to nix language in GOP-authored legislation poised to hit the floor next week that would ban exports of oil extracted from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge if the long-protected sanctuary was opened ...

Read More »
ENERGY

Proposed Keystone Export Ban Fraught With Pitfalls

Congress would be stepping into a legal and logistical minefield—and risk running afoul of the World Trade Organization—if it banned exports of oil shipped into the United States through the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, accord...

Read More »

What's Driving Energy Production?

What's driving investments and development of America's energy sources ranging from fossil fuels to renewables? Read More »
ENERGY

Pre-Keystone, Obama Backed Sands Pipeline

Despite environmental opposition, the Obama administration has approved a controversial oil-sands pipeline. Read More »
ENERGY

QUICK TAKE: Capitol Police Confirm Filmmaker's Arrest at Fracking Hearing

A filmmaker whose documentary on natural gas was nominated for an Oscar was arrested on Wednesday morning after he tried to film a House Science Committee hearing on hydraulic fracturing, a controversial way to extract the energy...

Read More »
CONGRESS

Drilling Bills Advance as Boehner Pushes Transportation Bill

Speaker John Boehner  told a closed-door meeting of House Republicans on Wednesday that “doing nothing is not an option” when it comes to repairing the nation’s infrastructure and reauthorizing transportation programs. Read More »
TRANSPORTATION

Drilling Push Could Sink House GOP’s Highway Bill

Energy issues largely unrelated to transportation are threatening to turn what has traditionally been bipartisan collaboration on infrastructure legislation into a partisan quagmire. Read More »
TRANSPORTATION

Rough Road Ahead for House GOP Transportation Plan

A $260 billion proposal to fund transportation projects being introduced by House Republicans on Tuesday is headed for a very bumpy road in Congress as a result of plans to provide some of the revenues from expanded oil and gas d...

Read More »

Obama's State of the Union: What Does It Mean for the Energy Agenda?

What's ahead for energy and environment issues in the wake of President Obama's State of the Union address last week? Read More »
ANALYSIS

ENERGY: Obama Pushes Forward on Clean Energy Without Congress

With Congress gridlocked and clean-energy policy stifled by solar-panel maker Solyndra's default on a federal loan, President Obama said on Tuesday evening in his State of the Union address that he is pressing forward with majo...

Read More »
WHITE HOUSE

Resurgent Auto Industry Ripe for Obama’s Speech

In his third State of the Union speech on Tuesday night, President Obama is expected to highlight his administration’s success and continued commitment to the clean-energy sector. Read More »

Sizing Up Obama's Keystone Pipeline Denial

Was President Obama right or wrong to reject the Keystone XL pipeline? Read More »
OUTLOOK

The Insider’s Guide to the New Session

Little is trendier in Washington than talking about how broken Congress is. This won’t be the year Congress does anything to change that. Read More »
CULTURE

Keystone — XL or Light?

When political junkies think of the word Keystone, the controversial oil pipeline that President Obama rejected this week probably comes to mind. When beer drinkers think of the word Keystone, they think of the moderately priced ...

Read More »
ENERGY

QUICK TAKE: White House Says Keystone Would Not Add Many Long-Term Jobs

The Keystone XL pipeline would not have a big impact on America’s long-term employment, the Obama administration said in a report submitted to Congress on Wednesday evening after the president announced he was rejecting a per...

Read More »
ENERGY

Obama Rejecting Pipeline, Pokes Back At GOP

In a decision sure to re-ignite a fierce energy debate, the Obama administration was announcing on Wednesday its rejection of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline because the 60-day deadline imposed by Republicans did not allow ...

Read More »
ENERGY

Denial of Keystone Pipeline Permit Expected Today

The State Department is expected to deny a permit for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline on Wednesday afternoon, sources told National Journal . The announcement is expected at 3 p.m. by Deputy Secretary of State William Bur...

Read More »

What's Ahead for Natural Gas?

What are the challenges and opportunities ahead for natural gas? Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

EPA Sets Stage for 2012 Climate Clashes

The Obama administration is laying the foundation — quite literally— for the battles it faces this year on climate change.   Read More »

One Year Later, Giffords Returns To Tucson

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., returned to her hometown Tucson this weekend, a year after she was shot through the head there during a deadly shooting spree that wounded 13 people and killed six. Read More »

Panetta: U.S. Military Ready For Iran’s Threats

Making his Sunday show debut as secretary of defense, Leon Panetta said on CBS’  Face the Nation  that the U.S. military is ready and able to stop Iran if it develops nuclear weapons or blocks the Strait of Hormuz, the w...

Read More »

At New Hampshire Debate, Romney Defends Controversial EPA Rule

Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney cautiously defended a controversial Obama administration clean-air rule during a GOP presidential debate Sunday in New Hampshire. Read More »

Kerry Knocks Romney’s ‘Reckless’ Foreign Policy - Report

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry , D-Mass., blasts GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney’s record on foreign policy in an op-ed in the conservative New Hampshire Union Leader on Sunday, just days before the state’s primary ...

Read More »

What's in Store for 2012?

What energy and environment issues should President Obama and Congress focus on this year? Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

EPA Unveils Long-Awaited Mercury Rule

Appearing at Washington's Children’s Hospital with public health leaders at her side, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson on Wednesday unveiled the nation’s first-ever national standards for mercury and ot...

Read More »

Sizing Up EPA's Mercury Rules

What are the economic, health and political significance of President Obama's mercury standards for power plants? Read More »
ENERGY

Embattled Nuclear Agency Chairman Verbally Abused Female Employees, Colleague Says

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko verbally abused senior-level female employees at the agency, according to testimony of a fellow commissioner at the NRC. Read More »

Spending Showdown: What's At Stake?

What's at stake for EPA, clean-energy initiatives, and other energy issues like the Keystone XL pipeline during this week's spending debate? Read More »
Q&A

Drilling Down

Michael Bromwich came to Interior on a mission of reform after Deepwater Horizon. Now he’s leaving.  Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

House Approves 'Farm Dust' Bill

The House easily passed legislation on Thursday that would ban the Environmental Protection Agency from imposing stricter rules on so-called “farm dust.” Read More »
ENERGY

Navy Seeks Boost From Biofuels

The Obama administration announced on Monday the government’s largest purchase of biofuels ever. Read More »

Durban Climate Talks: What's Next?

What should negotiators seek to accomplish during this year's international climate talks? Read More »
POWER PLAY

Deconstructing Solyndra

To understand the importance of the Solyndra saga, it’s important to understand what’s not important. Here’s a breakdown of what doesn’t matter—and what does. Read More »

Is Clean Energy Headed for Crisis?

As Washington seeks to slash the federal deficit and Solyndra continues to dominate the headlines, is America's clean-energy industry facing a crisis moment? Read More »
Q&A

Exelon Chief Defends EPA

The outgoing CEO speaks up for the agency and talks politics in the world of energy.  Read More »
ENERGY

Chu: Politics Had No Influence on Solyndra

Energy Secretary Steven Chu insisted at a House hearing on Thursday that politics did not influence Energy Department actions on a $535 million loan guarantee to the solar-energy company Solyndra, which defaulted on the federal loan...

Read More »
ENERGY

QUICK TAKE: E-mails Suggest DOE Put Politics Above Economics With Solyndra

In another e-mail released by House Republicans on Wednesday, the Energy Department was described as putting politics above economics in considering the now-bankrupt Solyndra and its $535 million loan guarantee. Read More »
ENERGY

E-Mails Suggest Solyndra Pushed Layoff Notices Past Elections

A memo released by House Republicans on Tuesday charges that the Obama administration urged the now-bankrupt solar-energy firm Solyndra and its top investor to hold off announcing planned layoffs in 2010 until after the Nov. 2 elections. Read More »
ENERGY

Chu: Will He Stay or Will He Go?

Energy Secretary Steven Chu, on the hot seat over the Solyndra controversy, may be mulling exit strategies. Read More »

Sizing Up Obama's Keystone Pipeline Delay

Was President Obama right or wrong to delay the Keystone XL oil pipeline? Read More »
ENERGY

White House Releases More Solyndra Docs

It was not a federal holiday on Friday for President Obama’s lawyers dealing with the Solyndra saga. Read More »
ENERGY

Administration's Rerouting Plan Could Kill Keystone Pipeline

The State Department is ordering a new route for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, delaying the administration’s decision until after the 2012 presidential election. Read More »
POWER PLAY

Green Backers Seeing Red

Deep-pocketed and politically influential clean-energy and environmental donors who helped elect Barack Obama in 2008 didn’t get what they wanted most out of the White House: a price on carbon pollution. Read More »
WHITE HOUSE

E-mails Show Obama Fundraiser Involved in Solyndra

Newly released e-mails show that George Kaiser, the Oklahoma billionaire and Obama fundraiser, was much more involved in the administration’s support for Solyndra than the White House and Kaiser have indicated. Read More »
ENERGY

IG to Probe State’s Handling of Keystone XL Pipeline

A federal watchdog will review the Obama administration’s handling of a controversial proposed pipeline that would transport 700,000 barrels a day from Canada's oil sands to Gulf Coast refineries. Read More »

What's the Sum Effect of EPA Rules?

When considered collectively, what effect will the Obama administration's clean-air rules have on the economy, public health, and the environment? Read More »
ENERGY

House Republicans Vote to Subpoena White House Over Solyndra

Without any Democratic support, House Republicans on Thursday voted to subpoena the Obama administration for all West Wing communications related to the federally backed, now-bankrupt solar-energy company dating back to President Ob...

Read More »
ENERGY

Energy Stimulus Money Mired in Investigations, Bad Management—IG

More than 100 investigations and overall bad management of almost $40 billion have mired the federal government’s efforts to jump-start the clean-energy economy, a top government watchdog testified to Congress on Wednesday. Read More »
EXPERT BLOG

What's At Stake in the Deficit Debate?

What energy and environment policies are at stake in the deficit debates now dominating Washington? Read More »
ENERGY

White House Orders Independent Review of Energy-Loan Program

White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley said on Friday that the administration is ordering an independent analysis of the Energy Department program that gave a $535 million loan guarantee to Solyndra, the bankrupt solar-energy comp...

Read More »
ENERGY

Is America Losing the Clean Energy Race?

Is the United States losing to countries like China in the global race to develop clean-energy technologies? Read More »
ENERGY

House Democrats Focus on Solyndra Legal Memo

House Democrats Friday urged Republicans leading the congressional probe into Solyndra to release an Energy Department memo that they say shows the administration’s legal rationale for restructuring the $535 million federal loan...

Read More »
ENERGY

Obama Himself Could Render Keystone XL Pipeline Decision

The fate of a controversial oil sands pipeline could fall directly at President Obama’s doorstep. Read More »

What Factors Should Drive Keystone Pipeline Decision?

What environmental, economic, and political factors should the Obama administration consider as it decides whether to approve a controversial pipeline project that would transport Canadian crude oil to the United States? Read More »
ENERGY

House GOP: Did DOE Break the Law on Solyndra?

House Republicans released new e-mails on Friday evening that they claim show the Treasury Department believed the Energy Department was violating the law when it restructured a $535 million loan guarantee to Solyndra, the defunct s...

Read More »
ENERGY

Energy Dept. Official in Charge of Solyndra Loan Program Leaving

The chief of President Obama’s beleaguered clean-energy loan-guarantee program is stepping down amid a federal probe surrounding the administration’s $535-million loan guarantee to Solyndra, the bankrupt solar manufacturer. Read More »
ENERGY

Solyndra Was Banking on Energy Bill, E-Mails Show

Solyndra could still be in business had Congress passed a comprehensive energy bill last year, recently released e-mails indicate. Read More »
ENERGY

Democrats Press Clinton on Oil Sands Pipeline

House Democrats are urging Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to oppose the controversial Keystone XL oil sands pipeline in light of recently uncovered e-mails that show what they say is an overly friendly relationship between a Sta...

Read More »
ENERGY

E-Mails Show Obama Was Warned; Bitter OMB, DOE Divide Over Solyndra

New e-mails released Monday show the White House was warned about Solyndra's potential problems even before President Obama visited the company's Fremont, Calif., headquarters and used it as a backdrop for his push for renewable ene...

Read More »

Should Obama Open Arctic Waters to Drilling?

Should the Obama administration green light drilling in the Arctic Ocean off Alaska's coast? Read More »
ENERGY

Dems, Too, Have Raided Clean-Energy Programs

Senate Democrats oppose a House Republican plan to take money from clean-energy loan guarantee programs to pay for disaster relief as part of a short-term spending bill. But on two occasions, Democrats thems...

Read More »

What Role Should Government Play in Energy Production?

How should the Obama administration and Congress promote different sources of energy ranging from renewables to fossil fuels? Read More »
ENERGY

Solyndra Executives Refuse to Testify Before House Panel

The beleaguered top executives of failed solar firm Solyndra refused to answer any questions on Friday at what had been a highly anticipated House hearing to probe the company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, an FBI investigation, ...

Read More »
ENERGY

Solyndra Hearing Set, Minus Key Witnesses

With embattled Solyndra executives refusing to answer questions at a congressional hearing on Friday, House Republicans are turning their investigation back to the Obama administration. Read More »
BUDGET

Solyndra Language Paved Way for CR Passage in House

House Republicans have found the path to passage for a short-term bill to fund the federal government: Add language intended to embarrass the Obama administration. Read More »
ENERGY

Chamber to Congress: Keep Money for Energy-Efficient Cars

House Democrats fighting to save $1.5 billion worth of federal funding for energy-efficient cars have found a powerful business ally: the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Read More »
ANALYSIS

Administration, GOP Each Seek Upper Hand In Solyndra Saga

House Republicans and the Obama administration are strategically leaking documents to reporters in an attempt to gain the upper hand in what is becoming a political story that could play in the 2012 elections: President Obama’s gr...

Read More »
POWER PLAY

Despite Solyndra, Government Could Still Reap Dividends From Green Investments

If the Obama administration made the right bets on renewable-energy projects it backed with loan guarantees, the government would get back tens of billions of dollars it invested in a nascent industry and lose just $2.4 billion over...

Read More »
ENERGY

Embattled Solyndra Executives Refuse to Testify

The top executives of Solyndra, the bankrupt federally backed solar firm facing a FBI investigation, are invoking their Fifth Amendment rights and will not answer questions at a highly anticipated House hearing on their company’s ...

Read More »

Solyndra: Bad Bet or Tip of the Iceberg?

What do Solyndra's failures mean for renewable energy writ large? Read More »
ENERGY

Government Races to Close Billions in Renewable Energy Loan Guarantees

The Obama administration is in a race against the clock to close by month’s end more than a dozen renewable-energy loan guarantees totaling $9 billion. Of that, just over $3 billion would come directly from the federal government...

Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

EPA to Delay Climate-Change Rules

The Obama administration will delay its politically explosive climate-change rules for the second time. Read More »
ENERGY

Solyndra: ‘Bad Bet or the Tip of the Iceberg?’

As Washington policymakers point fingers over the failure of a single federally backed solar company, the entire renewable-energy industry could end up being the big loser. Read More »
ENERGY

GOP Probes Solar Company's Failings

Two top administration officials at a congressional hearing on Wednesday failed to shed much light on why a federally backed solar-energy company that President Obama once portrayed as a poster child for the nascent industry is spir...

Read More »
ENERGY

Shell’s Odum Calls to Ramp up Oil Federal Regulators

Shell Oil President Marvin Odum says the federal government’s oil and gas regulators are understaffed, singing a similar tune as another Big Oil executive last week. Read More »
ENERGY

Drilling Regulator Blasts Oil Industry, Asks for Funds

Michael Bromwich, the nation’s top oil and gas drilling regulator, criticized the industry on Tuesday over repeated claims that the federal government is “slow-walking” on getting companies back to work in the Gulf of Mexico f...

Read More »
ENERGY

Reigniting Subsidy Debate, Obama Takes on Oil, Gas

President Obama on Monday asked Congress to end subsidies for all oil and gas companies, which could save the government more than $4 billion a year, to help pay for his jobs bill. It’s a shift from recent Democratic efforts to en...

Read More »

Where Does Energy Fit Into Obama's Jobs Plan?

Can energy and environmental initiatives fit into President Obama's jobs plan? Read More »
ENERGY

Yucca Shutdown Clears Regulatory Hurdle

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission in a divided vote on Friday allowed the Obama administration to forge ahead in closing the Yucca Mountain nuclear-waste dump in Nevada. Read More »
ENERGY

FBI Raids Bankrupt Solar Company Solyndra

FBI agents on Thursday raided the now-bankrupt California solar company Solyndra as part of a joint investigation with the Energy Department. Neither agency would comment on the nature of the probe, but House Republicans have reques...

Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

Gore Calls Out Obama on EPA-Ozone Reversal

Former Vice President Al Gore is blasting President Obama for his refusal to strengthen environmental regulations governing ground-level ozone. Read More »
POWER PLAY

Navigating EPA’s Regulatory Maze

Industry and business lobbyists call the Environmental Protection Agency’s looming clean-air rules a “train wreck.” Health and environmental experts say that tighter regulations are long overdue, and they blame delays during t...

Read More »

Sizing Up Obama's Ozone Standard Delay

Was President Obama right or wrong to withdraw the Environmental Protection Agency's smog standard? Read More »
WHITE HOUSE

Obama Delays New Smog Standard

Bowing to Republican and industry pressure, and contradicting his top environmental adviser, President Obama announced on Friday he was delaying for two years his administration’s tougher standard on smog. Read More »
POLITICS

Perry's Ethanol Record Could Haunt Him in Iowa

Republican Gov. Rick Perry of Texas led an unprecedented attack on the ethanol industry in 2008 that could stymie his fledging presidential campaign in the politically critical, corn-rich state of Iowa. Read More »
ANALYSIS

Obama Claims Connection Between Fuel Standards, Jobs, But Reality is Complicated

President Obama says his new fuel economy standards will create jobs. Not so fast. Read More »
ANALYSIS

Mandate Emerges as Corn's New Sacred Cow

You wouldn’t know it from the political cloud over ethanol, but the federal government will keep propping up the industry even if Washington eliminates its three-decade-old tax subsidies. Read More »
WHITE HOUSE

Obama's Manufacturing Adviser and Former Car Czar Leaving White House

Ron Bloom, President Obama’s car czar-turned-manufacturing czar, will be leaving at the end of August, the White House announced on Tuesday. Bloom has been a central part of the president’s team, first helping to lead the restru...

Read More »
ECONOMY

Partisan Divide Remains Amid S&P Downgrade

Partisan sniping was alive and well just two days after the United States’ long-term debt was downgraded largely because of Washington’s gridlock. Read More »
ENERGY

U.S. Oil Giants Poised to Gain on Keystone Pipeline

Three major American oil companies are poised to gain big if the Obama administration green-lights a controversial pipeline that would send 700,000 barrels of oil a day from the oil sands of Alberta, Canada, to refineries in Texas. Read More »
ENERGY

Obama to Announce New Fuel Standards

In what will represent the administration’s biggest move on energy policy this year, President Obama on Friday will announce that his administration has struck a deal with the nation’s biggest automakers to ramp up vehicle fuel-...

Read More »
POWER PLAY

Five Aftereffects of Climate Bill's Failure

One year ago this Friday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., abandoned an effort to pass comprehensive climate-change legislation in Congress. Read More »
ENERGY

Whither Coal-Fired Power?

What are the future prospects for coal-powered electricity? Read More »
INSIDERS POLL

Insiders: Debt-Ceiling Deal Imperils All Energy Subsidies

When President Obama and congressional leaders finally get around to striking a deal to raise the debt ceiling, it will likely include measures repealing at least some ethanol subsidies and oil and gas tax breaks, according to a maj...

Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

Inhofe Vows Hold on Bryson Nomination

With conservative advocates at his side, Senate Environment and Public Works Ranking Member James Inhofe , R-Okla., announced Tuesday he was putting a hold on President Obama’s nominee for Commerce secretary, John Bryson. Read More »
ENERGY

Senators Strike Ethanol Subsidy Deal

The ethanol industry might be hanging by a thread after a bipartisan trio of senators reached a deal on Thursday reforming federal support of biofuels. Read More »

Extreme Weather and Climate Change: What's the Link?

Does global warming increase the risk of extreme weather? Read More »

Tapping Oil Reserves: What Precedent is Obama Setting?

Was President Obama right or wrong in his decision to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve? Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

EPA Climate Rules: An Inconvenient Truth For Gore

In a 7,000-word essay published in the most recent issue of Rolling Stone magazine with the headline “Climate of Denial,” former Vice President Al Gore blasts President Obama for not using his “bully pulpit to make the cas...

Read More »

What Are the Next Steps in Subsidized Energy?

After the Senate's rebuke of ethanol subsidies last week, sacred energy cows appear to be no more. Read More »
ENERGY

Senate Votes To Stop Ethanol Tax Credits

The Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly voted, 73-27, to repeal $5.4 billion worth of ethanol subsidies. Read More »
ENERGY

Power Company Contradicts Itself on EPA Rules

American Electric Power, one of the nation’s biggest coal utilities, downplayed the impact of EPA regulations to its investors while forecasting a doom-and-gloom outcome for Washington policymakers. Read More »
ENERGY

Failed Vote Won't Stop Ethanol Opponents

Senators leading the charge to repeal $5.4 billion in ethanol subsidies sound cautiously confident they will prevail in next week’s dueling votes. But it won’t be an easy climb to 60 votes: The powerful ethanol industry can poin...

Read More »

Should Obama Revive Yucca Mountain?

Should President Obama restart the nuclear waste repository site at Yucca Mountain in Nevada? Read More »
ENERGY

IG Report Criticizes NRC Chairman Over Yucca Mountain Decision Process

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair Gregory Jaczko made unilateral decisions to shut down Yucca Mountain and didn’t fully inform the other commissioners about his actions, according to a critical report from the commission’s ins...

Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

EPA Discloses 'Confidential' Chemicals

The Environmental Protection Agency announced on Wednesday it was releasing the names of more than 150 chemicals, used in products like air fresheners and stain-resistant materials, that industry had said were confidential ingredien...

Read More »

Should EPA Delay Its Air-Pollution Rules?

In light of the Obama administration's ongoing review of federal regulations, should the Environmental Protection Agency delay the various clean-air regulations that it's rolling out now? Read More »
ENERGY

Government Blocks Oil-Sands Pipeline

The Transportation Department announced late on Friday afternoon its decision to block a Canadian oil company from restarting a controversial oil-sands pipeline that began operating this time last year. Read More »
Q&A

Pompeo: Pruning the Tax Code

Rep. Mike Pompeo tackles energy. Read More »

What Should Drive Fuel Efficiency?

What incentives, regulations, or other government actions should be used to promote more fuel-efficient cars? And what factors should convince Americans to buy those cars? Read More »

Should Obama Back Oil Pipeline?

Should President Obama green-light a controversial pipeline that would send a half-million barrels of Canadian oil to the United States? Read More »
ENERGY

Nuclear Industry Faces Regulatory Setback

The nuclear industry was dealt a major blow Friday when  its top federal regulatory agency announced it was delaying the approval of the most-popular reactor design pending before the agency. Read More »
ENERGY

Big Oil Takes Some Heat on the Hill

Senate Democrats used a Thursday hearing to pit Big Oil against American consumers, the deficit, and even patriotism itself. And Republicans used it to paint Democrats as out of touch on energy policy and American competitiveness. Read More »

What Sways Global Oil Prices?

And what can Washington's policymakers and President Obama do about them? Read More »
ENERGY

Al-Qaida Retaliation Would Drive Spike in Oil Prices

Global oil prices could rise and become even more volatile in the wake of  Osama bin Laden’s death if al-Qaida-linked groups in Yemen and other areas of the Middle East aggressively seek to avenge him. Read More »

Should Washington Stop Subsidizing Energy?

Should the federal government stop doling out dollars to energy sources ranging from renewables to fossil fuels? Read More »

What Role Should Natural Gas Fill in America's Energy Mix?

Shale natural gas has been emerging as a key piece of America's energy mix, with companies discovering vast new reserves of the energy source all over the country. Natural gas has traditionally been considered the cleanest fossil fu...

Read More »
ENERGY

Doubt Reigns in Natural Gas Debate

The clearest conclusion that has so far emerged from debate over a controversial study finding that natural gas is dirtier than coal is uncertainty itself. Read More »
EARTH DAY SPECIAL REPORT

A Stalled Movement

The 1970s marked the peak of the environmental movement. Now it’s on the defensive. A look at the state of play on the laws passed in the ’70s. Read More »
ENERGY

One Year After the BP Spill: What's Changed and What Hasn't

The federal government and industry have made progress in the year since the BP disaster. But even as things change, they stay the same. Here’s a rundown of the biggest things that have -- and have not -- changed. Read More »
ENERGY

Interior: Cape Wind Approval Sends a Signal

A controversial offshore wind-farm project in Massachusetts’s Nantucket Sound could begin construction as soon as this fall after clearing a major regulatory hurdle on Tuesday. Read More »
EARTH WEEK

Green Jobs Will Trump Climate Change for Young Voters

Young people today say they plan to hold Obama responsible for his energy and environment policies in 2012, but global warming is no longer the dominant issue. Read More »
EARTH WEEK

Zichal Trying to Create a New Environment in Washington

Heather Zichal, President Obama’s top climate and energy adviser, is anything but a newcomer to her role, though her task is different than the one predecessor Carol Browner had. Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

PICTURES: 12 Landmark Environmental Policies Passed Since 1970

Here is a rundown of a dozen pivotal environmental-policy laws enacted since President Nixon established the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970. Read More »
POWER PLAY

Tailor-Made Problem

A range of industry groups, states and companies are playing a tricky game of legal Jenga with President Obama’s climate-change rules. Read More »

Can Obama's Energy Plan Make America Secure?

Will President Obama's retooled energy-security plan help wean the United States off foreign oil? Read More »

What Should Obama do with EPA's Carbon Rules?

Should President Obama defend, delay, or preempt his administration's climate-change rules? Read More »

Is Any Energy Form Safe?

In light of the BP oil spill, Japan's nuclear crisis, and a recent spate of coal-mining accidents, the risks and dangers associated with energy production are more evident than ever. Read More »
ENERGY

Five Reasons Why Japan’s Nuclear Disaster Won’t Change America’s Nuclear Industry

Japan’s disaster has highlighted an American nuclear industry that hadn't been going anywhere before March 11. Now, it still isn’t going anywhere. This new nuclear crisis reinforces that reality, but it doesn't change it.&n...

Read More »
ENERGY

Shell’s Odum Welcomes Oil Exploration Permit, Amenable to ‘Reasonable’ Fees

Shell Oil President Marvin Odum welcomed Monday's news that the Obama administration approved a permit for his company’s exploration plan in the Gulf of Mexico—the first in the country since the BP oil spill almost a y...

Read More »
ENERGY

Obama’s Fuzzy Oil Production Math

He doesn’t want to admit it, but President Obama is taking credit for something George W. Bush did. Read More »
ENERGY

Explaining Japan's Nuclear Crisis

In light of Japan’s nuclear crisis, the entire world is either getting an impromptu nuclear physics lesson or completely confused about what’s going on inside the four rocked reactors at the Fukushima Daicchi plant. More accu...

Read More »
ENERGY

'It Doesn't Scare Me Anymore': Three Mile Island's Neighbors on Nuclear Power

MIDDLETOWN, PA. -- Forty-six year-old Hilde Burgit remembers America’s last nuclear crisis vividly – she was only miles away from the Three Mile Island nuclear plant when it experienced a partial meltdown almost 32 years ago. Read More »
ENERGY

Threats Come With Virtually Every Source

The worst-case scenario seems impossible until it happens. Read More »

What's the Upshot of EPA's Clean Air Rules?

What effect does EPA's series of Clean Air Act rules have on the energy and environment landscape? Read More »
ENERGY

Coal's Role Can't Be Discounted

HOUSTON—It wasn’t until the last full day of a major international energy conference here that coal became a sizable topic of conversation. Read More »
ENERGY

FERC Studying Natural Gas Effect on Grid

HOUSTON – Washington’s top official for the nation’s electricity grid said on Thursday that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is studying the effect an influx of natural gas could have on the grid. Read More »
ENERGY

Ahead of Protests, Experts Say Saudi Turmoil Unlikely

It probably won’t happen. But if Saudi Arabia faced the same turmoil as other Middle Eastern countries, it would be disastrous. And that’s what’s got people attending an international energy conference here talking. Read More »
ENERGY

Reilly Learns About the Power of Oil Lobby

The trade group for the oil and natural gas industry also does equipment certification and carries great weight on the regulatory side. That was news to the co-chair of the presidential commission studying the BP oil spill. Read More »
ENERGY

BP Chief Skirts Oil Liability Issue at CERA Conference

HOUSTON — You can add BP’s top executive as another person who is either unwilling or unable to take a position on the thorny issue of oil spill liability. Read More »
POWER PLAY

Natural Gas Is Surging

HOUSTON — The battle between coal and natural gas might not be over, but the clear winner emerging is natural gas. Read More »

Video: Dems Cooling to Obama's Take on Greenhouse Gas Rules?

The pressure is increasing for the White House to make a move on climate policy as Republicans lean on Democrats to join their efforts to hault government rules on carbon emissions. Read More »

N2K: Cooling to Obama's Take on Greenhouse Gas Rules

The pressure is increasing for the White House to make a move on climate policy as Republicans lean on Democrats to join their efforts to hault government rules on carbon emissions. Read More »
ENERGY

Former OPEC Official to Obama: Tap Oil Reserves

“It will be a wise decision because it supplements the decision of the Saudis to put into the market almost the entire amount of [oil from] Libya,” said Rene Ortiz, who was inspector general of OPEC from 1979 to 1981. Read More »
ENERGY

Industry Leaders Not Expecting Much From D.C.

HOUSTON — As Washington remains gridlocked over energy policy, thousands of executives who make the industry go round are meeting here this week to hash out a way forward with America’s energy plan. Read More »
ENERGY

Amid Turmoil, a Key Voice Urges Calm

As lawmakers on Capitol Hill trade sound bites over high oil prices and Middle East unrest, one influential expert is seeking to allay cause for overreaction. Read More »
NEED-TO-KNOW VIDEO

N2K: Energy Week

Staff writer Amy Harder on the March 7-11 conference of energy players. Read More »
ENERGY

Browner’s Successor Says the Agenda Hasn’t Changed

Carol Browner is leaving the administration and her office is losing its independence within the White House. Still, the beat goes on—albeit to a different tune. Read More »
ENERGY

BP Owns Almost Half of Approved Deep-Water Well

BP owns nearly half of the deep-water well that the Interior Department approved on Monday, National Journal has learned. Read More »
ENERGY

Obama's Budget Holds Billions for Clean Energy

President Obama will on Monday propose $8 billion for clean energy investments in his budget plan, and the vast majority of that will go to the Energy Department. Read More »
ENERGY

Energy Budget Holds Major Cuts

President Obama’s proposed 2012 budget for the Energy Department slashes spending for hydrogen and fossil fuel research programs by almost 50 percent and shutters parts of two national labs, according to a fact sheet on DOE’s bu...

Read More »
ENERGY

Ex-Shell CEO Says Big Oil Can Live Without Subsidies

Large oil companies don’t need tax subsidies when oil prices are high, a former CEO of Shell Oil said Thursday. Read More »
Q&A

Can Coal Become a Green-Energy Source?

An interview with Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., cofounder and cochairwoman of the House Coal Caucus. Read More »
ENERGY

Obama Changes His Tune

When it comes to energy policy and President Obama’s rhetoric, what a difference eight months and a “shellacking” on November 2 makes. Read More »
WHITE HOUSE

Obama Takes Energy Message to Penn State

Just over a week after President Obama called for an aggressive clean-energy standard of 80 percent by 2035, he hit the road to tout the lower-hanging fruit of energy efficiency. Read More »
ENERGY

Egyptian Unrest Leaves U.S. Over an Imported Barrel

The turmoil in Egypt highlights the risks that come along with an entrenched global oil market. No country, most notably the United States, is in a position to shield itself from price spikes like the recent ones resulting from Egyp...

Read More »
WHITE HOUSE

Browner's Exit Signals Obama's Move to the Center

The imminent departure of White House senior energy and climate adviser Carol Browner appears to be one of President Obama’s strongest signals to date that he intends to move firmly to the center as he approaches the 2012 elections. Read More »

Browner to Leave White House, Sources Confirm

White House senior energy and climate advisor Carol Browner is leaving her position, an administration official confirmed tonight. Read More »
ENERGY

Oil Spill Panel Releases Recommendations

Presidential commission's report includes prompts to create an industry-run safety institute and raise liability caps. Read More »
ENERGY

Report: BP Spill Could Happen Again Without Reforms

If the federal government and oil industry don’t reform the way drilling for offshore oil and gas is conducted, a spill the size of BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster could occur again, President Obama’s spill commission warned. Read More »
ENERGY

Pickens Says Oil Could Reach $120 Per Barrel

Oil prices could reach as high as $120 a barrel this year, oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens said Tuesday. Read More »

National Journal’s Energy Superlatives 2010

It’s been a long year. A lot happened; a lot didn’t happen. National Journal is here to remind you what was important in 2010 and what will be important in 2011. Check out our Energy Superlatives for 2010... Read More »
ENERGY

Offshore-Drilling Decision Makes Waves

The top executive of the American Petroleum Institute expressed surprise at the Obama administration’s decision today to pull back its expanded offshore-drilling policy and disputed comments made by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar ...

Read More »
ENERGY

Clean Energy Proponents Pin Hopes on Tax Package

After cap-and-trade legislation died this summer and with a renewable electricity standard staring down the same fate, clean energy advocates are now lobbying Congress on a last-ditch hope to keep their industries afloat: tax inc...

Read More »
COVER STORY

The New Power Players

They’re members of Congress, Hill aides, policy wonks, and lobbyists. They’re the same people they were before November 2, but the election makes them more important. Read More »
TAXATION

Voinovich, Carper Float Fuel Tax Hike to Debt Commission

In the face of staunch opposition from Republican leaders, Sens. Carper and Voinovich are proposing a fuel tax increase to address a burgeoning budget deficit and a shrinking highway trust fund. Read More »
HOUSE RACES

House Democrats Lose Old Bulls

Decades of historical memory will disappear with the losses of Budget Chairman John Spratt, Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton, and several others. Read More »

National Journal’s Election Top 10: Energy

What's at stake today? National Journal looks at key races, ballot measure and committees for energy policy subject to change in this election and possible implications after Election Day. Read More »
ENERGY

Truck Standards Stall Hopes For Some Groups

The first-ever fuel economy and carbon emissions standards for trucks, buses, and other big vehicles announced by the Obama administration Monday may leave environmental groups and proponents of alternative fuels wanting more. Read More »
ENERGY

In Spill Aftermath, a Gulf Between Words and Actions

Six months, 185 million gallons of spilled oil and upward of 60 congressional hearings after BP’s well exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, and what does Washington have to show for it? Not much. Read More »
ENERGY

Deep-Water Drilling Moratorium Lifted

The Obama administration announced today it is lifting its six-month deep-water drilling ban more than a month early, but the oil and gas industry is not convinced that will do anything to help get current and new operations online....

Read More »
ENERGY

Science Experts Tackle BP Spill

With the backdrop of BP's plugged oil leak and stalled congressional action on spill legislation, experts with the National Academy of Sciences are meeting today and Friday to hear testimony about what caused the Deepwater Horizon o...

Read More »
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

Reid Punting On Oil Spill Bill

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., announced today he is abandoning efforts to bring up spill legislation before the August recess, pleasing the oil industry but disappointing the liberal members of his caucus. Read More »
ETHICS

Panel Recommends Reprimand For Rangel

The House Ethics subcommittee that investigated allegations against Rep. Charles Rangel , D-N.Y., has recommended that he be reprimanded rather than censured or expelled from Congress. Read More »
ENERGY

Reid To Drop Climate Bill Effort

Senate Majority Leader Reid will abandon efforts to pass a comprehensive climate and energy bill before the August recess, going forward instead with a bill that includes measures to address the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, job-creat...

Read More »
THE FRIDAY BUZZ

Looking For A Challenge?

Do you have experience leading oil spill cleanup efforts? Then the federal government has a job for you. Read More »
ENVIRONMENT

Drilling Opponents Target Projects In Wake Of Gulf Spill

Congressional oil and gas drilling opponents are ratcheting up their efforts against existing and planned projects in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Read More »
THE NEXT ECONOMY

Blue-Collar Millennials See Hope On Horizon

Many blue-collar Millennials remain upbeat about their prospects: It can't get any worse. Read More »
PROMISE AUDIT

Energy And The Environment

Percentage complete: 22* Read More »
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

Shifting Alliances Define Energy Debate

UPDATE (Sept. 2, 9:44 a.m.): Duke Energy left the American Coalition for Clean Coal Energy on Tuesday over differences with "influential member companies who will not support passing climate change legislation in 2009 or 2010," the...

Read More »
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

Obama Vacations In Clean-Energy Battleground

With President Obama vacationing in Martha's Vineyard next week, local activists plan to soak up the national spotlight as the first family soaks up the sun. Read More »
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

Senators Prep For Sotomayor With '10 In Mind

The full political implications of President Obama 's selection of Sonia Sotomayor won't be clear for some time. But if history is any indication, senators' questioning and votes in the forthcoming confirmation hearings could pla...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

Americans Don't Know Much About Sotomayor

Sonia Sotomayor 's Supreme Court confirmation hearings are almost a month away, and it's not just Senate Republicans who say they need more time. Read More »
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

Where Will Obama Turn For The Next Justice?

It didn't take President Obama very long to pick Sonia Sotomayor as his nominee to replace Supreme Court Justice David Souter , but he may face the same difficult choice again soon. With Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and John...

Read More »

Online SCOTUS Rumble Sets Stage For Nomination Fight

It's the calm before the Internet storm. Interest groups, influential bloggers and others are anxiously waiting to see who President Obama will pick as his first Supreme Court nominee after Justice David Souter announced his ret...

Read More »
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

Obama's Early Judicial Picks Reflect Caution

For all the speculation surrounding President Obama 's choice to replace Justice David Souter on the Supreme Court, there's been less attention paid to the judges he's already nominated to lower courts. In his first 100 days, Oba...

Read More »
FIRST 100 DAYS

So Many Promises, So Little Time

As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama made a lot of promises -- more than 250, according to NationalJournal.com's Promise Audit . Now, on the eve of his 100th day in office, how has he done fulfilling those pledges? We evalua...

Read More »
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

Obama's Conversation Starter

Joe Rospars made the new media operation go at Obama For America, though his name remained obscure throughout. "If he wanted to, 13 million people could know the name Joe Rospars," said Sam Graham-Felsen, who ran the campaign's bl...

Read More »
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

Groups Adapt '08 Tactics For Lobbying Efforts

If you're a Blue Dog Democrat and you voted for the stimulus, there's someone using your name on Google to try to turn your constituents against you. Read More »
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

Lobbying Goes Google

Search advertising isn't new, but anecdotal evidence suggests it's becoming more popular as a political tool. Peter Greenberger , head of Google's D.C.-based issue and advocacy team, would not say how many political groups or indiv...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

Can Dems Prolong The Political Honeymoon?

It's a honeymoon, all right. President Obama was greeted warmly and peacefully at his inauguration, his approval rating is among the best of any president elected since World War II, and his Democratic Party is enjoying support ...

Read More »
ISSUES & IDEAS

D.C. Schools As A U.S. Model

D.C.'s public schools chancellor talks about the Democrats' "softness" on reform and whether her education model can be applied elsewhere. Read More »
POLL TRACK

Americans Oppose Detroit Bailout

Democrats and White House negotiators appear to have struck a deal (subscription) on legislation providing $15 billion to bail out the Big Three automakers, pending Republican objections in the Senate. But there's another crucia...

Read More »
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

McCaskill Predicts Centrism Will Guide First 100 Days

At a policy breakfast this morning hosted by Atlantic Media Company Political Director Ronald Brownstein , Sen. Claire McCaskill , D-Mo., along with leaders of three left-leaning interest groups, weighed in on what they think shou...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

GOP Slips Into Post-Election Slump

President Bush , Congress and the Republican Party have at least one thing in common -- Americans' dissatisfaction with them. While Bush and lawmakers have been receiving low approval ratings for quite some time, new data suggests ...

Read More »
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

Online Political Ads Spark Copyright Battle

While the on-air sparring between Barack Obama and John McCain is finally over, another battle may be brewing, propelled by the very same commercials and Web videos the campaigns used to attack each other. Read More »
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

Still A Long Haul To Improve Nation's Infrastructure

It's been a long road leading up to this Election Day, most would agree. But what about the roads after Nov. 4? Not to mention the highways, rail systems and airways. Read More »
POLL TRACK

House GOP Feeling Economic Burn

Economic misery loves company. Read More »
POLL TRACK

Gingrich Slams Paulson's Bailout Plan

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R) denounced the Treasury Department's $700 billion bailout plan for Wall Street on Tuesday and -- citing his organization's latest poll -- said the American people are in agreement with him. Read More »
POLL TRACK

Americans Feeling Safer From Terrorism

As the nation commemorates the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Americans have mixed views on the danger posed by terrorism and on the government's response to such threats. With conditions in Iraq improving an...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

A Close Race Gets Closer

With both party conventions completed and just eight weeks to go until the presidential election, the race between Barack Obama and John McCain seems to have settled into a dead heat. Both candidates have solidified their suppor...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

Energy Consensus: 'All Of The Above'

To address the energy crisis, John McCain has been touting an " all of the above " plan that includes drilling as well as alternative energy. According to a new Quinnipiac University poll of likely voters, most Americans are rec...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

Waning Warming Debate

For all the recent coverage of the pollution surrounding Beijing's Olympic Games, global warming has gotten relatively little attention, whether on the nightly news or on the campaign trail. While the majority of Americans still say...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

Public May Be Open To Trade Talk

The issue of international trade had a brief turn in the presidential spotlight this February, when Barack Obama said he would seek to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. Since the start of the general election ca...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

Afghanistan Trumps Iraq

With Barack Obama in both of America's war zones last week, the media spotlight shifted from the economy back onto Iraq and Afghanistan. Read More »
POLL TRACK

Latinos Lining Up Behind Obama

Both Barack Obama and John McCain are courting the Latino vote through ads , speeches to several key Hispanic organizations and promises to address their needs. But according to a new Pew survey [PDF] of about 2,000 Hispani...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

A Safe Bet?

John McCain is unhappy about the media's supposed love-fest with Barack Obama as he tours the Middle East and Europe this week. But there is a reason all eyes seem to be focused on the presumptive Democratic nominee: Voters ar...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

Plenty Of Fight Left

"Why, in a year when the nation clearly has rejected the GOP as a party, does" John McCain "have a real chance to be elected?" Robert Novak wondered today in his column. It's not an unusual question to hear in Washington these...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

Justices For All?

The American public's dissatisfaction with President Bush and Congress has reached record levels this summer. And a new survey from Quinnipiac University shows that the third branch of government has not escaped the nation's i...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

Double Vision

Barack Obama 's success this election season has hinged in part on his ability to appeal to voters across ethnic backgrounds. But a new survey [PDF] from the New York Times and CBS News demonstrates that race remains a salient ...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

Religion And The Race

As both John McCain and Barack Obama attempt to reach out to religious voters, one new survey finds Americans conflicted about the role of religion in politics. Read More »
POLL TRACK

From Worse To Bad

As John McCain and Barack Obama tour the country promising more jobs, lower gasoline prices and other economic improvements, voters remain disgruntled on the economy. But new polling suggests that negative sentiment may have b...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

Voting Matters

The presidential campaign is getting increasingly personal as character attacks begin to vie with discussion of the top issues. Republican John McCain 's camp has intensified its attacks on Democrat Barack Obama , painting him a...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

The Economies Of Race

As the issue of race continues to factor in the presidential election, new data suggests it also plays an influential -- and divisive -- role in Americans' perceptions of the economy. Read More »
POLL TRACK

Economist In Chief?

A top adviser to Republican presidential contender John McCain suggested recently that a terrorist attack on the U.S. would work to the Arizona senator's advantage in November. But new data in a USA Today /Gallup survey demon...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

Congressional Crash Landing

While Congress is busy addressing (subscription) as many issues as it can before the Independence Day recess, the rest of the country appears to be busy registering its growing discontent with Washington lawmakers. Read More »
POLL TRACK

A Bush Ball And Chain?

With the economy struggling and President Bush 's approval ratings resting below 30 percent in most polls, John McCain faces an uphill battle in his quest to convince voters that the GOP deserves to hold onto the White House. T...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

Obama-Mania Goes Global

The excitement surrounding Barack Obama 's bid for the White House apparently isn't confined to U.S. borders. A new Pew Research international survey [PDF] shows that the American presidential campaign -- and Obama's candidacy in...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

The Gas Price Blues

Retailers breathed a small sigh of relief Thursday, as data showed consumer spending for the month of May was not as low as experts feared. It was a much-needed bit of good news; but consumer attitudes toward the economy remain om...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

And Then There Were Two

Now that the grueling primary battle is over, voters and Washington insiders alike can finally direct their attention to the general election matchup between the two presumptive party nominees: Barack Obama and John McCain. Read More »
POLL TRACK

Is The Fat Lady Warming Up?

Democratic Party leaders are hoping to wrap up the nomination process early next week with a ruling on the seating of Florida's and Michigan's delegates and the final contests of the season. But even as Barack Obama is now almos...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

Can Obama Outrun Race?

Ever since his intention to run for president became clear, Barack Obama has faced questions about the role race would play in voters' decisions. After contests in nearly every state in the country, the Democratic primary process ...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

The Checks Are In The Mail, But...

Federal Reserve officials admitted this week that the country is facing a two-front fight against depressed economic growth and rising inflation. And with gas prices soaring to record highs just as a long holiday weekend approac...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

Same-Sex Marriage Scrutiny

The California Supreme Court's ruling Thursday that overturned a state ban on gay marriage has thrust this culturally and politically charged topic into the national spotlight and into the minds of voters across the country. New p...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

McSame On Iraq?

While the struggling economy has weighed heavily on voters' minds in recent primaries, America is still a nation at war, and Iraq is certain to garner more attention as the general election begins in earnest. Read More »
POLL TRACK

Fueling Discontent

Economists may be starting to temper their pessimism about a possible recession, but most people still see trouble on the horizon. According to the ABC News Consumer Comfort Index [PDF], Americans are as pessimistic about the ec...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

Aiming For The History Books

More Americans than ever -- nearly seven in 10 -- disapprove of President Bush 's job performance, and voters' overall dissatisfaction with the direction the country is going has neared record highs. A new ABC News/ Washington P...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

Bush Backlash

For all of the worry over the length and tone of the Democratic primary race, by many measures this still looks like a year for Democrats to capitalize on significant Republican disadvantages. Although John McCain 's image as a pol...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

Bush-Kerry Part Deux?

Barack Obama began pivoting into general election mode this week, even as Hillary Rodham Clinton continues to argue that she would offer a better matchup with John McCain in November. Recent polling, however, turns up litt...

Read More »
POLL TRACK

Old-Age Angst

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson attempted to inject a dose of optimism into the economic debate on Tuesday, telling the Wall Street Journal , "There's no doubt that things feel better today, by a lot, than they did in March." ...

Read More »
SEE MORE
Follow National Journal
  • NationalJournal on Twitter
  • NationalJournal on Facebook
  • NationalJournal on Tumblr
  • NationalJournal's RSS Feeds
  • NationalJournal's Email Newsletters
  • NationalJournal on iPhone and iPad
Photo of the Day
Latest Magazine
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Latest cover story: "Why You Won’t Own Your Road " -- private-public transportation partnerships may just be a way of forcing drivers to pay more in the long run.

Read this and all of the stories in the latest magazine.

National Journal Email Alerts

Stay ahead of the curve with these alerts.
Learn more.