Three years ago this month, the Inflation Reduction Act passed, marking the largest investment in climate policy in U.S. history. It included over $300 billion to address global warming and was expected to unlock nearly $3 trillion in private investment by 2032.

But then came Donald Trump. 

Over the last eight months, the Trump administration has worked to dismantle much of that progress, including withholding funds, canceling loans and grants, and working with Congress to roll back tax credits. For those working in climate tech, it’s been a pretty dark time. 

But U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado, one of the lawmakers behind the IRA, says he’s surprisingly optimistic about future policy wins despite White House opposition to climate and clean tech. 

In this episode, Lara talks with Sen. Hickenlooper about passing the landmark climate law and protecting it, his ideas for building a bipartisan coalition for permitting reform, and why he’s actually hopeful eight months into Trump’s second term.

Credits: Hosted by Lara Pierpoint. Produced by Erin Hardick. Edited by Anne Bailey and Stephen Lacey. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is executive editor.

The Green Blueprint is a co-production of Latitude Media and Trellis Climate. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you get podcasts. For more reporting on the companies featured in this podcast, subscribe to Latitude Media's newsletter.