Open Circuit

Musk takes a chainsaw to 'energy dominance'


Listen Later

Elon Musk built Tesla with help from government loans and carbon credits. Today, he's swinging a chainsaw at the very agencies that launched his empire — while directly undermining President Trump's "energy dominance" agenda.

In this episode of Open Circuit, we examine the impact of the Department of Government Efficiency's indiscriminate cuts. When these cuts hit nuclear security teams and grid operators at the Bonneville Power Administration, officials had to hastily reverse course. What are the real-world impacts to critical infrastructure?

We also explore how a sweeping executive order could restructure federal energy regulation. FERC — traditionally an independent, technical body — will now require White House approval for decisions. How could it slow down decisions and impact electricity markets?

And at EPA, officials are attempting to claw back $20 billion in legally committed green bank funding, prompting a federal prosecutor to resign rather than pursue what she saw as a baseless investigation. What does the EPA's approach tell us about the administration's lack of strategy?

Then we turn to Texas, where market forces are telling a different story. Despite a $5 billion subsidy program for gas plants, developers are walking away. French energy giant Engie recently abandoned two projects, citing equipment shortages and rising costs. 

Meanwhile, clean energy is thriving without subsidies. Solar and batteries set new performance records last year, with zero-carbon power now providing 47% of Texas electricity. What does Texas tell us about the role of gas in the new era of load growth?

Open Circuit is brought to you by On.Energy. As one of the fastest-growing battery storage IPPs, On.Energy delivers turnkey resiliency solutions for utilities and enterprise customers. Whether you’re managing data centers or local grids, we help bring storage to your fleet. Learn more at on.energy.

For transcripts and more on the stories we discuss in the show, subscribe to Latitude Media's newsletter.

Credits: Co-hosted by Stephen Lacey, Jigar Shah, and Katherine Hamilton. Produced and edited by Stephen Lacey. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Open CircuitBy Latitude Media

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

108 ratings


More shows like Open Circuit

View all
Energy Gang by Wood Mackenzie

Energy Gang

1,254 Listeners

Columbia Energy Exchange by Columbia University

Columbia Energy Exchange

394 Listeners

Currents by Norton Rose Fulbright

Currents

123 Listeners

Interchange Recharged by Wood Mackenzie

Interchange Recharged

500 Listeners

Redefining Energy by Laurent Segalen and Gerard Reid

Redefining Energy

122 Listeners

Inevitable by an MCJ podcast

Inevitable

170 Listeners

Switched On by Bloomberg

Switched On

100 Listeners

POLITICO Energy by POLITICO

POLITICO Energy

134 Listeners

Energy Evolution by S&P Global Commodity Insights

Energy Evolution

27 Listeners

Cleaning Up: Leadership in an Age of Climate Change by Michael Liebreich, Bryony Worthington

Cleaning Up: Leadership in an Age of Climate Change

71 Listeners

Volts by David Roberts

Volts

570 Listeners

The Green Blueprint by Latitude Media

The Green Blueprint

209 Listeners

Catalyst with Shayle Kann by Latitude Media

Catalyst with Shayle Kann

255 Listeners

Zero: The Climate Race by Bloomberg

Zero: The Climate Race

183 Listeners

Shift Key with Robinson Meyer and Jesse Jenkins by Heatmap News

Shift Key with Robinson Meyer and Jesse Jenkins

88 Listeners