Plugged In

"Plugged In" hosts Neil Chatterjee and energy reporter Breanne Deppisch welcome former Oregon Rep. Greg Walden to talk about how the energy space has changed since he retired in 2020 and why it's important to "make sure that America has reliable affordable energy."

The Republican lawmaker, who served as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, questioned some of the Biden administration's moves when it comes to lowering gas prices, transitioning to cleaner energy, and permitting.

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"Plugged In" hosts Neil Chatterjee and energy reporter Breanne Deppisch welcome Climate Leadership Council CEO Greg Bertelsen to talk about how recent polling shows more conservatives are getting energized over climate change initiatives. 

CLC research also shows that younger conservatives are more likely to embrace a push for cleaner energy, according to Bertelsen. But how will the Inflation Reduction Act help or harm those efforts? 

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"Plugged In" hosts Neil Chatterjee and energy reporter Breanne Deppisch welcome solar guru Yuri Horwitz on to discuss the "dramatic" way the solar and renewable energy industry has changed in the last decade.

Horwitz, the CEO of Sol Systems, said everyone is optimistic about solar energy — even the Biden administration — but there must be a transition period if the industry wants to keep its consumers happy, keep investors investing in projects, and keep prices down. 

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"Plugged In" host Neil Chatterjee welcomes American Chemistry Council CEO Chris Jahn to provide a rebuttal to Season 2's interview with representatives from the Association of American Railroads that blamed competition and innovation shortcomings on President Joe Biden's energy goals.

Jahn says it's actually the monopoly of Class I railroads — four of which control 90% of freight traffic — that have stifled competition. He pushes for railroad leaders to invest more in their staff, give more transparency to their consumers and stop unnecessary price gouging.

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On the inaugural episode of Season 3 of the "Plugged In" podcast, hosts Neil Chatterjee and Breanne Deppisch break down the summer's energy concerns from the impact of the war in Ukraine on gas prices and fuel production to the harsh weather events affecting grid reliability and electricity to the pressures from industry and voters to bring production back to the United States, and much more.

The two also shine a light on the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in August, which provides $370 billion in climate and clean energy investments. But at what cost?

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On the season finale of the "Plugged In" podcast, host Neil Chatterjee is joined by NextEra Director of Environmental Policy Lauren Sher. The two highlight the energy giant's recent decarbonization goals and how the company will meet them; as well as what role government should play in the industry's move to cut down greenhouse gas emissions.

While Sher said the bipartisan infrastructure bill could bring more fruit to bear when it comes to investments, the industry would rather lead the transition and have the government "stay out of it."

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"Plugged In" host Neil Chatterjee and energy reporter Breanne Deppisch welcomed Assistant Vice President Jordan Stone and Assistant General Counsel Theresa Romanosky from the Association of American Railroads to discuss the industry's leading efforts in efficiency and efforts to drive down greenhouse gas emissions.

But even with the positives, Stone and Romanosky said there's more work the Biden administration can be doing to help with fuel costs and to ensure their laws do not impede on the railroad industry's ability to compete and innovate.

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Clear Skies Texas Executive Director Courtney DeBrower and former Texas state representative turned climate advocate Sarah Davis joined "Plugged In" host Neil Chatterjee and energy reporter Breanne Deppisch to talk about the importance of finding bipartisan consensus when it comes to climate change initiatives. 

Their organization is run exclusively by women with the goal of bringing environmental issues to the forefront of Republican dialogue.

"We just need to talk about it more. We need Republicans to feel safe to talk about it."

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"Plugged In" host Neil Chatterjee and Washington Examiner energy reporter Breanne Deppisch dive into the Biden administration's push to OPEC+ nations to increase their output as the European Union introduced a more stringent ban on Russian oil.

But the question for conservative lawmakers remains: Why is the White House asking, in some instances, hostile actors to increase production while taking steps to limit it here at home?

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"Plugged In" host Neil Chatterjee and Alex Herrgott, an industry expert, joined forces this week to talk about the process of completing infrastructure projects — such as the development of clean energy resources and pipelines — from start to finish, including jumping the hurdles of regulations and laws. 

As Herrgott argues: The actions happening now under the Biden administration are actually holding back new infrastructure development.

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