Why The Democrats' Next Climate Agenda Will Look Different
New Democratic lawmakers emphasize oil-and-gas jobs, gas tax suspension, and data center costs rather than rapid fossil fuel phase-out
Quick Look
- After two years of an anti-climate administration, Tuesday's midterm election results give climate advocates hope.
- Newly elected Democratic senators from Texas, Kansas, and South Carolina are promoting all-of-the-above energy strategies, protecting oil-and-gas jobs, suspending the federal gas tax, and making big tech pay for data center power costs, signaling a departure from Green New Deal priorities.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The article references two years of what it describes as the most anti-climate presidential administration in U.S. history and notes that Democrats have a history of taking big swings to cut emissions, including the Green New Deal and the Inflation Reduction Act.
After two years of the most anti-climate presidential administration in U.S. history, Tuesday's election results have many climate advocates feeling a sense of hope. Even though explicit mention of climate change was far from the heart of midterm discussions, Democrats have a history of taking big swings to cut emissions.
But even with Democrats on the rise, don't expect a return to the old climate order where the Green New Deal dominated Capitol Hill chatter, and the big-spending Inflation Reduction Act served as a watered down compromise. Over the next two years, elected officials in Washington will forge the next wave of climate policy, and there's a good chance it may look pretty different from what we've seen in recent history.
The biggest indicator of what this might look like may just be a quick survey of how the new crop of Democratic senators have talked about climate and energy issues. James Talarico, Texas's Democratic senator-elect, has promised to protect oil-and-gas jobs as part of an all-of-the-above energy strategy. Kansas Democratic Senator-elect Adam Hamilton has also called for "all-of-the above-energy production" as part of an energy affordability strategy. And South Carolina Senator-elect Annie Andrews has called for a suspension of the federal gas tax. All three, along with virtually every newly elected Democrat, have also put a spotlight on the role data centers are playing in the power system, calling on big tech firms to pay more for the costs they incur.
Green New Dealers calling for a rapid end to fossil fuels this batch is not. But that doesn't mean that there is no prospect of climate policy. In fact, a slew of factors mean that energy and climate policy will be on the agenda—even if it's not labeled as such. The energy affordability crisis, the war in Iran, the rise of power-guzzling data centers, and competition from China all mean that climate will be top priorities for the coming national political dialogue.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Energy and climate policy will remain on the national political agenda over the next two years, even if not labeled as climate policy
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- Which specific climate policies will the new Democratic senators support or oppose?
- How will the gas tax suspension proposal affect federal revenue and infrastructure funding?
- What concrete measures will be proposed to make big tech pay for data center power costs?
