The Electorette Podcast
Power, Politics & the Grid: Kate Gordon on America’s Energy Crossroads
Published: 1 April 2025 at 21:32 Europe/London
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Episode notes
What if the clean energy revolution isn’t coming—it’s already here, quietly reshaping global power, American manufacturing, and the way we heat our homes?
In this episode of The Electorette, host Jen Taylor-Skinner sits down with energy policy expert Kate Gordon to unpack the largest climate investment in U.S. history—and why most Americans barely noticed it. Together, they explore the ambitious trio of laws passed under the Biden administration—the Inflation Reduction Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act—which together form a bold, strategic roadmap for decarbonization, domestic manufacturing, and energy independence.
Kate walks us through the rarely-discussed connections between AI, electrification, and rising energy demand, the geopolitical aftershocks of Russia’s war in Ukraine, and why our energy future hinges on the power grid, community investment, and supply chain resilience.
We also confront the dangers ahead: environmental protections being rolled back, mass layoffs at the Department of Energy, and a growing political movement determined to unravel decades of climate progress.
This is a conversation about what’s working, what’s under threat, and why the clean energy transition isn’t just about science—it’s about power, politics, and the future of democracy itself.
Kate Gordon is an energy policy expert, and the CEO of California Forward, a statewide organization dedicated to a more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive economy across every region of the state.
Episode Chapters/Timestamps
(00:00) Investments in Climate Change Mitigation
The Biden administration's IRA includes transformative bills for clean energy, grid resilience, EV infrastructure, and semiconductor technology.
(07:17) Energy Dominance
Fracking's impact on U.S. energy dominance, European demand for American gas, and balancing fossil fuels and renewables for future energy needs.
(12:47) Climate Investment Rollbacks and Tax Cuts
Rollback of environmental protections, tension in clean energy projects, contradictions in domestic manufacturing policies, and lack of coherence in climate action.
(24:20) Strategic Manufacturing and Resource Economics
Domestic manufacturing's complexities, strategic necessity of producing goods, geopolitical implications of resource economics, and challenges faced by Department of Energy.
(29:24) Impact of Federal Job Cuts
Recent staffing changes at DOE have led to loss of skilled professionals and highlight inefficiencies in federal hiring processes.
(33:47) Energy Security and Strategic Relationships
The Department of Energy's role in managing nuclear infrastructure, risks of operational missteps, cybersecurity for the power grid, energy independence, and challenges in communicating these concerns to the public.
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