Energy Policy Now

Hormuz and China’s Energy Advantage

The Hormuz crisis tests China’s energy security while highlighting its growing clean-tech advantage. --- The closure of the Strait of Hormuz following the outbreak of w

From the Archive: The Cost of Pulling Back from China in the EV Transition

For the month of August, we’re highlighting episodes from the 2025-2026 season of Energy Policy Now. We’ll be back with new content, and a new season, on September the 8t

From the Archive: When the Last Mile Turns Hot: Delivery Drivers in a Warming Climate

For the month of August, we’re highlighting episodes from the 2025-2026 season of Energy Policy Now. We’ll be back with new content, and a new season, on September the 8t

Agriculture, Energy, and the Challenge of Resilience

The modern agricultural system delivers an extraordinary abundance and variety of food at relatively low cost, thanks in part to abundant and affordable energy. Can those

Energy and the Economics of Affordability

Can the energy choices we make today influence affordability for decades to come? --- Affordability has become one of the defining issues in American politics. Rising

The West’s New Electricity Markets

Southwest Power Pool’s expansion into the West marks a major step toward greater regional coordination of the electric grid. --- Earlier this year the Southwest Power

Is a New Era of Electricity Prices Beginning?

For years, electricity prices broadly tracked inflation. New pressures may be changing that. --- Electricity prices have become a major political issue in the United

The Fight Over the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund

Clean energy funding under the GGRF remains frozen, with projects on hold and questions over federal spending authority unresolved. --- The $27 billion Greenhouse Gas

From Corporate Standard to Climate Policy: The Greenhouse Gas Protocol

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the global standard for corporate emissions accounting, is increasingly embedded in policy, drawing new scrutiny of its governance. ---

When Geopolitics Disrupts Energy Systems

Helen Thompson, a political economist at Cambridge, examines how geopolitical conflict has shaped global oil and gas markets, with implications for the current Gulf crisi

Insurance and the Shifting Boundaries of Climate Risk

Insurance is on the front lines of climate risk, and may help shape how we respond to it. --- Insurance is one of the quiet pillars of the modern economy. It underpin

The Arctic and the Geopolitics of Strategic Minerals

The Arctic is emerging as a new front in the global competition over strategic minerals, raising questions about how the supply chains behind the energy transition will b

The Endangerment Finding and the Future of EPA’s Authority

Two Penn legal experts discuss the strategy behind EPA’s rescission of the Endangerment Finding and the court challenges ahead. --- On February 12, the U.S. Environme

When Oil Sanctions Meet Dark Shipping

Oil sanctions have given rise to dark shipping, reshaping global energy flows and producing far-reaching economic consequences. --- In recent years, oil export sancti

How PJM Is Grappling With Data Center Power Demand

The nation’s largest electric grid operator outlines its plan to manage rapid growth in data center electricity demand. --- PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest

Planning the Grid in an Age of Uncertain Demand Growth

AI data centers are driving rapid demand growth, exposing the limits of traditional electricity forecasting and planning. --- Electricity demand in the United States

Why a New Gas Power Boom Is Putting Methane Emissions Back in the Spotlight

Gas-fired power is back in favor in the United States, but methane emissions threaten its credibility. ---  Methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases, and gl

When the Last Mile Turns Hot: Delivery Drivers in a Warming Climate

An economic sociologist discusses the growing heat dangers facing last-mile delivery drivers, and why federal protections remain stalled. --- E-commerce has transform

The Cost of Pulling Back from China in the EV Transition

John Helveston of George Washington University discusses why a U.S. pullback from China on EVs is risky, and why engagement could strengthen America’s auto industry. --

How the Trump Administration Is Reshaping Nuclear Oversight

The Trump administration’s nuclear ambitions raise new questions about safety, speed, and regulatory independence. --- The Trump administration has made nuclear power