Key races could determine US energy policy

Energy & Environment

The Big Story

Key races could determine US energy policy

The outcomes of Senate and House races could be crucial for determining the future of U.S. energy and environment policy, with potentially razor-thin margins in the chambers.

Here are some key races we're watching this week.

Montana’s Senate race

Sen. Jon Tester (D) squares off with businessman Tim Sheehy (R) in a race that could determine control of the Senate. The Hill/Decision Desk’s polling average currently shows Tester trailing Sheehy by 6 points.

Michigan’s Senate race

Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D) faces former Rep. Mike Rogers (R). As the hub of American car manufacturing, Michigan has become ground zero in the fight over electric vehicles in a race that could also determine Senate control. Slotkin currently leads Rogers by 2.7 points in The Hill/Decision Desk polling average.

Iowa’s 1st Congressional District

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) faces former state Rep. Christina Bohannan (D). Miller-Meeks, who is seeking her third term, earlier this year became the second-ever chair of the House’s Conservative Climate Caucus.
The race for the district has only been polled three times, with Bohannan leading by 4 points in an internal survey by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the race even in a survey commissioned by Bohannan’s campaign.

Read more at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.

Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

Essential Reads

How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future:

Judge partially blocks Texas transmission law

A federal judge on Monday struck down a section of a Texas law that gives state utilities the “right of first refusal” for building new electrical transmission lines.

Full Story

Governments subsidizing ‘unprecedented’ health threats from fossil fuels, leading medical journal finds

World governments are “fueling the fire” of a global health crisis with the trillions of dollars per year they direct toward subsidizing fossil fuels, according to findings published Tuesday.

Full Story

FEMA has provided more than $190M in aid for North Carolina after Hurricane Helene

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has provided more than $190 million in aid to North Carolina, as the battleground state continues to recover from devastation left by Hurricane Helene.

Full Story

In Other News

Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

EU imposes new tariffs on Chinese cars

The European Union on Wednesday imposed tariffs on Chinese-produced electric vehicles (EVs), adding another pressure point to Chinese EVs on top of existing American duties imposed by President Biden

Full Story

What We're Reading

News we've flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics:

Throw Out Your Black Plastic Spatula (The Atlantic)
E.P.A., Just Rebounding From Trump Years, Faces an Uncertain Future (The New York Times)
Army of bots promotes petrostate hosting global climate talks (The Washington Post)

What Others are Reading

Two key stories on The Hill right now:

Harris has 6-point lead in Wisconsin, 5-point lead in Michigan in new CNN polls

New polls for CNN find Vice President Harris with a 6-point lead over former President Trump in Wisconsin and a 5-point lead in Michigan. Read more

White House seeks to contain damage from Biden ‘garbage’ remarks

The White House on Wednesday sought to contain the damage from President Biden’s comments a day earlier suggesting former President Trump’s supporters were garbage, remarks the president’s team continued to argue were being misinterpreted. Read more

Opinions in The Hill

Op-ed related to energy & environment submitted to The Hill: