Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse Won't Stop Talking About Climate

How should Democrats campaign on climate? Some are quietly shelving climate-specific language ahead of the midterms in favor of terms like “energy crisis” and “affordability.” But Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island has been talking about climate change on the Senate floor for more than a decade, and he has no plans to stop now. “The most important thing that can be accomplished on the climate front is to end the pollute-for-free business model of the fossil fuel industry. It is morally wrong, it is economically wrong, it is an environmental sin, and there's literally no merit to it, which is why the fossil fuel industry has to prop it up with all this dark money and lies,” he says. Plus, geothermal energy is having a moment – getting interest from data center developers and support from the Trump administration at a time when other renewable energy sources are getting the ax. What should we expect from the industry in the next five years? Guests: Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Senator (D-RI) Jamie Beard, Founder and Executive Director, Project Innerspace Highlights: 00:00 – Introduction 02:00 – Sen. Whitehouse on his “Time to Wake Up” speeches 05:40 – Influence of the Citizens United decision on bipartisan climate action 07:45 – Progress on permitting reform bill 12:50 – Climate hushing and its impact on the midtems 14:00 – People want to hear more about climate change 18:00 – Off-shore wind projects getting on the grid in Rhode Island 23:00 – Sen. Whitehouse on data centers and their impacts 27:30 – What’s possible if Democrats win big at midterms 34:40 – Jamie Beard gives update on the state of the geothermal energy industry 43:30 – The odd and complicated politics of Trump administration supporting geothermal 46:00 – Potential impact of Geothermal Energy Advancement Act 51:00 – Geothermal’s bigger price is heat, not electricity 58:00 – Climate One More Thing For transcripts, show notes, and related links, visit our episode page. *** Join Climate One for a town hall event on September 28 at 6 p.m. on navigating AI, climate, and the future of democracy. How do we ensure that AI and data centers serve the public good? How does a democracy function when AI is distorting our sense of shared truths? Tickets available at climateone.org/events Also: We’ll be having an electric conversation on October 14 at 6 p.m. between PG&E CEO Patti Poppe and California State Senator Scott Wiener about energy affordability, outages, and whether cities like San Francisco are ready to break up with the investor-owned utility model. Tickets available at climateone.org/events On October 20th at 6 p.m. join us, in partnership with The Redford Center, for a screening of the short film In Earth We Trust, followed by a conversation with the filmmaker, the film’s central figure, and other faith leaders. Tickets available at climateone.org/events Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today. Ad sales by Multitude. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices