The grueling fight to pass the Inflation Reduction Act

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.volts.wtf/subscribe On September 14, I sat down with Leah Stokes in front of a live audience at Seattle’s Town Hall to talk about her new book, The Carbon Wave. It’s an insider account of how the Inflation Reduction Act got made, braided with the story of the high-risk twin pregnancy she went through while helping to make it. We get into why electrification is the heart of decarbonization, the enduring mystery of what’s going on in Joe Manchin’s head, what it means to trade your carbon footprint for a carbon wave, and how much of the IRA survives. It was followed by questions from the audience. Chapters: 00:00 – Welcome and housekeeping 03:05 – The twins, the NICU, and writing the book 08:51 – Carbon footprint vs. carbon wave 13:39 – Sam Ricketts and 100% clean electricity 18:13 – Why electricity is the core of the solution 23:28 – Utilities and the politics of change 26:18 – Tech companies and data centers 29:11 – Inside the Manchin negotiations 33:57 – Why Manchin got to yes 38:46 – Trump, setbacks, and where things stand 42:55 – Clean energy politics and the global shift 46:25 – Audience Q&A: the transmission gridlock 48:59 – Institutions, speed, and structural reform 53:27 – If Democrats win the House, what next 55:43 – Permitting reform 59:06 – State utilities, coal, and getting involved