For years, America’s energy debate was largely about transition — what fuels to move away from and what technologies to build next.

Now, a different challenge is taking center stage: can the United States produce enough energy to power AI, advanced manufacturing, and economic growth without sacrificing affordability, reliability, or national security? What comes first when the country needs all of them at once?

This week, Political Climate sits down with Associate Deputy Secretary of Energy Alex Fitzsimmons to discuss the Trump administration’s energy affordability agenda. He unpacks the strategy to "stabilize, optimize, and grow" the energy system amid the race to add new power capacity and maintain U.S. competitiveness.

It’s a wide ranging conversation on everything from power market reforms, to how the DOE is leveraging loans and grants under President Trump, to a new golden age for nuclear, renewable energy economics, and more.

We take a closer look at the administration’s energy priorities and why they believe rising energy demand can actually lower prices over time.

Plus, Neil draws on his FERC chair experience to provide an early reaction to the Commission's historic June 18 order on tariff rules governing how data centers, manufacturing facilities, and other large energy users interconnect to the transmission system.

Political Climate is presented by ClearPath, one of the most influential organizations working to advance American energy innovation while reducing global emissions.

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Political Climate is hosted by Julia Pyper, Neil Chatterjee, and Brandon Hurlbut. This episode was produced by Bruno Falcon.