Yesterday I posted a list of climate policy changes I consider certain to happen. Today we’re entering the “gray zone” of changes that might happen. They range from the fate of nuclear and hydrogen, to possible changes to the Inflation Reduction Act.
Questions of course abound. Trump is quickly moving to put his team in place, and although he will surround himself with loyalists (aka rubber-stampers), what actually happens is somewhat dependent on these appointments.
Then there are the wild cards: Kennedy and Musk. I consider Musk a genius, but also more than a little off kilter. Kennedy is just off kilter. Musk will likely have greater influence, but both men add to the level of unpredictability.
Yesterday, I briefly covered tariffs, but beyond cleantech, Trump’s tariff policy could have a far-reaching impact. If he moves forward with the broad-based tariffs be espoused during the campaign, it would create economic upheaval and damage almost every aspect of the economy. That isn’t likely, but what is possible is an extension of tariffs on Chinese clean energy technologies.
Currently, the tariffs are focused on solar panels and EVs. However, what if he extends tariffs to the building blocks of solar like cells and wafers? The possibility also remains that the AD/CVD (anti-dumping and circumvention) cases spread to other Southeast Asian sources tied to China. Both of these possibilities have the potential to increase the cost of solar.
Tomorrow we’ll wrap up this series of posts with a look at some of the legislative committees that will influence climate policy. We’ll do a little deeper dive into the related agencies. And we’ll finish by offering a course of action for climate advocates.
Warning: My suggestions for the changes that are needed won’t be warm and fuzzy because I don’t do warm and fuzzy.
#inflationreductionact #climateaction #climatechnageisreal #climatepolicy #netzero #trumpwon
