Breakthrough Dialogues

The Green New Deal has recently picked up social and political momentum, but federal interventions into energy and environmental problems is not a new idea. In fact, as Breakthrough energy analyst Jameson McBride argues, there is no such thing as a free market in energy. So the question is not so much whether the government should intervene, but how it should do so. What is the "green" in the Green New Deal? Should we tack on other progressive social causes? And what can past federal efforts, like the Waxman-Markey energy bill of 2009, teach us about environmental policymaking in 2019? This episode is a little different than our usual format. Alex Trembath, former Breakthrough energy analyst and current Breakthrough deputy director, sits down with our very own Jameson to talk shop. Tune in to hear them discuss the ins and outs of energy policy and to get the latest news contextualized into broader trends. For more, here's Jameson's piece on the Green New Deal and the Legacy of Public Power.