02/15/2025 --axios
Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee want to power AI with fossil fuels and nuclear energy — but divergent Democrats mean the panel might struggle to do much.Why it matters: AI's rise has prompted fears across the tech and energy industries about energy shortages and spikes in climate-warming emissions.Democrats on the powerful committee, such as Reps. Kathy Castor of Florida and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, would very much like to jump-start the AI revolution with zero-carbon power. But Republican members like Robert Latta and Troy Balderson of Ohio and Julie Fedorchak of North Dakota counter that coal, oil and natural gas are more than up to the task. The big picture: Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) sees AI as a marquee issue for Republicans — and for President Trump."If we don't control the platform, China will. And you can't do it without energy," he told Axios."Nuclear is baseload power with zero carbon, but we also have to look at natural gas; we have to look at coal."Driving the news: Latta will be central to this push from atop the panel's Energy Subcommittee.He tells us he's looking to discuss AI's power suck in a hearing in the next month or so: "That's massive for everything we'll be doing."That includes how and where the power needed for data centers is produced and how to build out the power lines to get it there. Zoom in: Energy and Commerce has undergone something of an energy policy brain drain in recent years with retirements and electoral churn. But Latta is an old hand on the committee and a longtime nuclear energy booster.Republicans added freshman Fedorchak — a former North Dakota utility regulator — to their roster this year.Also worth watching is Balderson, who introduced a bill last week that encapsulates what Republicans would like to do on this issue: Prioritize fossil fuels and nuclear over wind and solar for connection to the power grid.The other side: Democrats have little faith the committee can work in a bipartisan manner."There's so much chaos," energy subcommittee ranking member Castor said. "There are energy projects across the spectrum right now about to go under because of the halt on funding, and I'm not hearing anything from Republicans."When Democrats controlled the House, Castor chaired the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, which issued a 2020 plan calling for more investment in renewables. Between the lines: Still, Castor said nuclear, particularly advanced reactor technology, could be an area for collaboration.It's appealing because it's low-carbon and can produce power 24/7 — while wind and solar are dependent on the weather if not paired with battery storage.There's also broad agreement on one of the central concerns about the AI revolution: the cost to consumers.As Guthrie put it when discussing a massive Microsoft data center, "You're going to bring that onto a grid, and it's going to raise the price for everybody else — if we don't produce."What we're watching: Ocasio-Cortez is new on the committee and sits on the energy panel.Her vast social media platform — she has nearly 13 million followers on X, and her TikToks and Instagram live broadcasts are widely viewed — plus her high-profile Green New Deal efforts could make her a loud voice in the data-center debate."It's something, of course, that we're paying close attention to, particularly the efficiency of this sector," she told Axios.If you want to get smarter about what's happening on energy, technology or health care policy, subscribe to Axios Pro.
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