Five reasons why the US midterms matter for the climate – and your energy bill
Voters are feeling the pinch of Trump’s anti-climate agenda as energy costs rise, but a shakeup in Congress could shift things If the polls can be believed, the US could see a blue wave in the midterms, giving Democrats a chance to take back the House and Senate, and gaining up to four governor’s seats. These wins could give Democrats new power to resist Donald Trump’s anti-climate agenda, and to push forward…
Key points
- Democrats could take the House and Senate and gain up to four governor's seats, polls suggest.
- A Democratic House could add climate provisions to appropriations bills and launch investigations.
- A Nera study forecasts household energy costs rising by $11.6bn annually from 2027 to 2033.
The US midterms will test how voters respond to Democratic candidates linking affordability, the election's biggest issue, to the climate crisis, according to a Guardian explainer. Polls suggest a possible blue wave that could give Democrats the House and Senate and up to four governor's seats, while Republican wins would embolden Donald Trump's anti-climate agenda.
What a Democratic win would change
Democrats could not overturn earlier Republican actions such as gutting the Inflation Reduction Act, or pass legislation Trump would veto, but they would have more ways to oppose his pro-fossil fuel agenda. Michael Gerrard of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law said a Democratic House could add pro-climate provisions to appropriations bills, since presidents often sign budget bills containing provisions they dislike.
Democrats could also launch investigations and subpoena witnesses and documents, and a Democratic Senate could oppose confirmations of judges and officials. Gerrard and Dan Farber of UC Berkeley said state climate policy also hangs in the balance, with governor's offices potentially flipping from Republican to Democrat.
I keep thinking, how much worse could they do? But they always find something
— Dan Farber
Energy costs and jobs
A Nera study predicted that between 2027 and 2033, household energy costs would rise by an average of $11.6bn annually from constraining solar and wind deployment, with Texas rates forecast to rise as much as 22%. The clean energy workforce lost nearly 37,000 jobs last year, the first annual loss since the pandemic, according to an E2 report, while Climate Power put the figure at 173,000 jobs cut or delayed since Trump took office.
Climate Power also said gas and electric utilities have raised or sought to increase bills by more than $92bn since Trump took office, affecting more than 100 million customers.
