Energy Policy Needs Affordability Focus

Policy debates (and bills like the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act) should be judged not only by their climate impact but by how they affect household energy costs and grid reliability. Treating permitting, transmission buildouts, and infrastructure chokepoints as affordability and reliability problems reframes the political tradeoffs and coalition-building for Democrats and moderates. — Shifting public and party attention toward affordability and reliability changes the incentives for permitting reform, energy investment, and who benefits politically from decarbonization.