Episode 5 - Policymakers Sometimes Need Help Too w/ Mandy Mahoney, Regulatory Assistance Project

This is a critical moment in time for the energy transition. The U.S. Department of Energy will oversee ~$400 billion through the  Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to galvanize America's energy transition. So what are the questions that policymakers are asking right now? That’s a question Elena and Pete ask Mandy Mahoney, Principal and U.S. Program Director of the Regulatory Assistance Project. Mandy and her team serve as technical advisors to the DOE and policymakers around the country. 

Based in Atlanta, Mandy also recently ran for the Atlanta City Council as a climate change candidate and has served as the city of Atlanta’s first sustainability director across two administrations.

This episode covers:

1.44 - Mandy’s background as an environmental steward in the American South

7:55 - Experience as Atlanta City Council’s Climate Candidate 

13:00 - Overview of the Regulatory Assistance Project and U.S. focus areas

14:30 - Inflation Reduction Act, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and timing of funding

19:20 - Areas of the IRA that will require further clarification

26.00 - Recommended readings & resources