Who Benefits From $6 Diesel? Sen. Tina Smith Says Follow the Money | Energy on the Ballot
Energy EmpireShow Notes
Gas is up more than a dollar a gallon since the Iran war began, and diesel set an all-time record in September. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) says the president’s donors are profiting while everyone else pays more.
Smith explains what voters should listen for when a candidate promises to bring energy costs down, and why she voted against a data center bill Republicans are now campaigning on.
Part of Energy on the Ballot, our series on energy and the 2026 midterms.
In this episode:
The heating aid program the White House wants to eliminate, and the St. Paul man it kept in his home
“Don’t do data centers the dumb way,” and why nondisclosure agreements make neighbors so angry
Why a senator from a mining state fought a Chilean-owned copper-nickel mine near the Boundary Waters
What former Fed Chair Jerome Powell predicted about getting a mortgage in 10 or 15 years
The campaign word Smith calls “a weird focus group word”
Why Smith wants Democrats to show more “boldness” if they win back power
Links:
Our website: https://www.energyempire.fm
Sen. Smith’s request for a cost estimate of the 2025 tax law’s data center breaks: https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senator-tina-smith-requests-cost-estimate-of-big-beautiful-bills-data-center-tax-incentives/
Sen. Smith’s report on the home insurance crisis: https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senator-tina-smith-releases-new-report-on-solutions-to-the-home-insurance-crisis/
The Klobuchar-Smith letter on heating aid: https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senators-amy-klobuchar-tina-smith-push-the-trump-administration-to-release-heating-assistance-funds-before-winter/
Gov. Spanberger on Making Data Centers Pay Their Fair Share: https://www.energyempire.fm/episodes/gov-spanberger-on-making-data-centers-pay-their-fair-share-energy-on-the-ballot
More from Energy Empire
In the first half of this year, 86% of U.S. venture money went to AI. Climate venture funds have raised less than $1 billion, down from more than $10 billion in 2021.
About one in three homes and businesses in Australia have solar on the roof. The state governments there made it simple, with incentives, certified installers, and quick approvals. In the U.S., permits and inspections can add weeks or months before a system is switched on.
Demand on ComEd’s grid barely moved from 2009 to 2022. Now the utility expects about 10 gigawatts of data centers to connect by around 2030, against an all-time peak of 23 gigawatts.
Ukraine has learned how to keep a power grid running while someone is trying to destroy it. Every country that imports oil now needs the same lessons.
Northern Virginia is the biggest data center market in the world, and pushback is growing.