Better dialogue between the White House and the oil and gas industry has lobbyists and congressional Republicans screaming “politics,” arguing that both sides have something to gain from warmer relations in an election year. But National Journal’s Energy & Environment Insiders say that this ostensible “détente” won’t really do much for President Obama in November. 

Although Senate support for a measure that would mandate approval of the Keystone XL pipeline has been growing, the majority of National Journal’s Energy & Environment Insiders say the proposal is doomed to fail for the third time. Meanwhile, most Insiders — nearly 60 percent — agree that despite the controversy surrounding the renomination of Republican Kristine Svinicki to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Senate will indeed confirm her before her term expires on June 30. 

After Obama last week unveiled an executive order meant to speed federal permitting of pipeline infrastructure, including the southern portion of the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline, critics immediately jumped on the move, accusing Obama of being “the rooster taking credit for the dawn” and arguing that no federal action is actually needed for that portion of the Keystone pipeline to move forward. National Journal’s Energy & Environment Insiders agree. More than 70 percent of Insiders said that Obama’s executive order was unnecessary, with some even saying the move smacks of federal overreach. 

A narrow plurality of National Journal’s Energy and Environment Insiders predict that President Obama is going to issue controversial rules on greenhouse-gas emissions from power plants after November's presidential election. 

It isn’t as easy as “drill, baby, drill” anymore. Energy messaging in political campaigns has gotten more complicated and nuanced since the well-known Republican battle cry in the 2008 elections. Today there are many more catchphrases in every politician’s playbook. One thing’s for sure, though: With gasoline prices already averaging $3.76 per gallon nationwide and headed higher, the mudslinging is just beginning. National Journal’s Energy and Environment Insiders say that Obama has the upper hand so far. 

More than half of National Journal’s Energy & Environment Insiders argue that the industry will be buoyed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s approval of two new reactors last week.

The political firestorm that erupted when solar-panel maker Solyndra defaulted on its federal loan is sure to affect clean-energy tax credits that are set to expire at the end of the year, an overwhelming majority of National Journal’s Energy and Environment Insiders say.

The Keystone XL pipeline is far from dead, National Journal’s Energy and Environment Insiders say.

Whoever wins the 2012 presidential election will have to take an active role in international climate change negotiations, according to many of National Journal’s Energy and Environment Insiders.

As the Republican presidential contest heats up, the candidates continue to focus on jobs, government spending, and taxes. Energy and environment issues have been a big part of that discussion, mostly in the form of criticism of President Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency, questions about the administration’s loan-guarantee program that funded now-bankrupt Solyndra, and proposals to ramp up domestic drilling.