Axios: Lunch with Lot Sixteen’s Colin Hayes

Welcome to our final lunch with a lobbyist of 2023! This time, Axios sat down with Lot Sixteen cofounder Colin Hayes over arepas at The Royal.

Source: Axios

Why he matters: A former Energy and Natural Resources staff director under Lisa Murkowski, Hayes knows energy policy. His firm has lobbied for big names like Orsted, American Clean Power and Microsoft.

This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

What are the big issues on your plate right now?

Definitely the IRA implementation work. There's a lot you can do to inform that process.

• A lot of the stuff that's taking up time is land use issues.…It's a reminder that permitting reform, there's still work to be done on that front.

• It's just really difficult to develop projects, especially if they're located on federal land.

Is there anything about the IRA you think is underappreciated?

All the things working against it doing what it was meant to do.

• You've got trade policy being made that has really upended supply chains.

• Some of those same land use issues, where you have highly prospective acreage for solar development, but you have other competing land uses.

• The domestic content adder, which was supposed to really supercharge deployment. Well, turns out it's very difficult to claim the domestic content adder because we don't produce the raw materials that are needed for much of anything in the U.S.

Who's the best energy negotiator on the Hill?

First, I'll give you my very biased answer, which is Lisa Murkowski. She strikes a good balance between what she wants and needs for Alaska, what might be a priority for our own party among Republicans, what she knows Dems likely want to get done.

• Sen. [Angus] King, for a lot of the same reasons. Just as a rank-and-file member of the Energy Committee, he does a really good job.

• Manchin clearly has to make the list. Talk about somebody seeing the hand that they've been dealt and playing it pretty effectively.

Ten years on, how are we going to look back at the IRA?

At its core, it's a climate law. So much time and energy went into the question of how do you impose a price on carbon emissions?

• We're not going to impose a carbon tax, but the idea that you had to price carbon emissions was a pretty central feature of the policy conversation.

• And now we have one. It's just, we're valuing projects that eliminate carbon emissions rather than punishing the ones that are responsible for those emissions.

• I think that's made people a lot more comfortable talking about other policy changes.… Now it's a carbon border adjustment.

What's the last song you listened to?

Fool in the Rain, Led Zeppelin. Blasted that on the way over here.