Politico’s Climate News Site Shutters A Year After Gov’t Turned Off Taxpayer Spigot

Politico is discontinuing an energy and environmental news product a little over a year after the government canceled a nearly half a million dollar annual subscription to it.

Politico on Monday announced plans to shutter E&E News and introduce two new energy-focused newsletters in September, Semafor first reported. The move comes after Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced in February 2025 that the agency “will not be renewing our membership with Politico and Politico E&E, saving the American taxpayers $458,919 per year.”

“Best $458,919 we ever saved on behalf of taxpayers,” a spokesperson for the EPA told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The government shouldn’t subsidize poor journalism, and it’s a stinging indictment of the previous administration that they wasted so many hard-earned American tax dollars keeping this outlet afloat.”

EPA will not be renewing our membership with Politico and Politico E&E, saving the American taxpayers $458,919 per year.

— Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) February 11, 2025

“Beginning in September, we are modernizing how we deliver our energy and environmental policy journalism and launching a more focused, high-impact portfolio of daily news and intelligence products,” Politico CEO Goli Sheikholeslami and Politico Global Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Greenberger said in a joint statement on Monday. “By bringing together our reporting from Washington, U.S. state capitals, Europe, and across industry, these newsletters will help subscribers see how policy decisions, political fights, and market forces intersect to reshape energy and climate.”

Politico’s new Surge newsletter will examine how AI-driven energy demand is impacting politics and business across the U.S. and Europe, and its State Power newsletter will cover state-level energy policymaking, according to Semafor. The outlet will also refurbish its existing Morning Energy newsletter, Morning Environment newsletter and other Europe-focused energy and environmental newsletters, Semafor reported.

“As part of this shift, E&E News will no longer operate as a separate brand. Its journalism and expertise will be fully integrated into POLITICO’s energy and environment portfolio of stories, briefs, analysis and newsletters,” according to Politico’s statement. “The current E&E News publication structure will evolve into a connected set of energy and environment editorial products that share our deep reporting and strong analysis while showcasing our greater global editorial coordination.”

When reached for comment, a Politico spokesperson referred the DCNF to the company’s announcement from Monday.

E&E News is a subscription-based news organization “committed to providing non-partisan and accurate reports on essential energy and environmental issues through 5 daily publications,” according to its website.

Department of the Interior Press Secretary Charlotte Taylor told the DCNF in June 2025 that E&E News is a “desperate outlet” that solely reports on “leaks from government agencies and even high school newspapers have a bigger readership.”