The top candidates to share the ticket with Kamala Harris have lengthy records on energy and climate policy, Nick and our esteemed editor Chuck McCutcheon write.

Why it matters: Harris' vice presidential selection could help her fend off GOP attacks on the Green New Deal or generate enthusiasm among the environmental community's mega spenders.

Here's a look at three of the top contenders…

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz

Walz signed a law last year requiring Minnesota's utilities to move to 100% carbon-free power by 2040, among the nation's most ambitious "clean" energy standards.

• He subsequently enacted a permitting overhaul aimed at making it easier to build wind, solar and transmission.
• And he led his state's adoption of California's strict auto emissions rules, leading to challenges from Republicans and auto dealers.
• Walz had a 75% LCV score — low for a Democrat — during his 12-year tenure in the House, but he's made climate change a big part of his governorship.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro

Shapiro's work with Pennsylvania's natural gas industry during his 18 months in office could appeal to some Democrats, since Harris is already facing blowback for her previous pledges to ban fracking.

• He went after the industry as attorney general but has sought alliances with natural gas companies as governor.
• Shapiro last year announced a "first of its kind" collaboration on environmental monitoring and chemical disclosures with natural gas company CNX Resources.
• Shapiro has said he hopes the Biden administration LNG export permits pause doesn't last long.
• He has also helped Pennsylvania secure two hydrogen hubs — which has caused some grumbling among local green groups — and helped the state nab a $400 million federal grant to fund efforts to reduce climate emissions.

Sen. Mark Kelly

Kelly is a swing state moderate who has occasionally been willing to buck the Biden administration on energy issues, which could help Harris beat back accusations that she is anti-fossil fuel.

• He joined Joe Manchin in raising concerns about EPA's power plant emissions rules and pushing for more drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. He also voted with Republicans in 2022 on a measure against declaring a climate emergency.
• But Kelly's got a 93% lifetime voting score from the League of Conservation Voters (compare that with 79% for fellow Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema). LCV Victory Fund spent more than $4 million on getting him reelected in 2022.
• And he was one of a handful of Westerners who got $4 billion in drought funding into the IRA on the eve of its final passage.
• This Congress, he's been pushing bipartisan legislation to make it easier to permit projects funded by the CHIPS and Science Act. (Kelly was heavily involved in writing that law.)

What we're watching: Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Gary Peters and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, among others, have also been floated as possibilities. (Cooper and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have withdrawn.)

• If Harris picks any of them, we'll be back in your inbox with more.

Let's dive into some policy and notes from the Interior-EPA spending measure that Senate appropriators advanced last week, Nick and Chuck write.

The big picture: The Senate's bipartisan proposal contrasts starkly with the House bill, which is loaded with spending cuts and policy riders.

⛏️ Copper collab: Sens. Lindsey Graham and Joe Manchin got an amendment to the bill report that could lead to USGS adding copper to its list of "critical minerals."

• The designation would open up avenues for copper projects to get IRA funding and other federal dollars.
• Specifically, the amendment directs USGS to "explore the inclusion" of materials from DOE's separate "critical materials" list — which includes copper.
• This mirrors legislation that's already advanced through House Natural Resources.

☢️ Waste not: Senate appropriators have responded to nuclear observers' calls for EPA to develop new standards governing the safe disposal of nuclear waste.

• The bill includes $250,000 that would be used to develop "a new, generic, technology-neutral protection standard that is informed by modern, international practices" for future high-level nuclear waste storage sites.
• Environmentalists have argued that before a site for a repository is chosen, EPA must develop new health and safety criteria.
• The existing agency standards have been in place for decades and badly need updating, the American Nuclear Society said in a report last year.

What's next: Senate appropriators plan to take up their energy-water spending bill Thursday morning.

📝 1. Permission granted: The Manchin-Barrasso permitting overhaul is headed to markup in Senate Energy and Natural Resources tomorrow.

• We think it's likely to advance, but opposition from environmental groups has only grown in recent days.

🏭 2. Steel your face: Rep. Ro Khanna is out with a new proposal to create federal tax incentives and subsidies for high-tech and low-emissions steel production.

• Khanna announced the bill at a one-time factory in Pennsylvania.

🚗 3. Car talk: Senate Budget Chair Sheldon Whitehouse is holding a hearing tomorrow morning on the future of EVs, featuring well-known academic Jesse Jenkins and David Schwietert, government affairs chief for the Alliance for Automotive Innovation.