The environmental community is set to break its own election spending records defending the IRA, Nick writes.

Why it matters: Debates about selling the law to voters — and how many times the word "climate" is mentioned on the stump — have overshadowed the fact that the climate movement is now a permanent fixture of Democratic politics.

• "When I got to Congress [in 2009], it was not implicit, in either the House or the Senate, that climate was central to the Democratic brand," Sen. Martin Heinrich told Nick. "Now that is very much the case."

By the numbers: LCV Victory Fund and its affiliates said they plan to spend a record $120 million on the election.

• The group had reported raising more than $44 million as of July 31, making it the ninth-largest super PAC by fundraising this election cycle, per data compiled by OpenSecrets.
• Meanwhile, EDF Action Votes beat its own record in July by raising $5.6 million.

Zoom in: Since the failure of Waxman-Markey and Democrats' subsequent 2010 midterm disaster, environmental groups have become some of the party's most important outside spenders.

• During the DNC, several environmental super PACs announced a $55 million ad buy for Kamala Harris.
• "It's far and away the most that the climate community has ever done in terms of an ad campaign in a presidential race," said Pete Maysmith, senior vice president of campaigns for LCV Victory Fund.

Between the lines: The new ads pick an economic theme — standing up to corporations, inflation, and the middle class — and connect them to alleged oil price gouging and "clean" energy.

• "The best thing that we can possibly do as environmental advocates with electoral money is to make sure [Donald Trump] doesn't go to the White House," said Jack Pratt, president of EDF Action Votes.
• "To do that, you have to meet voters where they are."

Yes, but: There are plenty of questions about whether this strategy will actually work amid Trump's threats to rescind the climate law.

• Voters remain unaware of the IRA, and Harris' backtracking on fracking suggests she's trying to strike a balance in Pennsylvania and other swing states.
• "Certainly, the progressive environmental groups weighed in heavily on Joe Biden to make this his signature issue," said Emily Domenech, a former top GOP aide now with Boundary Stone Partners. "But I am skeptical about their ability to effectively defend it."

Rob Gramlich was working to build more power lines to connect clean energy before it was cool, Daniel writes.

Why he matters: Gramlich, a former FERC adviser and wind energy lobbyist, is founder and president of Grid Strategies LLC, a prolific publisher of reports that aim to demystify the power grid.

Gramlich sat down with Axios at Boqueria Dupont. His remarks have been edited for length.

You've hailed the Senate permitting reform proposal that the energy committee approved in July. Why are the transmission provisions so important?

As a reliability matter, we keep seeing instances of severe weather threatening generation supplies. Interregional transmission is the best way to keep the lights on by delivering power from next door. Interregional transmission has never been seriously addressed by FERC.

Why have building transmission lines — ubiquitous and necessary features of our power grid — become so politically polarizing in DC?

It's just a symptom of the partisanship we have today, where if one party is the first one to speak up on an issue, then the pattern is the other party says they should either be opposed or they should just withhold their support in order to get something for it.

What's the winning argument with Republicans to get them to support transmission lines?

Republican offices care about reliability, and they care a lot about power demand and economic development. Everybody agrees we want to manufacture chips in this country. Well, guess what? You need a lot of electricity for that.

👽 1. Oil probe news: Top Democrats wrote a series of letters blasting oil companies for a "woefully inadequate response" to their inquiries about an alleged quid pro quo with the Trump campaign.

• Trump outlined a pro-drilling agenda to oil execs earlier this year and asked them to help raise $1 billion, prompting Democrats to investigate.
• " Your response did not attempt to refute the accuracy of this reporting. Accordingly, we offer you another chance to cooperate with this bicameral, multi-Committee investigation," they wrote.

😢 2. That was quick: House Speaker Mike Johnson's CR strategy is falling apart, Axios' Andrew Solender reports.

• Johnson had proposed to kick the spending deadline into next year and pass a controversial elections bill.

🔋 3. Banned batteries: The House yesterday passed by voice vote Rep. Carlos Gimenez's bill that would ban DHS from buying batteries made by major Chinese companies.