Energy Thinks with Tisha Schuller

Tisha Schuller
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  • SOCIETY & CULTURE

tishaschuller.substack.com

  1. 3D AGO

    Jim Kerr on Your Generational Opportunity

    What you’ll get in this episode of Energy Thinks This week, I sit down with Jim Kerr, chairman, president, and CEO of Southern Company Gas, for a conversation about what happens when the realities of physics, economics, and historically high energy demand collide with The Myth of an Easy Energy Transition. Jim would be humble and interesting while talking to a tree stump. But lucky for you, he is even more engaging with me. A few things you’ll hear us discuss: * Why “the laws of physics and economics are undefeated” when it comes to our energy system * The growing pressure on the natural gas and electric systems as demand rises * How leaders can move beyond picking winners and losers in energy debates * Why humility and honesty matter in conversations about energy and climate We agree: Easy narratives about the energy transition are giving way to mature, nuanced conversations about trade-offs. Why Jim Kerr? Before leading Southern Company Gas, Jim served as a utility commissioner in North Carolina—which means he understands energy not just from the perspective of operations and infrastructure, but also from the perspective of public accountability. He argues for natural gas, reliability, and infrastructure investment while also acknowledging trade-offs, environmental concerns, and the importance of public trust. At a moment when so many conversations about energy devolve into ideological battles, Jim’s uncommon sense of leadership, stewardship, and service elevates the conversation. Some of Jim’s insights: On the iron laws and intellectual humility: “This is a business that is ultimately governed by the laws of physics and economics. ... We can wish that they were different, but they’re not going to change. The laws of physics and economics are undefeated. And I think if we will humble ourselves, engage, and listen to each other … we can avoid the certitude that ‘I know the answer, and my answer is unassailably the correct answer.’” On what customers know about energy complexity: “Fundamentally, folks want an energy system that is as clean, as reliable, as affordable, and as safe as possible. But people also understand there’s a balance to those things—that there are trade-offs inherent in the system.” Bring on the permitting reform! “The system that we were increasingly reliant on had really been underinvested in fundamentally. … There is no substitute for more fit-for-purpose infrastructure being built. So we need permitting reform.” On why this moment matters: “I do think we’re at the dawn of a new day of abundance, not scarcity, multiple opportunities, not sort of certitude about … a silver bullet. … I think the next couple of decades are truly an opportunity that will be generational.” Bonus content! Bio: Jim Kerr is chairman, president, and CEO of Southern Company Gas, one of the nation’s largest natural gas utilities serving more than 4 million customers across the country. Before joining Southern Company in 2014, he served for eight years on the North Carolina Utilities Commission and was president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. Kerr previously practiced energy law and policy at McGuireWoods, where he focused on energy regulation, transactions, and infrastructure development. Today, he is a leading voice on energy reliability, natural gas–electric coordination, and the infrastructure needed to meet growing U.S. energy demand. Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack to hear Jim and me discuss The Myth and The Moment. National Petroleum Council’s Report Reliable Energy: Delivering on the Promise of Gas-Electric Coordination. My recent podcast episodes “Don’t Take the Bait,” “Energy Abundance Is Non-Negotiable. Responsibility Is, Too.,” and “Climate Plans Get Punched in the Face,” with California PUC Commissioner Matt Baker. Order your copy of The Myth and The Moment: From Polarization to Progress in the New Energy Landscape. What to do next in The Moment * Email us and we’ll help you with your physics homework. * Enjoying The Myth and The Moment? Leave a review to help others find it. * If this email was forwarded to you, please subscribe here. To certitude with a splash of humility,Tisha Get full access to Both of These Things Are True at tishaschuller.substack.com/subscribe

    41 min

  2. MAY 7

    Don’t Take the Bait

    What you’ll get in this solo episode of Energy Thinks In last week’s Both True, I wrote about a shift I’m watching closely: climate priorities being repackaged as affordability arguments. Affordability is now the governing political test on energy—and some decarbonization-first advocates are repositioning their programs as the key to energy affordability. This week’s solo pod picks up the next, harder question: What do you—the oil and gas leader—do with this insight? If your first move is to scoff and say, “That’s just climate masquerading as affordability,” you will be correct. But you are unlikely to be effective. In this solo episode, I work through: * Why being right is not the same thing as being effective * What oil and gas leaders can and cannot credibly call out * How to respond when affordability arguments skip over energy system complexity * Why emotional discipline is a core leadership skill * What political signals from California and Democratic presidential politics may tell us about where energy arguments are headed next A preview On the “first simple answer”: “A lot of what is climate masquerading as affordability is a sincere, first, simple solution. And we all need to be committed to working further on that topic to get to the actual, more nuanced answer.” On why calling it out may not work: “If you say, ‘Oh, that’s just climate masquerading as affordability,’ everyone is just going to roll their eyes and look the other way.” On what to do instead: “Let’s go up to 100,000 feet. Let’s look at a longer time scale. Let’s explore the question of affordability in a bigger physical context.” On the real leadership test: “I do 100 percent believe in telling the truth. The subtle thing I want to emphasize here is: When, where, and how can we be effectively persuasive?” Bonus content for this episode My latest book, The Myth and The Moment. My most recent Both True, “Is Climate Action ‘Energy Affordability?’” Mentioned: Politico’s “Tom Steyer Is Running the Most Expensive Campaign in America. It Might Win Him the California Governorship, and “Tom Steyer’s Climate Pivot Signals New Playbook for Dems.” Tell me what you think: “Doing Data Centers the Not-Dumb Way” Volts podcast with Jigar Shah. Relevant podcasts of mine: “Climate Plans Get Punched in the Face” and “Energy Abundance Is Non-Negotiable. Responsibility Is, Too.” Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack. What to do next in The Moment? * Want our help with your strategy? Email us to secure a contract spot for Q4 2026. * Please give Energy Thinks a five-star rating wherever you listen to your podcasts. * Was this email forwarded to you? Please subscribe here. Hit the heart button below—it helps others find our work! To effective truth-telling, Tisha Get full access to Both of These Things Are True at tishaschuller.substack.com/subscribe

    23 min

  3. APR 23

    Energy Abundance Is Non-Negotiable. Responsibility Is, Too.

    Planning your 2026 leadership event? Order The Myth and The Moment for your team. (Reach out for bulk pricing.) What you’ll get in this solo episode of Energy Thinks Last week, I made the case that energy abundance is a civic good—and that oil and gas remain central to achieving it. This solo pod explores some of the consequences of that argument: What does energy abundance as a civic good require of industry? What does it ask of the Problem Solvers? And who decides what comes next? In this solo episode, I work through: * What follows from the civic case for energy abundance and the five truths that underpin it * Why “We’re essential” is not a sufficient case for oil and gas * What a social contract might require of companies like yours operating at the center of modern life * Why Problem Solvers matter more than perfect persuasion * Why someone still has to make a coherent case for unmitigated natural gas (ASAP!) A preview Why a civic case for energy abundance matters: “This is particularly poignant right now, when we see the angst around permitting reform, around power systems’ build-out. The momentum is still on the side of anyone who wants to say no. The only way that calculus is going to change is when there’s a sense of ownership and buy-in and agency around these projects at each community level. Or the nays will always win.” On the social contract: “If you’re doing something that is essential to the well-being of society, there is a social contract expected of the company: that you give more than you receive, that you are there when needed, that you make certain commitments.” On problem solvers and confidence: “I don’t think there is a way to say ‘The Myth is dead’ that people living in The Myth of an Easy Energy Transition can hear. The conclusion I’ve come to is that Problem Solvers must have the confidence to say ‘This is right’ and be willing to take the critique.” Plus: Someone needs to make the case for natural gas. Is that you?! Bonus content for this episode My latest book, The Myth and The Moment. The civic case for energy abundance: Being Essential Isn’t Enough. Matt Yglesias’ piece “Republican War-Mongering Is Their Worst Economic Policy.” Relevant podcasts: “Climate Plans Get Punched in the Face” and “The World Changed. The Climate Playbook Didn’t.” Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack. What to do next in The Moment * We can help your busy team work more strategically. Email us to secure a contract spot for Q3 2026. * Please take a moment to give Energy Thinks a five-star rating wherever you listen to your podcasts. * Was this email forwarded to you? Please subscribe here. * If this landed for you, hit the heart button below. To building the social contract, Tisha Get full access to Both of These Things Are True at tishaschuller.substack.com/subscribe

    33 min

  4. APR 9

    Climate Plans Get Punched in the Face

    What you’ll get in this episode of Energy Thinks My most important conversations right now are focused on The Problem Solvers—those civic leaders squeezed between the climate ambition of their constituents and energy reality. In this episode, I sit down with Matt Baker, Commissioner at the California Public Utilities Commission, to talk about what Problem Solver leadership looks like on the front lines of climate ambition: California. In few places have The Myth of an Easy Energy Transition faced The Moment more clearly than in California. This conversation is important to you for a few reasons: * Matt’s the best kind of Problem Solver—a smart, devoted, pragmatic, experienced climate hawk willing to name trade-offs and argue for workable solutions. * He’s in the middle of the action. He sits at the center of some of the hardest questions in energy right now: what to build, how fast to build it, and who can afford the bill. * He thinks differently than we do. And (as you’ll hear) his view of the world—what matters, what is possible, what is urgent—is very different from yours. You need that diversity of thought. How does Matt address the yawning gap between the climate expectations of his constituencies and the on-the-ground pressures around cost and reliability? “I’m thinking of that quip from Mike Tyson’s,” he told me, “which is ‘All plans are great until you get punched in the face.’” For a long time, he added, regulators like him operated under an implicit plan for the energy transition: First drive efficiency, then decarbonize power sources, then electrify everything else. But now that punch Tyson was talking about has arrived in California, in the form of rising costs, reliability stressors, and wildfire liabilities. What makes Baker worth hearing is his unflinching commitment to the centrality and urgency of climate ambition to the state’s goals and his mandate. He argues that reliability and affordability are the necessary conditions for climate action. You need to understand this point of view. Why Matt Baker? I met Matt when I was head of the Colorado Oil & Gas Association and he was a Colorado public utilities commissioner. He’s someone I’ve long known to be both a passionate climate hawk and a deeply pragmatic thinker. Matt brings a perspective we don’t hear enough from: what it looks like to sit at the center of the regulatory beast, where every decision is a trade-off—and getting it wrong has real consequences for your neighbors. In his case, 39 million of them. Some of Matt’s insights: On climate ambition versus reality: “It’s super important as an energy regulator to recognize that if we can’t provide safe, reliable, and affordable energy services, then we will not be able to meet those climate goals. That prime directive—particularly reliability and affordability—has to go hand in hand if we’re going to meet [climate] goals.” On climate progress: “We have to get used to living in difficult worlds and making trade-offs—but still moving the ball as far as we can every time we get it.” The quiet part was said out loud: “I continue to believe natural gas is a critical fuel, and that California really needs to be able to think about how do we get clean firm [power]. And until we have clean firm [power sources] that are economical, we’re going to rely on natural gas.” On depolarizing energy and climate: “This is not a religious war. ... This is not a crusade on either side. My goal is to make energy boring again! Let’s talk about cost allocation. Let’s talk about resource planning.” Bonus content! More about Matt Baker: Matt Baker is a commissioner at the California Public Utilities Commission, appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2024. He brings decades of experience in energy and climate policy, including serving as director of the CPUC’s Public Advocates Office and deputy secretary of energy at the California Natural Resources Agency. Previously, he was a commissioner at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission and a program officer at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Baker began his career in public interest advocacy and holds a BA in history from Pennsylvania State University. Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack to hear Josh and me discuss The Myth and The Moment. Read Jennifer Pahlka’s Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better. CPUC’s report to the California Earthquake Authority: Senate Bill 254 Information and Recommendations. Order your copy of The Myth and The Moment: From Polarization to Progress in the New Energy Landscape. What to do next in The Moment * Email us and we’ll help you train for your next boxing match. * Enjoying The Myth and The Moment? Leave a review to help others find it. * If this email was forwarded to you, please subscribe here. To rolling with the punches,Tisha Get full access to Both of These Things Are True at tishaschuller.substack.com/subscribe

    46 min

  5. APR 2

    Your Antidote to the Politics of Fear

    Planning your 2026 leadership event? Order The Myth and The Moment for your team. (Reach out for bulk pricing.) What you’ll get in this solo episode of Energy Thinks Fear works—up to a point. So even before we found ourselves amid a war in the Middle East and an energy crisis, a fear-driven politics was forming in reaction to AI, data centers, and energy buildout. Why? Because fear is politically easy for both the left and the right. But you—the successful energy leader—want much more than scoring easy political points. Your challenge: Offer an alternative vision to the demagoguery. And then connect that vision to your stakeholder communities, to give them a path out of the fear. Both of these things are true: * Fear will be the default politics around AI, data centers, and energy infrastructure growth. * Leaders must offer a vision of the future—complete with that infrastructure—that communities will actually champion. In this solo episode, I work through: * Why a politics of fear is emerging around AI, data centers, and energy * What it takes to offer a credible, optimistic vision of the future rooted in innovation and real-world outcomes * Why communities—not just policymakers—will ultimately determine what gets built and what doesn’t A preview The opportunity the politics of fear gives us: “Fear as a political approach is the default, and we should expect that. … I think it leaves this wide-open lane for someone to talk about the future in an optimistic way.” On the real goal of community engagement: “You want champions. You don’t just want to be an invited guest, but a recruited, welcome, sought-after partner in building communities of the future.” On articulating a better enemy: “What if polarization became the enemy? The polarization is turning our politics into these wild, populist pendulum swings, making it impossible to get common sense things done, like budget bills and permitting reform.” Bonus content for this episode My latest book, The Myth and The Moment. A song that inspired my spring break (h/t to the hubby, Brian!). Relevant podcasts: “The World Changed. The Climate Playbook Didn’t.” and “The Center Won’t Hold Itself.” Mentioned: an Axios story on how AI CEOs are fueling a more fear-driven conversation about the future. Watch the episode on YouTube. What to do next in The Moment * We can help your busy team work more strategically. Email us to secure a contract spot for Q3 2026. * Please take a moment to give Energy Thinks a five-star rating wherever you listen to your podcasts. * Was this email forwarded to you? Please subscribe here. * If this landed for you, hit the heart button below. To providing that compelling vision, Tisha Get full access to Both of These Things Are True at tishaschuller.substack.com/subscribe

    29 min

  6. MAR 12

    The World Changed. The Climate Playbook Didn’t.

    What you’ll get in this episode of Energy Thinks I sit down with Alex Trembath, executive director of the Breakthrough Institute, because I wanted to explore a question that’s been on my mind for a while: Are we really moving past what Alex calls the “peak climate” era? (Because I’m not so sure.) For much of the past two decades, climate change has been the central organizing force for energy policy, politics, philanthropy, and corporate strategy. But the world is shifting. Geopolitics, economic pressures, and new technologies—especially artificial intelligence—are changing the political context for energy and climate. Alex and I talk about what that means for the future of the energy transition, the persistence of what I call the “climate orthodoxy,” and the debates now emerging inside Democratic politics around oil and gas, nuclear, the grid, and the one thing that determines how everything unfolds: permitting reform. If you’re trying to understand where the conversation on energy and climate may go next, this is a good place to start. Why Alex? I’ve known Alex for a long time, and he’s one of the people I turn to when I want to stress-test my thinking about energy and climate. At the Breakthrough Institute, Alex has helped develop an eco-modernist perspective that puts technological innovation and energy abundance at the center of solving environmental challenges. When Breakthrough first started advancing these ideas, they were often seen as fringe. Today, many of these same ideas—innovation, advanced nuclear, carbon removal, energy abundance—are much closer to the center of the conversation. I wanted to talk with Alex because the world feels as if it’s shifting again. The climate agenda that dominated the past decade is running into new political and technological realities. The question now is: What replaces the old playbook—and how does our industry contribute to a thriving, vibrant energy landscape? Some of Alex’s insights * On peak climate: “For most of my career, climate change was the central organizing force for progressives and for the Democratic Party. Reaching net-zero emissions by mid-century was non-negotiable. Everything was framed around how it contributed to the climate agenda. I think that world is over.” * On our role: “The oil and gas industry has a lot of industrial and technical knowledge to share, with carbon removal, clean fuels, geothermal, and other emerging energy technologies. There are many ways industry can continue to accelerate energy innovation and expand energy abundance.” Bonus content! Watch on YouTube or listen on Substack to hear Alex and me discuss The Myth and The Moment. Order The Myth and The Moment: From Polarization to Progress in the New Energy Landscape. What to do next in The Moment * Enjoying The Myth and The Moment? Leave a review to help others find it. * If this email was forwarded to you, please subscribe here. * Are you ready to contribute to the next energy conversation? Hit that heart button below. On to what comes next, Tisha Get full access to Both of These Things Are True at tishaschuller.substack.com/subscribe

    52 min

  7. FEB 26

    Ban the Bans

    What you’ll get in this episode of Energy Thinks The most important conversations often must reckon with a profound tension: two opposing ideas that are both true. Example: * Communities deserve voice and process. * Communities can’t keep using their voices to “ban” the stuff that keeps the lights on—pipelines, transmission, firm generation—without consequences: spiking bills, stalling projects, and disappearing reliability. I look for conversations with people with whom I don’t always agree—in order to explore the tensions that we must confront to make progress. In this episode, I sit down with Josh Freed, senior vice president for climate and energy at the centrist think tank Third Way, to explore what a U.S. energy strategy rooted in the national interest could look like. That’s the connective tissue between today’s theme and the bigger question behind it: We can’t ban our way to the national interest. We have to define what we’re optimizing for—reliability, affordability, security, competitiveness, and yes, lower emissions—and then build the infrastructure that makes those goals real. Josh brings an important, and still too rare, perspective to our industry’s work: What is politically viable to Democrats, and what do American citizens care about? We talk about the affordability pressures shaping public sentiment, the deeper failure to build infrastructure at scale, permitting reform, nuclear power, natural gas, coal, innovation, and what it would take to restore a sense of mission to American energy policy. If we are serious about moving beyond polarization—and about building again—we need this kind of conversation. And if you’re an oil and gas leader, you can’t delegate this to your government affairs team. It’s a direct call to leadership from you. The next decade will be defined by whether we can build—and whether industry (you!) shows up as a credible partner in defining and addressing the trade-offs that building requires. Why Josh? I’ve known Josh for nearly a decade. We do not see the world the same way. And that’s exactly why I wanted him on the show. Josh and his colleagues at Third Way are helping shape the future of the Democratic Party’s energy message. That’s good news—because Josh consistently challenges orthodoxies on the left, questions ideological purity tests, and argues that clean energy must compete on cost and reliability if it’s going to scale. If you care about building durable coalitions—and ensuring oil and gas companies can be credible partners in what comes next—you need to understand how leaders like Josh are thinking. He represents the kind of center-left partner you’ll be able to do business with ... if you’re ready to make trade-offs yourself. Some of Josh’s insights * What energy is politically viable? “Democrats and centrists need to re-embrace ‘all of the above.’ The reality is, natural gas is still used in our economy and in economies around the world for a wide variety of reasons, and it’s going to continue to be used for the foreseeable future. Oil is the same way, and we have to not only accept but embrace that reality.” * On a linchpin for permitting reform: “We—as a country, the energy sector, developers, investors—need to have confidence that there’s a path that works and that the government is good for its word, regardless of who’s in power in the White House ... and we just don’t have that right now, and we didn’t have that to the full extent that we should have in the last administration, either.” * On American leadership: “There’s this broader systemic problem, which is we don’t build infrastructure or do big things in the United States anymore. And it is because there’s this ideological challenge on both sides of the aisle that we need to only adhere to a set of technologies, a set of market constraints, or other politically imposed circumstances that really do limit the way our economy builds things and powers the country.” Bonus content! We also talk about The Myth and The Moment—why “easy transition” narratives collapse the moment you collide with reliability, permitting reform, and the sheer scale of infrastructure required. Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack to hear Josh and me discuss The Myth and The Moment. Order your copy of The Myth and The Moment: From Polarization to Progress in the New Energy Landscape. What to do next in The Moment * Email us, and we’ll help you train for the energy race. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. * Enjoying The Myth and The Moment? Leave a review to help others find it. * If this email was forwarded to you, please subscribe here. * Are you ready to race? Hit that heart button below. Over (opting out) and out, Tisha Get full access to Both of These Things Are True at tishaschuller.substack.com/subscribe

    42 min

  8. FEB 12

    The Center Won't Hold Itself

    Planning your 2026 leadership event? Order The Myth and The Moment for your team. (Reach out for bulk pricing.) What you’ll get in this solo episode of Energy Thinks The political center matters—and it won’t hold itself. Whereas the political extremes reward polarization and populism, sustaining a functioning and productive polity requires … you! The work ahead needs your engagement, curiosity, and willingness to compromise—even when your effort is awkward, incremental, and unappreciated. Whether a strong, pragmatic left emerges to join a vibrant political center matters to you, your company, and what comes next. Why is this work so important? Because the same sort of tension defines the work of the Problem Solvers—governors, regulators, public utilities commissioners, and others caught between climate aspiration and on-the-ground energy reality. As affordability, reliability, and power-system growth collide with climate goals, these leaders are operating under tightening constraints and are accountable when trade-offs can no longer be avoided. You need to give them a path on which to walk forward confidently. You need to ensure there is firm ground in the political center. In this solo episode, you’ll hear me think through: * Why a functioning political center is essential—and why it requires us to build and sustain it * What’s happening on the center left as pragmatism, populism, and institutional responsibility collide Here’s a preview: On why replacing one populism with another is not a solution: “The natural order of things will be for the pendulum to swing from the current populist right to a populist, illiberal left. A lot of progressive politics suggests that this is what we should want. But I think that’s a dangerous assumption, and I don’t live in a world where that feels like a stable or healthy outcome.” On the active work required to sustain pragmatic politics: “It’s really important in America that we have two functioning parties that encourage civility, that encourage … bipartisan legislation that encourages incremental change, compromise, and progress. … To not have a country run by polarization or populism of either left or right, illiberalism on both the left and the right, we have to be curating the center.” On engaging across disagreement: “Wherever you fall on the political spectrum, be an organization and a leader worthy of engaging with those with whom you disagree. Be smart. Be curious. Be willing to compromise, and be willing to look at things from their perspective.” Bonus content for this episode My latest book, The Myth and The Moment. My piece “The Best Thought Experiment You’ll Do This Year”. Relevant podcasts: “The Gas Moment Is Real. It’s Also Fragile.” and “Trim Your Sails” My series on working with the Problem Solvers: Part 1, “The World According to the Problem Solvers,” Part 2, “Ding Dong The Myth Is Dead,” Part 3, “Three Steps to Calling It Right,” and Part 4, “How Building Becomes the New Climate Leadership.” Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack. What to do next in The Moment * We can help your busy team work more strategically. Email us to secure a contract spot for Q2 2026. * Please take a moment to give Energy Thinks a five-star rating wherever you listen to your podcasts. * Was this email forwarded to you? Please subscribe here. * If this landed for you, hit the heart button below. To a crowded center, Tisha Get full access to Both of These Things Are True at tishaschuller.substack.com/subscribe

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