In this episode of Energy Newsbeat – Conversations in Energy, host Stu Turley sits down with Sarah E. Hunt, President of the Rainey Center, to break down groundbreaking new polling that reveals overwhelming bipartisan support for American energy dominance, secure domestic data centers, and rapid permitting reform. Sarah explains how voters overwhelmingly link energy independence to national security, the growing AI arms race with China, and the urgent need to build every possible electron—nuclear, natural gas, solar, wind—to safeguard America’s technological future. From China’s 10x energy build-out to AI-driven permitting solutions, this conversation delivers sharp insights, alarming realities, and a clear call to action for policymakers across the U.S.

Highlights of the Podcast

00:00 - Intro

00:33 – Why Energy Dominance = National Security

01:04 – The Shocking Truth About U.S. Data Stored in China

02:27 – Voters See a Tech Arms Race With China

03:23 – China’s 10x Energy Build-Out Advantage

03:58 – Nuclear Power, Permitting, & Speeding Up Builds

05:42 – Using AI to Fix Permitting Bottlenecks

06:08 – The “Three Horsemen” of Energy Dominance

07:02 – Voters Overwhelmingly Support Cutting Red Tape

08:03 – Grid Vulnerabilities & Chinese-Linked Equipment

09:02 – Electricity as a Weapon of War

10:12 – Bipartisan Consensus on Energy Independence

10:40 – How the Rainey Center Started

11:22 – Supporting Local, State & Federal Leaders

14:00 – State-Level Energy Action & AI Competition With China

16:41 – The Electricity War for Human Freedom

17:15 – Wind, Solar, Nuclear & Reality of Energy Costs

18:44 – Who Should Pay for Data Center Power?

20:18 – Solar Already Built But Stuck in Red Tape

21:48 – Critical Minerals, Supply Chains & Energy Security

22:13 – How to Follow & Connect With Sarah

23:59 – Closing Remarks

We recommend checking out the Rainey Center for Public Policy: https://www.raineycenter.org/

Follow Sarah on her LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahelisabethhunt/

Check out https://theenergynewsbeat.substack.com/

and

https://energynewsbeat.co/

The Global Energy Markets are changing, and Giacomo Prendelli (Jack) stops by the Energy News Beat podcast.

There are just some great days in the world, and today was no exception. I had the honor of visiting with Giacomo Prandelli of the Merchant’s News Substack. It was a great time. After doing over 1,000 episodes, I can tell if the conversation feels like 5 minutes, it was a good Conversation in Energy.

I started reading The Merchant’s News Substack and was impressed with Giacomo’s (Jack) articles and research. Today’s discussion was really a great setup for the geopolitical issues the Trump Adminstration is facing while trying to keep energy prices down.

Key Discussion points:

1. The current state of the oil and energy markets, including factors affecting oil prices such as geopolitical tensions, production levels, and demand.

2. The shifting global power dynamics, with the United States, Russia, China, and India emerging as the key players, while the European Union and the UK are seen as declining in influence.

3. The impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on energy markets and the potential role of the United States in shaping the outcome.

4. The challenges faced by the renewable energy transition, including the reliability and cost-effectiveness of technologies like wind and solar compared to traditional fossil fuels.

5. The potential for countries like Libya and Guyana to become important oil producers with low production costs.

6. The issues facing the energy infrastructure and policies in California, particularly the reliance on oil pipelines and the push towards renewable energy.

7. The background and motivation behind the Merchant’s News Substack, which the host sees as a valuable source of analysis and insights on energy and commodity markets.

Time Stamps:

00:18 Introduction in Switzerland

02:18 Shadow Fleet Ends

05:00 Energy Policies and the EU, and UK

07:57 World bifurcating into new trading blocs

13:18 NATO

18:26 Investment Charts Gold, metals, and Oil

25:29 Biden and Trump have different moves as leaders

29:17 Russia, North Africa, and Europe

Do not judge the site based on the landing page. The great cartoons are eye-catching with fantastic details behind the story. When I first started reading his articles and finding out what he was writing about, I was shocked. When you jump into his articles and financial discussions, you can walk away with a great appreciation for the work he is putting into every article.

You can also find Jack on his LinkedIn here.

Check out his post on X. Jack Prandelli

For the Full Transcript: https://theenergynewsbeat.substack.com/

or https://energynewsbeat.co/

What a week in the oil and gas markets. We have Dark Fleet Tankers over the weekend rolling up on Venezuela to be filled up, and Michael Tanner and Stu Turley talked about it on the Sunday release of the Energy News Beat Stand Up. Stu points out that President Trump needs to pay attention, as if he does not enforce the sanctions, we might as well ignore OPEC and the pricing models.

Sure enough, on Tuesday, President Trump rolls out the blockade, and DRW on The Hot Take of the Day has a great article on his Substack. Stu has reached out to get him scheduled for another interview.

Throw on a good Gavin Newsom problem this week with Oregon, Washington, and more refineries, and we have a wild ride forming up like a thunderstorm in Q1 2026.

1. The situation in Venezuela and the potential impact on oil supply and prices. Stu discusses how the U.S. actions against Venezuela could affect global oil markets.

2. The possibility of an upcoming commodity bull run, particularly in the oil market. Stu cites an article suggesting that oil could be the next commodity to see a major price increase.

3. The tensions between global energy companies like ExxonMobil and European regulations, with Stu discussing how stricter EU policies could prompt ExxonMobil to exit the European market.

4. The importance of energy infrastructure projects like the Western Gateway Pipeline to ensure energy security on the U.S. West Coast.

5. New regulations in New York requiring greenhouse gas reporting, which the host suggests could lead to oil and gas companies leaving the state.

6. The progress on the Alaska LNG pipeline project, which the host sees as a positive development for U.S. energy exports.

Time Stamps:

01:10 DRW talks about Venezuela Oil and Chris Wright

03:17 ExxonMobil and Chevron to benefit

03:50 Is President Trump's team listening to Energy News Beat

04:45 Will Oil be the next in the commodity markets?

06:01 The EU's worst legislation ever

08:00 Phillips 66 Pipeline to the West - Could be a help to California in a few years

10:20 New York Needs to Learn from the EU - New Climate Regulations

12:25 Alaska LNG gets green lights

Buckle up, we are in for a wild 2026.

Stories Covered in the Stand UP

1. Venezuela Isn’t Escalation — It’s Supply Management

2. Will Oil Be the Next in the Commodity Bull Run?

3 .The EU’s Worst Piece of Legislation, According to an Exxon Top Executive May Force Exxon Out of the EU

4 .Phillips 66 Sees an Opportunity to Supply the West Coast with the Western Gateway Pipeline: A National Security Imperative

5. New York Releases Regulation Requiring Mandatory GHG Reporting for Large Emitters from 2027

6. Alaska LNG Pipeline Gets Final Approvals Ahead of Schedule

Check out the full Transcript on https://energynewsbeat.co/

and https://theenergynewsbeat.substack.com/