In this episode of Recharged with the State Impact Center, we spoke to Kent Chandler, who is currently a resident senior fellow in energy and environmental policy at the R Street Institute and was formerly Executive Director, and later Chair, of the Kentucky Public Service Commission and also served in the Kentucky Attorney General’s office. Along with our Deputy Director & Energy Director Jessica Bell, Kent discussed his career in public service and energy law, and the importance of state commissions. Hear his perspective on energy affordability, data centers, and infrastructure siting.

Energy wonks and regular folks perplexed by the energy landscape alike will gain valuable insights from this episode.

You’ll hear the word “RTO” in this episode, which stands for regional transmission organization.

Show Notes:

• R Street: Learn more about the R Street Institute.
• Energy Law Resource Library: Check out the State Impact Center’s collection of educational resources to help you in your energy law practice.
• Powerlines PUC Job Board: Browse this jobs board reflecting the latest public utilities commission job openings.
• National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Career Center: Take advantage of NARUC’s career center to find employment opportunities in the regulatory utility space.
• National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates Job Board: Look through this jobs board to see state utility consumer advocate opportunities across the country.

We recap what we’ve learned on the podcast in 2025, highlighting key insights from each of our guests, ranging from a state attorney general, state utility commissioners, and communications experts. And at the end of the episode, we pull out the best pieces of advice our guests have given, which may be of special interest to law students and early career folks.

2025 Episodes:

• A Conversation with Washington State AG Nick Brown
• The Detail is in the Data: How to Talk about Shared Environmental Concerns with Dana Johnson and Joshua Low
• The Power of Storytelling: How Stories Drive Climate Action
• From the Public Service Commission to the Bench: A Conversation with Judge Nazarian
• Commissions are Cool! with Carrie Zalewski
• ​​​​​Rebuilding After the 2023 Wildfires: Commissioner Yost on Making Hawai’i’s Energy More Affordable and Communities Safer​​​
• Energy Efficiency is a Win-Win-Win, with Carolyn Conant

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In this episode of Recharged with the State Impact Center, we spoke to Carolyn Conant from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE). Together with our staff attorney, Madeline Collins, Carolyn discussed the basics of energy efficiency and its intersection with affordability and grid reliability.

• ACEEE Website: https://www.aceee.org/
• Residential Retrofits for Energy Equity: https://www.aceee.org/r2e2