Get ready for a powerhouse conversation on the future of energy!
Host Dan Romito sits down with Doug Sandridge, Senior VP at Fulcrum Energy and a passionate advocate for both oil & gas and nuclear power. Doug shares his incredible 50-year journey in the energy sector, from his early days in Midland, Texas, to his global perspective shaped by living and working around the world.
TUNE IN NOW!
00:00 – Introduction: Meet Doug Sandridge, Senior VP at Fulcrum Energy
00:27 – Doug’s background: 50 years in oil & gas, global upbringing
01:47 – Early career stories: From Midland, Texas to the oilfields
03:04 – College days: Nuclear engineering, Three Mile Island, and career pivot
05:21 – Transition to oil & gas management, family advice, and career path
06:45 – Current work: Colorado oilfields and Fulcrum Energy
08:04 – Oil & Gas Executives for Nuclear: How the group started
09:21 – The “bloods vs. crips” myth: Oil, gas, and nuclear collaboration
10:45 – Teaching, energy education, and discovering the broader energy world
12:51 – Realizing the limits of net zero and the need for nuclear
15:21 – The Indian Point closure: Doug’s “nuclear radicalization”
18:02 – Politics and advocacy: Why nuclear plants are really being shut down
20:10 – Environmental NGOs: Generational divides and anti-nuclear sentiment
22:34 – The nuclear renaissance: Climate concern driving new support
24:17 – Oil, gas, and nuclear: Overcoming industry stereotypes
26:40 – Mark Nelson, Robert Bryce, and the power of energy podcasts
29:45 – The history of nuclear’s struggles: Oil shocks, overbuilding, and protests
32:56 – The Cold War, public perception, and the rise of environmental NGOs
36:38 – Net zero “pipe dream”: The realities of decarbonization
41:04 – Virtue signaling, policy games, and the economics of energy
45:00 – California’s oil & gas paradox: Production vs. consumption
48:15 – Industry narrative failures and the need for better communication
51:17 – Chris Wright, Trisha Curtis, and new voices in energy advocacy
54:52 – NIMBYism, data centers, and the future of energy demand
59:00 – The gas-to-nuclear transition: What’s really happening
1:02:00 – Why does nuclear take so long? Permitting, regulation, and politics
1:07:00 – State vs. federal energy policy: The Colorado and Illinois stories
1:13:00 – National security, supply chains, and the case for American nuclear
1:18:00 – Subsidies, investment, and the economics of building nuclear
1:23:00 – Doug’s call to action: Oil & Gas Executives for Nuclear
1:27:00 – Final thoughts: Physics, policy, and the future of energy
1:30:00 – Where to find Doug’s work: Energy Ruminations and more
1:32:00 – Outro and next