Ed note: Travis Fisher, a protege of economist Roy Cordato at North Carolina State University, has blossomed into one of America’s top energy analysts and public policy entrepreneurs. With a grounding in classical liberalism and Austrian school (realistic) economics, Fisher represents the future of applied energy analysis. “Travis stood out because he was genuinely interested in ideas,” recalls Professor Cordato. “His intense interest, as a graduate student, led him to do an independent study with me in Austrian Political Economy, which he has built upon ever since.” 

Travis Fisher has emerged as a thoughtful, principled, and influential voice in contemporary American energy policy. As Director of Energy and Environmental Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, he brings a rare combination of intellectual rigor, hands-on governmental experience, and an unwavering commitment to free-market principles.…

“There’s a thing out there called a ‘climate husher.’ Anyone who cares about what fossil fuel pollution is doing to Earth’s natural systems needs to ignore these so-called ‘climate hushers’ – people who think Dems should stop talking about climate.” – Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.)

Climate messaging is a mess as the Progressive Left tries to square the energy circle with affordability. Traditional messages have flunked. Complained one activist:

Maybe the problem isn’t climate denial. Maybe it’s climate messaging. We’ve been attempting to scare or shame people into caring, and it’s not effective. Is it time to completely rethink how we talk about climate and sustainability? We’ve spent years trying to influence people through fear, data, and moral urgency. The results? Mixed.

The latest despair comes from Bill McKibben in his Earth Day post, Let’s TALK Climate.…

“The narrative of the Progressive Left on energy and climate has become strained as a result of Trump’s energy/climate policy reversal. Hundreds if not thousands of government-enabled energy interventionists are out of action or seeking other employment. A deregulatory dynamic has been created, in other words.”

In “Trump’s Energy Triumph,” (March 13, 2026), Kimberly Strassel of the Wall Street Journal wrote:

The biggest threat to this plan was always the Biden administration, which halted liquefied natural-gas exports, shuttered Alaskan and Gulf drilling, snubbed Middle East partners, pressed investors to abandon fossil-fuel projects, and dispatched John Kerry to kill energy deals. All in the name of climate change.

She continued:

These would also be the folks who sold off the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to win an election. Want to send real fear through energy markets?

“Nuclear fission is the most complicated, fraught, expensive way to boil water to produce steam to drive electrical turbines.”

What U.S. industry is at once the most subsidized and regulated by the federal government? The answer is commercial nuclear power. As a result, the 73-year-old “Atoms for Peace” program represents the most expensive failure (malinvestment) in US business. potholed with uncompleted projects and massive cost overruns with completed projects. Future decommissioning costs will add to this liability.

But hyperbole rules with this technology, and there is always tomorrow. Forget that competitive viability did not emerge in the 1950s or 1960s, and George W. Bush and Joe Biden both failed at their attempted “nuclear renaissance.” Expect the same to result from today’s interventionist energy policy.

A future post will outline the crash attempt by President Trump and DOE secretary Chris Wright to get new nuclear capacity on track.…