Recharged with the State Impact Center

In this episode of Recharged with the State Impact Center, we spoke to Shawn LaTourette, former Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Along with our Regulatory Director (and Shawn’s former deputy), Sean Moriarty, Shawn spoke about how to approach environmental work, his belief that the environment is the economy, and advice for early career professionals. 

Listen to this conversation between old friends to get expert insights on environmental law and regulations.

Show Notes:

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

In this episode of Recharged with the State Impact Center, we talk to Commissioner Colin Yost of the  Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission. ​​Together with our legal staff member, Lauren McCrea, ​Commissioner Yost​​​ ​​talks about ​​his agency’s work​​ to protect people and make energy more affordable for ​​Hawaiians​​ in the aftermath of the 2023 wildfires​​​.​​​​ 

Show Notes: 

• Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission: Read more about what the Public Utilities Commission regulates and how. 

In this episode of Recharged with the State Impact Center, we talk to Washington Attorney General Nick Brown on his career path, his priorities as a recently-elected state AG, and how his office approaches environmental law with a focus on public health, safeguarding clean water, and preserving fish and wildlife in Washington State. We also talk to his office’s Chief of the Environmental Protection Division, Bill Sherman, about the history of the Division, the latest trends in environmental law, and more. 

This episode is part of our What Is a State AG? series,  where we break down the role of state AGs and talk about their significance standing up for the communities they represent. 

This episode contains valuable insights for law students, environmental advocates, and everyone in between who wants to learn more about what AGs are doing to protect people and the environment.

Show Notes: 

• About Nick Brown: Read more about Washington state’s 19th attorney general.
• Environmental Protection Division: Learn more about the work of the Division in protecting Washingtonians and the environment

In this episode of Recharged with the State Impact Center, we talk to Dana Johnson, policy advocate, fundraiser, government affairs consultant, and founder of Strategic Movement Collective LLC, and Joshua Low, Partnerships Director at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. We discuss polling data and what people think about climate change, along with the importance of connecting to people through storytelling (yes, even in legal practice!). We also do a case study on clean energy: what the data says, how to translate that data into a message, and how to address opposing messages.  

You’ll hear the word “appropriations” in this episode. An appropriation is a law of Congress that delegates budget authority to federal agencies. 

• Climate Change in the American Mind: Read the various reports by YPCCC that investigate, track, and explain public climate change knowledge, risk perceptions, policy support and behavior.
• Global Warming’s Six Americas: Learn more about the six unique audiences within the American public that each respond to climate change in their own distinct way (and take their quiz to find out which of the Six Americas you are in!)
• Voters Say Lawmakers Should Listen to Communities Over Fossil Fuel Interests: Read Dana’s blog post breaking down a Data for Progress and WE ACT survey on energy permitting and the Environmental Justice for All Act.
• Climate Change in the American Mind: Public Perceptions of the Health Harms of Global Warming, Fall 2024: Read more about the YPCCC study conducted in late 2024 that, among other things, looked at public perceptions of federal agencies in terms of climate change.
• Americans’ support for climate justice: Learn about what Americans think of climate justice in this YPCCC article, which Dana helped with.
• Fifteen AGs Sued Federal Administration Over “National Energy Emergency”: Check out how AGs are pushing back against the federal administration’s bypassing of environmental review projects for energy projects.

We talk to Carrie Zalewski, former Chair of the Illinois Commerce Commission and current Vice President of Transmission and Electricity Markets at American Clean Power Association. Together with our Regulatory Director, Sean Moriarty, she talks about connecting renewable energy to the grid, the importance of reliability and affordability when it comes to energy, and why state utility commissions are cool. 

You’ll hear the words “PJM” and “MISO” in this episode. These are grid operators. PJM covers all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia in the mid-Atlantic. MISO covers all or parts of 15 central states.

• American Clean Power Association - Read more about the work of the American Clean Power Association to power a stronger, cleaner economy. 
• Climate and Equitable Jobs Act - Learn about the 2021 Illinois law aimed at easing costs for energy customers and reducing emissions. 
• “Costs to build gas plants triple, says CEO of NextEra Energy” - Read more about Carrie’s mention of the time it takes to build a gas turbine while discussing the need for speed. 
• Tracking Transmission Reform - Learn about why transmission reform is a critical aspect of climate response and what’s at stake, and check out what’s being said about transmission in the media.

Judge Doug Nazarian of the Appellate Court of Maryland speaks with his former law clerk, Kat O’Konski, about career paths in state government and state energy regulation. Together, they discuss Judge Nazarian’s past experience regulating utilities as Chair of the Maryland Public Service Commission and his path to the bench, offering unique insights for law students and professionals alike.

• Appellate Court of Maryland - Read about the structure and role of the court.
• Maryland Public Service Commission - Learn about the Maryland Public Service Commission, including the current commissioners.
• Judicial Clerkship Guide - Check out this guide to state court judicial clerkships.
• National Association of Regulatory Utilities (NARUC) Careers - Learn about career opportunities in public service commissions.

In this episode of Recharged with the State Impact Center, Tiernaur Anderson (the Center's former Digital Media Manager) sits down with Director of Storytelling and Engagement at Project Drawdown Matt Scott. Matt shares his personal journey into climate storytelling, inspired by his own life experiences. This episode discusses the transformative role of storytelling in advancing climate solutions and how Project Drawdown’s initiative, Drawdown’s Neighborhood, uses personal narratives to inspire action. Matt emphasizes the importance of uplifting underrepresented voices in the climate space, highlighting stories from Black, Indigenous, and queer communities. This episode also explores how storytelling can empower decision-makers and influence climate policy, especially at the community level.

Legal professionals and advocates will find valuable insights on how they can approach climate justice issues in a way that centers both community voices and actionable policy outcomes. A key takeaway of this episode is that individuals’ stories can be powerful tools in shaping climate policy.

Matt Scott - Visit Project Drawdown’s website to learn more about Matt Scott and his work.

Project Drawdown - Visit Project Drawdown’s website to learn more about their work.

Drawdowns Neighborhood - Learn more about Project Drawdown’s short documentary series, Drawdowns Neighborhood, hosted by Matt Scott.

Pattrn - Learn more about the Weather Channel’s streaming network Pattrn, which Matt discusses during the episode.

Drawdowns Neighborhood San Francisco Bay Area video series - Watch Project Drawdown’s full video series of stories from San Francisco Bay Area climate heroes.

Drawdown, The Book - Check out Project Drawdown’s book on climate solutions.

Global Solutions Diary - Learn more about Project Drawdown’s Global Solutions Diary and how you can get involved and share your story.

What is a State Attorney General - Learn more about State Attorneys General, written by Tiernaur Anderson.