Advertise on podcast: The Energy Forum

Artificial intelligence, data centers, and industrial growth are driving a new wave of electricity demand, while also placing growing pressure on water systems that underpin energy and infrastructure development. In this special cross-posted episode from "Talking Under Water," hosted by Bob Crossen of Endeavor Business Media, Gabriel Collins of the Center for Energy Studies at the Baker Institute examines how water availability and cost are increasingly shaping decisions across energy and industrial sectors. The conversation explores data centers, oil and gas operations, power generation, and advanced manufacturing, with a focus on trade-offs among efficiency, resilience, and scale. This episode appears on "The Energy Forum" feed as part of an ongoing partnership between the Center for Energy Studies and Endeavor Business Media, highlighting where energy and water challenges intersect — and why those connections matter for infrastructure planning and policy.

Oil markets are entering 2026 with rising geopolitical risk and an uneasy global supply balance. In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” Abhi Rajendran and Skip York break down what recent political developments in Venezuela and Iran could mean for crude oil production, prices, and long-term investment decisions. This episode provides a timely look at where oil markets may be headed, what could tighten or loosen global balances, and why Venezuela could once again become strategically important for long-term supply portfolios. Featured: Abhi Rajendran, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/abhi-rajendran  Skip York, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/harold-skip-york This conversation was recorded on Jan. 12, 2026.  You can follow @BakerInstitute and @CES_Baker_Inst on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

Oil markets are heading into 2026 with more uncertainty than prices suggest. In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” Abhi Rajendran and Skip York discuss why oil prices have remained resilient despite apparent oversupply. They examine OPEC+ supply discipline, non-OPEC production growth, China’s oil stockpiling, and what these forces mean for market balance. The conversation also explores geopolitics, sanctions, and tightening refining capacity, raising the risk that today’s soft crude prices could give way to higher fuel prices and a sharper rebound later this decade. This conversation was recorded on Dec. 12, 2025.  Featured guests: Abhi Rajendran, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/abhi-rajendran Skip York, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/harold-skip-york You can follow @BakerInstitute and @CES_Baker_Inst on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” energy and transportation policy fellow Ed Emmett talks with Michael Graff, former chairman and CEO of American Air Liquide, about hydrogen’s past, present, and future. Together, they explore how this versatile fuel fits into today’s energy transition and what it will take to make it a truly global solution. This conversation was recorded on Oct. 29, 2025.  Follow Ed Emmett on X (@EdEmmett) and LinkedIn. You can follow @BakerInstitute and @CES_Baker_Inst on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

Nonresident fellows Abhi Rajendran of Energy Intelligence and Skip York of Turner Mason & Co. joined “The Energy Forum” to examine the state of global oil markets in 2025. Drawing on themes from the Annual Energy Summit (Panel: 1:15:49 – 2:20:39) and the latest “Energy Insights” report, they discuss market flexibility, risk premiums, shale’s slowdown, and what to watch as prices test new lows heading into 2026. This episode was recorded on Oct. 20, 2025. 

The energy sector is evolving fast, and so are the opportunities for the next generation. In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” Michael Maher, chief of research operations at the Center for Energy Studies, and Nicole Van Den Heuvel, associate dean of students and executive director of Rice University’s Center for Career Development, explore how students are preparing for careers across oil and gas, renewables, consulting, finance, and beyond. They discuss what employers value most, how recruiting has shifted in a digital world, and the skills that set students apart.   This episode was recorded on August 14, 2025.    Featured: Michael Maher, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/michael-d-maher  Nicole Van Den Heuvel, https://profiles.rice.edu/staff/nicole-van-den-heuvel  You can follow @BakerInstitute and @CES_Baker_Inst on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” Center for Energy Studies nonresident fellows Abhi Rajendran, director of oil markets research at Energy Intelligence, and Skip York, energy economist and industry strategist, explore why markets look more resilient today than a decade ago, how supply chains have adapted, and the signals to watch as we move toward 2026.  This year’s Energy Summit, which the Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies and Baker Botts will co-host on Oct. 7-8, will further examine resilience in global energy supply chains and the innovations shaping the industry’s future. This conversation was recorded on Sept. 10, 2025. Featured guests: Abhi Rajendran, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/abhi-rajendran Harold “Skip” York, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/harold-skip-york You can follow @BakerInstitute and @CES_Baker_Inst on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

This is Part 2 of our deep dive into the world of advanced recycling. In this episode, Rachel Meidl continues her conversation with Marco Castaldi, professor of chemical engineering at the City College of New York, to examine the science and policy landscape shaping the future of plastic waste management. They unpack the major categories of advanced recycling and explore why these technologies are often misunderstood or mischaracterized. This episode looks at what it will take to scale advanced recycling responsibly and why nuanced, science-based decisions are critical for building public trust and resilient systems. This conversation was recorded on July 7, 2025.  Follow Rachel Meidl, LP.D., CHMM on X (@MeidlRachel) and LinkedIn. You can follow @BakerInstitute and @CES_Baker_Inst on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

Despite decades of effort, only about 9% of plastic waste is successfully recycled. The vast majority ends up in landfills or incinerators. In Part 1 of this two-part episode of “The Energy Forum,” Rachel Meidl is joined by Marco Castaldi, professor of chemical engineering at the City College of New York, to unpack the complex world of advanced recycling, also known as chemical or molecular recycling. They discuss what advanced recycling actually is, how it differs from traditional mechanical recycling, and why it’s become such a hot topic globally, plus: Can advanced recycling reduce dependence on fossil-derived plastics? Will it complement or compete with current systems? What policies and investments are still missing? This conversation was recorded on July 7, 2025.  Follow Rachel Meidl, LP.D., CHMM on X (@MeidlRachel) and LinkedIn. You can follow @BakerInstitute and @CES_Baker_Inst on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” we explore what’s shaping the global oil market as we head into the second half of 2025 and beyond. Center for Energy Studies nonresident fellows Abhi Rajendran and Skip York break down why oil demand surprised to the upside in early 2025, how OPEC+ is phasing out production cuts, and why non-OPEC supply growth is slowing. They examine the factors influencing prices through 2026 and what global demand might look like heading toward 2030 and beyond. This conversation was recorded on July 22, 2025.  Follow Abhi Rajendran on X and LinkedIn. Follow Skip York on LinkedIn. You can follow @BakerInstitute and @CES_Baker_Inst on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

The health care sector produces a significant amount of plastic waste, much of it non-contaminated and potentially recyclable. In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” Rachel Meidl, deputy director of the Center for Energy Studies and fellow in energy and sustainability, speaks with Peylina Chu, steering committee chair at the CPHI Sustainability Collective and former executive director of the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council, about opportunities for the industry to advance sustainability while maintaining patient safety.   They discuss the challenges of recycling medical plastics, the potential of advanced technologies, and how petrochemical companies can help drive progress toward a more circular economy.   Featured guest: Peylina Chu, https://www.cphi.com/en/about/about/sustainability-collective.html This conversation was recorded on June 26, 2025. Follow Rachel Meidl, LP.D., CHMM on X (@MeidlRachel) and LinkedIn. You can follow @BakerInstitute and @CES_Baker_Inst on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” Ken Medlock sits down with Julie Cohn, a Center for Energy Studies (CES) nonresident scholar and research historian, and Miaomiao Rimmer, CES research manager, to explore how the Texas electric grid is adapting to compounding risks from storms, demand growth, and new technologies. They trace the evolution of ERCOT, unpack the dynamics of solar inverters and grid stability, and introduce a new CES dashboard that visualizes 75 years of disaster exposure alongside population growth and critical energy infrastructure. Key topics include: Why the Texas grid is an island — and why it matters. Dealing with grid disturbances like those that surfaced in Odessa, Texas, in 2021 and on the Iberian Peninsula earlier this year. Reconciling planning assumptions and regulations with rising demand. The CES “Natural Disaster Resilience” dashboard and understanding the evolution of risk. Explore the dashboard: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/ces-data-and-research-visualizations. Featured: Julie Cohn, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/julie-cohn  Miaomiao Rimmer, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/miaomiao-rimmer Ken Medlock, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/kenneth-b-medlock-iii This conversation was recorded on June 18, 2025. Follow Ken Medlock, Ph.D., on X (@Ken_Medlock) and LinkedIn. You can follow @BakerInstitute and @CES_Baker_Inst on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

Conflict in the Middle East is shaking the global oil market. In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” Abhi Rajendran, a nonresident fellow at the Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies and director of research and advisory at Energy Intelligence, speaks with Skip York, a Center for Energy Studies nonresident fellow and expert in global market dynamics and upstream strategy, about how escalating geopolitical risk has elevated concerns about global oil supply and is driving oil price volatility. Together, they discuss this and more to facilitate a better understanding of a very dynamic market. Topics include: What recent Israel-Iran escalations mean for global oil flows. How markets are pricing risk and uncertainty. OPEC+ policy moves and whether more barrels will materialize. Why U.S. shale supply may have plateaued. The evolving shape of China’s oil demand. What oil prices might look like in late 2025 and into 2026. This conversation was recorded on June 16, 2025. You can follow @BakerInstitute and @CES_Baker_Inst on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

This episode of “The Energy Forum” takes a deep dive into critical minerals and materials geoeconomics, a space where national security, industrial policy, and global competition intersect.   Featuring Michelle Michot Foss, Baker Institute fellow in energy, minerals, and materials; Gabriel Collins, the institute’s Baker Botts Fellow in Energy and Environmental Regulatory Affairs; and Vinod Veedu, assistant vice president of Rice University’s Office of Research, the conversation builds on a new Baker Institute report exploring how past wars and strategic competitions can inform today’s mineral supply chain challenges.   Read the report here: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/critical-minerals-materials-geoeconomics-2025-report   This episode was recorded on April 1, 2025.

Medical plastic waste is a growing environmental and public health concern, yet only a small percentage is recycled, with the majority ending up in landfills or incinerators. In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” Rachel Meidl, Center for Energy Studies deputy director and fellow in energy and sustainability at the Baker Institute, sits down with Linette Leadon, director of environmental health and safety at MD Anderson, to explore the complexities of medical plastic waste management. They discuss regulatory challenges, innovative solutions, and the need for systemic change to create a more sustainable and resilient health care system. Tune in for a critical conversation on the intersection of health care, waste management, and sustainability.