We didn’t call this initiative The Energy Xchange just because we thought it sounded catchy. The name evolved from a conviction that real discourse—not just debate, but conversations where different perspectives actually seek mutual understanding—is too often missing in coverage of the issues with which we are concerned. Consequently, we as a nation are making plans and decisions without sufficiently critical examination of fundamental changes that may lie ahead. To coin a phrase, the future we are planning for may not be the future that we are heading for.

This is far from the first or only effort to promote informed discussions regarding energy and its connections to the economy, national security, and sustainability. We greatly respect and recommend the work of other organizations to promote understanding of these issues—such as the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, OurEnergyPolicy.org, The Energy Collective, Securing and others. The Energy Xchange was developed to complement rather than compete with these other efforts.

But much more attention and in-depth examination of these issues is still needed. In particular, there are fundamental questions and issues that we believe often get lost or obscured in the vast media coverage and myriad discussions about energy technology, policy, and politics. We elaborate on these questions and issues in this introductory episode of The Energy Xchange podcast and related post.

Moreover, it’s not just more or better information that is needed, but more conversation where representatives of different interests and perspectives have an opportunity to explore where their viewpoints overlap and where they diverge to discover a clearer and deeper understanding of the truth.