Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words
Episode: Big Tech Wanted ‘Clean Energy.’ Ohio Gave Natural Gas
Host: Jack Fowler (substituting for Victor Davis Hanson)
Guest: Rep. Troy Balderson (Ohio, 12th District)
Date: February 10, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode, guest-hosted by Jack Fowler while Victor Davis Hanson recovers from surgery, features Congressman Troy Balderson, a leading voice on energy policy in the House of Representatives. The conversation centers on the transformation of Ohio’s economy through natural gas extraction, America’s role in global energy production, and legislative efforts aimed at securing affordable, reliable, and clean energy for the nation. Insights touch on economic revitalization, infrastructure, energy policy debates, and the real-life impact of energy on local communities and national prosperity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ohio’s Energy Revolution and Economic Impact

[05:11 - 08:30]

• Ohio’s 12th District, spanning from Columbus to the Ohio River, sits atop the Utica and Marcellus Shale.
• Discovery and extraction of natural gas revitalized Southeast Ohio’s economy, especially after coal plant and mine closures.
• Economic benefits extend far beyond drilling: restaurants, hotels, repair/tire shops, even local entrepreneurship (e.g., services for rig workers).
• “It brought back great pride to those communities…” (Balderson, 05:56)

2. The Broader Lesson: Energy, Growth, and Social Mobility

[09:01 - 13:48]

• Energy generation is foundational for economic growth, poverty alleviation, and social progress.
• Fowler references global contrasts: “You look at—say—South Africa generally, it has relative impoverishment… Surely cheap, accessible, reliable energy is atop of that.” (12:40)
• Balderson: Emphasizes that jobs, entrepreneurship, and pride return to communities when energy industries thrive.

3. U.S. Clean Energy Narrative and Natural Gas Advocacy

[13:48 - 16:59]

• At international forums like Davos, Balderson advocates for the recognition of U.S. natural gas as clean energy (“98% carbon free”).
• Data centers, manufacturing, and advanced facilities (Intel, Amgen, Anduril) require enormous, consistent power—supplied by gas and increasingly, nuclear.
• “They kept saying, ‘We want clean energy.’ Well, we’re giving them clean energy: natural gas.” (Balderson, 15:13)
• The U.S. has reduced carbon emissions more than any other nation, largely thanks to natural gas.

4. America’s Natural Gas Abundance and National Strategy

[16:59 - 19:33]

• The tri-state region (OH, PA, WV) could become the nation’s biggest gas producer—potentially even surpassing Texas’s Permian Basin.
• “Between western Pennsylvania, western West Virginia, and southeastern Ohio, we are sitting on 40% of where natural gas will come from.” (Balderson, 17:09)
• There is a century’s worth of gas beneath Ohio alone.
• New investments, such as Siemens’ $1B for gas turbine manufacturing, signal a resurgence in U.S. industry tied to energy.

5. Legislative Solutions: Clarifying Energy Standards and Fast-Tracking Projects

[20:55 - 30:21]

• Affordable, Reliable, Clean Energy Security Act:
  • Seeks to codify definitions of “affordable,” “reliable,” and “clean” energy to provide regulatory certainty and prevent policy whiplash between administrations.
  • “Let’s put that in statute so each different administration that comes in changes everything.” (Balderson, 21:15)
• Guaranteeing Reliability through Interconnection of Dispatchable Power Act (Grid Act):
  • Designed to break bureaucratic gridlock (6–8-year delays) in connecting new power projects (both fossil and renewables) to the grid.
  • “Right now that interconnection queue is 97, 98% full. Nothing’s moving. It’s just stagnant…” (Balderson, 24:22)
  • Would require action within one year or restart the process, helping all fuels.
• CLEAR Act:
  • Aims to curb frivolous lawsuits that stall infrastructure and energy projects across the spectrum (from pipelines to renewables).
  • “We have so many...lawsuits after lawsuit after lawsuit after lawsuit. We’re trying to eliminate all these frivolous lawsuits...” (Balderson, 29:09)

6. The Future: U.S. Energy Independence and Global Implications

[31:03 - 35:26]

• If the U.S. “unleashed” its energy potential, it would enable repatriation of manufacturing, wage growth, and broad prosperity.
• Emphasizes social dignity and community renewal: "It inspires everybody to do that because people take great pride...they can provide for their families..." (Balderson, 32:03)
• Notes that plant closures rippled through communities, but energy revival is reversing those losses with better jobs.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On economic revival:
  “It brought back great pride to those communities as local producers were starting to get into the [shale] play and it just expanded from there...”
  — Rep. Balderson [05:56]

• On the push for clean energy and natural gas:
  “They kept saying, ‘We want clean energy.’ Well, we’re giving them clean energy: natural gas. And natural gas is 98% carbon free...”
  — Rep. Balderson [15:13]

• On U.S. leadership in carbon reduction:
  “The reduction that we have dropped in the United States from carbon is three times the world combined of what we’ve dropped.”
  — Rep. Balderson [16:23]

• On the scope of Ohio’s resource:
  “Between western Pennsylvania, western West Virginia, and southeastern Ohio, we are sitting on 40% of where natural gas will come from right now.”
  — Rep. Balderson [17:09]

• On infrastructure bottlenecks:
  “Right now that interconnection queue is 97, 98% full. Nothing’s moving. It’s just stagnant sitting there. And what do we need right now? We need power.”
  — Rep. Balderson [24:22]

• On legislative clarity:
  “Let’s get the definitions with that. Let’s put that in statute so each different administration that comes in changes everything.”
  — Rep. Balderson [21:15]

• On the promise of American energy:
  “By unleashing this energy dominance that we could have is very empowering of what it can do.”
  — Rep. Balderson [32:26]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:11 – Introduction and background on Balderson's career
• 05:11 – Ohio’s economic transformation from shale energy extraction
• 13:48 – Perspectives on clean energy, Davos, and national pride
• 16:59 – The scale and strategic importance of Ohio’s gas reserves
• 20:55 – Legislative efforts to standardize and clarify energy policy
• 24:14 – Explanation of the GRID Act and bureaucratic barriers
• 28:59 – The CLEAR Act: fighting litigation gridlock
• 31:39 – The vision for America unleashed as an energy superpower

Tone & Style

The conversation is candid, upbeat, and practical. Balderson is matter-of-fact, stressing the economic and social value of energy abundance, while Fowler injects both grassroots details and broad historical perspective, keeping the tone accessible yet deeply informed.

Concluding Thoughts

This episode conveys a strong conviction: that reliable energy—especially natural gas—is a key driver of American economic vitality and technological progress. Legislative reforms are positioned as solutions to regulatory confusion, infrastructure delays, and partisan tug-of-war over what counts as “clean” energy. The case for natural gas as a clean, abundant, and strategic American resource is made both pragmatically and patriotically, positioning the heartland as an emerging world energy capital.