Jim Connaughton on the Arc of Enrichment
What you’ll get in this episode of Energy Thinks
Humans across history have built networks that provide water, energy, food, transportation, and information—the infrastructure that makes modern life possible! Jim Connaughton, an energy, environment, and technology expert (and the former chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality under George W. Bush), believes we are at the beginning of the next one: an Arc of Enrichment.
In the last two installments of the Arc of Outrage series, I argued that the future needs a voice in today’s infrastructure decisions—and offered four questions that can bring the future into the room. But what happens when a community still does not want the future your project would help build?
Jim Connaughton’s answer is blunt: Go where the future is wanted.
Start with communities prepared to say yes, build there well, and let everyone else see what follows. Not every “no” can—or should—be converted into a “yes.” Jim’s provocation is that leaders should stop spending so much of their time and treasure trying to win over communities locked into opposition. Instead, he says, seek out the places that are prepared to build.
In this episode, I speak to Jim about how we can take advantage of the promise of the Arc of Enrichment amid the growing data center outrage. We discuss his case for sweeping permitting reform and his wonderfully memorable formula for getting infrastructure built: YIMBY + FOMO. Listen in to get his optimistic take (and find out why he thinks “FOMO is a really, really powerful force”).
Why Jim Connaughton?
Jim is the visionary grounded in pragmatic experience whom I’ve been looking for. He has spent his career at the intersection of energy, technology, innovation, policy, and law. He can geek out on the realities of policy and legal frameworks while still articulating a positive, compelling vision for AI, data centers, and the infrastructure that makes our modern lives possible.
Some of Jim’s insights
On what happens during the Arc of Outrage: “Once you’re in the Arc of Outrage and the community is locked into a NIMBY mode, there isn’t a path. My view is: Pick up your bag and get out fast. The community is just not ready, and that’s okay.”
On starting with communities that want development: “The only process that actually works is starting with a YIMBY community—starting with a ‘Yes, in my backyard’ community. If you start with a ‘Yes, in my backyard” community, they’re already solving for the natural concerns that come up about this infrastructure.”
On building the foundation for a 21st-century future: “What’s coming in the next 20 years is super exciting, but for that to work, it has to sit on top of a 20th-century infrastructure that can make it happen. We cannot enjoy our 21st-century future of a lot more for a lot less unless we build the 20th-century infrastructure that makes it happen.”
Bonus content
More about Jim: James L. Connaughton is an energy, environment, and technology expert with experience spanning the White House and public and private sectors. He served as chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality from 2001 to 2009, advising President George W. Bush on energy, environmental, natural resource, and climate policy. He has since held senior leadership roles across the energy and technology sectors and currently serves as CEO of JLC Strategies and a senior advisor to Nautilus Data Technologies.
Order your copy of The Myth and The Moment: From Polarization to Progress in the New Energy Landscape.
Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack.
More from my recent Arc of Outrage series:
- “The Arc of Outrage Has Come for Data Centers”
- “Stop Calling It Data Center Misinformation”
- “We Are Nowhere Near Peak Data Center Outrage”
- “The Data Center Arc Isn’t Fracking. It’s Worse.”
- “The Future Has the Right of Way”
- “Everything We Do Is Making It Worse”
- “Arc of Outrage: Bring the Future into the Room”
Recent podcasts:
- “The Ride You Can’t Get Off”
- “Persuasion Won’t Shorten the Arc of Outrage” with Lee Beck
- “Boardwalk’s Scott Hallam on Lessons from a Past Arc of Outrage”
- “The Cost of a No-Build Future”
- “Arc of Outrage: Who Speaks for the Future?”
What to do next in The Moment
- Read The Myth and The Moment? Share your thoughts with a review—it helps others discover the book.
- Forward this newsletter to an infrastructure leader navigating their own NIMBYs, YIMBYs, and BANANAs.
- Need to prepare your organization for the Arc of Outrage? Reach out to schedule a leadership briefing.
- If Jim’s vision resonated with you, heart this post and share it with someone building what comes next!
To a little healthy FOMO,
Tisha
