Written on: June 16, 2026
By Tucker Perkins, President & CEO, Propane Education & Research Council
One of the most thought-provoking moments from my recent Path to Zero conversation with Bill Shireman centered on something we don’t often discuss enough in energy: certainty.
Bill Shireman, founder of Future 500, policy innovator, and conflict mediator who has spent decades helping diverse stakeholders find common ground, offered an observation that stuck with me.
Despite what we often see in headlines and social media, he believes that roughly 70% of Americans can find common ground if they’re willing to talk and listen to one another.
That idea matters when it comes to energy.
While political debates often frame our choices as “all oil and gas” or “all renewables,” most Americans simply want access to energy options that are affordable, reliable, cleaner, and diverse. The challenge is that energy innovation operates on a much longer timeline than politics.
In the propane industry, and across the broader energy sector, we work with innovators who are developing technologies that can take years—sometimes a decade or more—to move from concept to commercial deployment. Companies making those investments have to make decisions today based on what they believe the market, regulations, and policy environment will look like years from now.
Yet over the last several years, we’ve seen dramatic shifts in energy priorities from one administration to the next. That kind of policy whiplash makes it difficult to plan, invest, and bring new solutions to market.
Innovation remains one of our most important tools for reducing emissions, strengthening energy security, bolstering the economy, and improving lives. But innovation thrives when there is confidence and stability.
The best path forward shouldn’t be about choosing one energy solution over another. By recognizing the common ground that already exists among the vast majority of Americans, we can create the certainty innovators need to turn good ideas into real-world solutions.
The energy industry is teeming with innovators, scientists, and thought leaders bringing countless cutting-edge ideas to the table. The U.S. must stabilize our policy approach if we’re going to convert these ideas into real solutions to our most pressing energy needs.
