A Tribute to David Blackmon: A Powerful Voice for Energy Sanity
By Stephen Heins, The Word Merchant
David Blackmon is a dedicated figure in the American energy sector. He has a 40-year career in the oil and gas industry, with much of it focused on shaping and analyzing public policy. His work connects industry practices with policy decisions, making him a widely recognized subject matter expert who brings decades of hands-on experience to complex debates on energy security and sustainability.
For over two decades, Blackmon worked in public policy, handling regulatory and legislative matters for companies like Burlington Resources, Shell, El Paso Corporation, FTI Consulting, and LINN Energy. He managed industry initiatives on issues at local, state, and federal levels, pushing for practical energy development.
For example, he helped address fracking regulations during the early shale boom in the 2000s, working to balance environmental concerns with production growth. From 2010 to 2012, he was the Texas State Lead for America’s Natural Gas Alliance, where he promoted natural gas as a bridge fuel amid the shale expansion, including efforts to educate policymakers on its role in reducing emissions compared to coal.
Outside of corporate and advocacy positions, Blackmon has become a communicator on energy topics. As the principal of DB Energy Advisors, he consults on energy issues and writes commentary for outlets such as Forbes, The Daily Caller, and World Oil Magazine.Examples of his work include a 2013 Forbes article critiquing how climate alarmism interferes with policy debates on fracking, a 2019 piece analyzing Michael Bloomberg’s campaign against natural gas, and a 2022 Forbes recap of a week’s energy policy developments, covering topics like California’s gas car ban and Germany’s energy challenges.
More recently, in 2025, he wrote about setbacks in the energy transition, such as data center demand straining power grids and ExxonMobil cutting low-carbon investments. His Substack newsletter, David Blackmon’s Energy Additions, provides daily updates on the expansion of all energy sources—what he calls “energy addition”—rather than a forced shift away from fossil fuels. He also hosts the Energy Impacts podcast (formerly The Energy Question), featuring episodes such as a 2025 interview with Dan Yergin on global energy markets and another with Philip Goldberg on climate lawsuits against energy companies.
He appears regularly on the radio, TV, and other media to explain policy issues, focusing on energy security, affordability, and practical solutions. Blackmon’s views emphasize realism in energy debates. He sees climate alarmism and Net Zero goals as anti-humanism on a global scale, as they can limit access to reliable energy and slow economic growth.
He has said he won’t support renewables until they operate without subsidies and become as profitable as other sources, noting that the renewables sector often doesn’t cooperate with traditional energy due to what he calls “climate change arrogance.” Instead, Blackmon promotes “energy humanism” and a “Best of the Above” strategy—meaning an all-of-the-above approach—to end energy poverty worldwide.
He argues for treating Africa as an equal partner in economic development and communications. He highlights how energy poverty hits women hardest, through risks such as indoor air pollution from cooking fuels and the added labor burden without electricity. He supports nuclear energy, including small modular reactors (SMRs), for their potential to power AI and reduce emissions. His principles of energy sanity include prioritizing abundant energy, reliability, adequate infrastructure, economic development, human health, and capital formation via profits and debt management.
In polarized discussions on climate and energy, Blackmon offers clarity grounded in experience, stressing that policy should support abundance, innovation, and economic strength. His efforts have informed readers, shaped conversations, and helped maintain America’s energy position in the energy world. With over 21,000 followers on LinkedIn alone and contributions that have influenced policy during pivotal moments like the U.S. shale revolution, Blackmon stands as a key advocate for “energy sanity,” countering ideological extremes with pragmatic insights that prioritize human flourishing and global energy equity.
Blackmon has witnessed and influenced changes in the energy industry, contributing significantly to US energy sanity over the last 40 years.
I applaud both David Blackmon and Stephen Heins for their focus on energy rationalism.
David is a long-time ally and just the best at calm, cool, rational analysis!