Ep 119: Rep. Sean Casten, Illinois’ 6th Congressional District
This episode was previously for members only. In an effort to make content free, this episode is now available for everyone. Today's guest is Sean Casten, U.S. Representative of Illinois 6th Congressional District. Congressman Sean Casten is an American entrepreneur and Democratic politician, serving as the U.S. Representative for Illinois sixth congressional district. A freshmen in the 116th Congress, he is the first Democrat to represent the sixth district in nearly 50 years. We cover a lot in this episode, including Sean’s roots and how he came to care about climate change. We also discuss how his thinking on the problem has evolved from his time as a science and engineering student in college to his career as a clean energy entrepreneur to his current role as a member of Congress. I learned a lot in this one and I hope you do as well. Enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Inevitable · Jason Jacobs, Sean Casten
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Show Notes
In today’s episode, we cover:
- Sean’s experience as an entrepreneur.
- Sean’s background in science and his interest in climate change.
- How business revealed to him the regulatory and legislative barriers related to climate development.
- How his father and his work in cogeneration plants influenced his interest in biofuels and climate.
- The challenges faced by mission-driven energy companies.
- Why he feels, in general, the tech component is overstated as a barrier.
- Why deployment of technology is the real challenge.
- How Sean transitioned from business to politics.
- Why framing climate change, in a way that appeals to constituents’ specific interests, is key.
- The specific areas of the Green New Deal he takes issue with.
- How the needs of addressing climate change far exceed what’s politically possible currently.
- Why critical issues, like climate change, cannot be decided by the majority.
- What Sean recommends concerned citizens should do to address climate change.
- What Sean believes the U.S. needs to do to address climate change.
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
- Website: https://casten.house.gov/about
- Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Casten
- Recycled Energy Development: http://www.recycled-energy.com/
- IMF Fossil Fuel Subsidy Report: https://www.imf.org/en/Topics/Environment/energy-subsidies
- Green New Deal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_New_Deal
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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant