Profitability Meets Decarbonization: Insights from Baker Botts, Tenaska, and Climate Wells

In this episode, Jason Bennett, Department Chair - Global Projects, Partner at Baker Botts L.L.P., sits down with Bret Estep, Vice President, Development at Tenaska, and Reid Calhoon, CEO of Climate Wells, live from the Carbon Solutions Forum 2025 in La Jolla. Together they explore how the energy industry is aligning profitability and decarbonization through infrastructure innovation, market incentives, and pragmatic investment strategies.

Key insights from the episode include:

• Profitability as a sustainability driver: why lasting decarbonization must include a viable business case and market incentives.
• Voluntary carbon markets gaining maturity: how independent verification and corporate demand are reshaping private-sector climate action.
• Infrastructure timelines and investment realism: balancing ambition with the operational realities of large-scale, low-carbon project development.
• Methane reduction as near-term impact: addressing legacy wells and emissions-intensive fields through practical, profitable solutions.
• Collaboration over polarization: why inclusive, cross-sector approaches remain the most effective path to "more energy, fewer emissions."