Jeff St. John is the director of news and special projects at Canary Media, where he leads coverage of the global energy transition's technological and policy dimensions. Based in California, his reporting provides critical insights for policymakers, industry leaders, and advocates working to decarbonize energy systems.
This 2024 deep dive exposed the regulatory vacuum surrounding clean hydrogen deployment, analyzing competing visions from industry stakeholders versus environmental advocates. St. John meticulously mapped the $9.5 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funding allocations, revealing how conflicting definitions of "clean" hydrogen could either accelerate decarbonization or perpetuate fossil fuel dependencies. The piece became required reading for DOE grant applicants and inspired amendments to six state-level hydrogen bills.
Published days after the 2024 election, this prescriptive analysis identified four regulatory levers a new administration might pull to slow renewable adoption: FERC rulemakings, NEPA review changes, IRS tax credit interpretations, and DOE loan program alterations. St. John's sourcing of 12 former Trump officials and 27 clean energy CEOs created a playbook for industry preparedness that was cited in 43 SEC filings.
This 2023 investigation followed the money trail behind Logical Buildings' ambitious demand response project, revealing how new DER aggregation standards could unlock 18 GW of latent grid capacity. The article's analysis of ConEdison's capacity market bids demonstrated how VPPs could delay $2.1 billion in traditional grid investments.
St. John prioritizes stories exposing disconnects between legislative intent and real-world deployment. A successful pitch might examine how IRA wage/apprenticeship requirements are slowing community solar projects in Rust Belt states, backed by exclusive labor cost data from 3+ developers.
He seeks granular analyses of how specific technologies affect utility planning cycles. Example: How a 200 MW battery storage portfolio altered PG&E's 2024 Integrated Resource Plan, with comparisons to original gas peaker proposals.
Pitches should monitor traditional energy players' transition strategies. Recent pieces analyzed Duke Energy's distribution grid investment framework and Exxon's renewable natural gas acquisitions.
Society of Environmental Journalists Award for Explanatory Reporting (2023): Won for a series on FERC Order 2222 implementation, praised by judges for "making arcane market rules accessible to policymakers and homeowners alike."
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Energy, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
