The Infrastructure Bet: Three Stories About Where American Industry Is Being Rebuilt

Episode 13: The Infrastructure BetAmerica hasn't broken ground on a new primary aluminum smelter since 1980. That changes in Oklahoma. In this episode, we look at three stories about how the rules of where things get built are being rewritten right now — and what they have in common.Story 1 — The Oklahoma Aluminum DealJohn Budd, CEO of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, walks us through how the state won a $4 billion commitment from Emirates Global Aluminum — a sovereign wealth-backed company out of Abu Dhabi — for the first new primary aluminum smelter in the United States in 45 years. A thousand permanent jobs. A potential anchor for aerospace, defense, and critical minerals. And a pitch that came down to power, logistics, and a smarter structure for incentive payments.Story 2 — Active InfrastructureCan you solve an infrastructure problem without building new infrastructure? A growing number of utilities, engineers, and city managers think so. We hear from:Lora Anguay, Chief Energy Resources Officer at Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), on rethinking how reserve grid capacity gets used.Micah Runner, City Manager of Rancho Cordova, on building a semiconductor corridor on existing infrastructure strength.Raja Kadiyala, Global Head of Digital Solutions at Sidara, on "active infrastructure" — and the $300 million a client saved by putting sensors on storm drains instead of building new storage.Jamie Cameron, VP of OpenBlue at Johnson Controls, on buildings that adjust their own setpoints every 15 minutes.Story 3 — Training for Jobs That Are Still Being InventedStephen Tucker runs the Northern Workforce Training Center at Northland Campus in Buffalo, New York. This July, they open two new facilities: a clean tech lab for building maintenance technicians and clean energy workers, and a Western New York Experience Center designed to make the energy transition visible and tangible to ordinary people. Tucker's argument: the real workforce gap isn't in solar or wind — it's hiding in plain sight, in the building engineers and facilities technicians that every hospital, school, and office building needs, and can't find.GuestsJohn Budd, CEO, Oklahoma Department of CommerceLora Anguay, Chief Energy Resources Officer (and Chief Zero Carbon Officer), Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD)Micah Runner, City Manager, Rancho Cordova, CARaja Kadiyala, Global Head of Digital Solutions, SidaraJamie Cameron, VP of OpenBlue, Johnson ControlsStephen Tucker, Executive Director, Northern Workforce Training Center, Northland Campus, Buffalo, NYMentioned in this episode:This episode is sponsored by TNECD