From Theory to Breakthrough: How McKean and Witherspoon Used S.T.E.P. to Prepare Frontieras for the Big Beautiful Bill Era
Frontieras co-founders Joe Witherspoon (CTO) and Matthew McKean (CEO).
July 15th, 2025
When Matthew McKean and Joseph Witherspoon began developing Frontieras North America, they weren't guessing about the future of energy; they were forecasting it. Built on the foundational S.T.E.P. framework made famous by economists Robert and David Wiedemer in Aftershock, McKean and Witherspoon committed early to the principle that four forces—Science, Technology, Economics, and Politics—must align for transformational change to stick.
While other energy startups chased subsidies and shifting headlines, the Frontieras team spent over a decade solving for permanence. And in 2025, that patience is paying off. The final pillar—Politics—has arrived in force with the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill, marking the official transition from regulatory suppression to a policy tailwind that could dramatically accelerate Frontieras' expansion.
Building from the Ground Up: McKean’s Data-Driven Leadership
What separates CEO Matthew McKean from others in the energy tech space is how relentlessly he grounded strategy in empirical outcomes—not rhetoric.
In the early years of Frontieras, McKean pored over yield data and operational modeling provided by CTO and FASForm inventor Joseph Witherspoon, a petroleum engineer with decades of experience at Chevron and Marathon. Together, they reverse-engineered not just how coal could be fractionated cleanly, but how a closed-loop, zero-waste system could yield multiple products more valuable than the sum of their parts.
That meant every potential product—hydrogen, FASCarbon™, diesel, ammonium sulfate, sulfuric acid—had to be modeled for market demand, infrastructure compatibility, and regulatory risk. And not just in the U.S., but across global jurisdictions.
According to McKean, “We treated the yields like an investment portfolio. Every product had to carry its own weight. We didn't build this company around ideas; we built it around numbers Joe proved were real.”
Witherspoon’s validation of continuous-feed Solid Carbon Fractionation meant Frontieras could deliver:
2.3 barrels of liquid fuel per ton of coal
20+ million standard cubic feet of hydrogen per day
A 90% reduction in sulfur compared to petcoke in its solid carbon product (FASCarbon™)
Zero discharge to air, water, or soil
McKean understood that if these numbers held—and they did—Frontieras didn't need permission from ESG-driven capital markets. It just needed time and policy realignment.
S.T.E.P. Becomes Strategy
McKean’s decision to internalize the Wiedemers’ S.T.E.P. model wasn’t academic; it was operational. The early years were a masterclass in controlling what you can:
Science was stable—hydrocarbons work, and always have.
Technology was proven—thanks to Witherspoon’s design, "Alfred" (the FASForm test unit), confirmed yields that were independently validated and even insurable.
Economics were modeled conservatively—no revenue stream was hypothetical, and no pro forma relied on tax credits.
But politics… this was the missing pillar. For years, regulatory frameworks designed to strangle hydrocarbons made projects unfinanceable and uninsurable. Capital wasn’t allergic to coal because of risk; it was allergic because of narrative.
And then came 2025.
The Politics Pivot: the Big Beautiful Bill Changes the Game
The Big Beautiful Bill—a sweeping pro-energy, pro-industry federal package—has blown the regulatory doors open. Now, the very things that made Frontieras contrarian have become competitive advantages:
Energy Independence: Mandates now prioritize domestic fuel sources, directly benefiting coal-based energy innovation.
Industrial and Agricultural Incentives: New tax incentives specifically reward the zero-waste technologies at Frontieras, producing valuable commodities like ammonium sulfate and sulfuric acid.
Accelerated Permitting: Streamlined infrastructure approvals rapidly advance Frontieras’ flagship West Virginia facility and other modular plants across the coal belt.
Under President Trump's administration, significant EPA deregulation has further bolstered these opportunities, removing restrictive policies that once strangled coal-based innovations. Administrator Lee Zeldin’s initiatives rolled back stringent carbon capture mandates and burdensome methane capture requirements, revitalizing smaller producers and stimulating new plant developments. These policy shifts specifically amplify the competitive advantage of Frontieras, whose cutting-edge technology aligns perfectly with America's renewed emphasis on energy independence and innovation. This regulatory renaissance not only enhances profitability, but also ensures Frontieras’ long-term viability and market leadership. This pivot isn't just a start—it's the culmination of 11 years of the Frontieras’ leadership’s methodical preparation for this moment.
McKean + Witherspoon: A Partnership of Vision and Precision
Where McKean forecasts, Witherspoon engineers. Together, they've operated like a two-man think tank on energy’s future.
Years before AI-driven energy consumption forecasts became mainstream, the pair had already built the model. McKean foresaw that global energy demand—supercharged by AI, defense reindustrialization, and fertilizer shortages—would eventually force a reevaluation of hydrocarbons.
“Joe was instrumental,” McKean says. “He showed me how much energy we were literally leaving in the ground—not just in BTUs, but in hydrogen, ammonia, and pure industrial feedstock. We didn't need to fight coal’s image; we needed to redefine what coal is.”
That clarity became a wedge strategy. FASForm wouldn’t burn coal; it would deconstruct it, turning a vilified resource into a diversified commodity platform.
A New Chapter Begins
With deregulation now reality and the Big Beautiful Bill accelerating industrial revival, Frontieras isn’t pitching potential—it’s commercializing proof. The S.T.E.P. model is transitioning from strategic theory to market execution.
In a world short on energy and long on volatility, McKean and Witherspoon didn’t just build a cleaner way to use coal. They’ve redefined the playing field entirely.
The politics have arrived. The first FASForm plant is ready. The future of American energy has been engineered.
To learn more about Frontieras’ patented FASForm™ technology or to become an investor in its mission to deliver abundant, affordable, and available energy, visit www.frontieras.com.