Energy Update: Week of December 10

Friends,

Last week’s tributes to former President George HW Bush (41) continue to resonate.  Given the events, it was a special week that rightfully honored the former President for his leadership, commitment to the institution of the Presidency and his dedication to his family.  It was a nice pause in the day-to-day political battle that has become an everyday occurrence.  

Speaking of those fights, we are already back in the action with last week’s vote on FERC Commissioner Bernard McNamee – a completely party-line, 50-49 vote for approval.  And now, Congress has two weeks to prevent a partial government shutdown from occurring on December 21^st.   Hearings this week will include last week’s postponed House Energy panel hearing on the RFS reform legislation from Reps. Shimkus and Flores which features AFPM head Chet Thompson and rolls tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. as well as a bunch of energy-related bills in House Resources.  The Farm bill roll out seems imminent and it looks like WV Sen. Manchin may have a clear path to the ranking member slot on Senate Energy despite enviro groups concerns. 

The Administration is expected to announce its new rule to replace the Obama EPA’s Waters of the US (WOTUS) rule, which was successfully challenged by 28 states because of its legal overreach.  As the new rule rolls out, let me remind you that my Bracewell colleague Ann Navaro (ann.navaro@bracewell.com) was at the US Army Corps as a water counsel for many years and is the best expert in town on the rule.  She has been tracking this closely, thinking about the rule (especially from her view at a former Army Corps official) and will definitely be available to discuss her take.  Ann suggests this is a significant change in direction that would improve certainty and reduce overly-broad regulatory burdens for landowners, developers, farmers and energy industries. The Administration also moves Wednesday to open up oil/gas drilling in Alaska when Interior auctions leases on 2.85 million acres of land in NPR-A.  Our expert Kevin Ewing (kevin.ewing@bracewell.com) would be good for that one. 

The UN COP 24 meeting continues in Poland and more folks travel there for Week 2.  US Chamber expert and former DOE climate official Steve Eule is there and will be reporting back.  ClearPath’s Rich Powell is there as well joining US officials at a side event this morning to discuss innovation, carbon capture and nuclear power.  Powell joined White House official Wells Griffith and DOE’s Steve Winberg.  The political disarray continues in France over the President Macron’s now repealed carbon/gas tax.  As well, check out a great article by our friends Zack Colman and Eric Wolff at POLITICO that highlights the difficulty in getting people to support an energy/gas/carbon taxes to fight climate change. 

And given all the discussions (and today’s protest on Capitol Hill) surrounding the “Green New Deal”, I thought the energy reading public would like to have access to some of the deeper thinking on decarbonization that would be the underlying policy research for any actions on a GND, carbon pricing or anything else related to a carbon-related energy policy.  Energy experts Sam Thernstrom (EIRP), Jesse Jenkins and Max Luke (both former MIT Energy guys) have new paper in Joule that says expanding and improving the low-carbon electricity portfolio would significantly increase the odds of affordable decarbonization.  The paper adds embracing the need to make clean energy technologies for all fuels cost-competitive will transform the political landscape and unite Americans around a pragmatic plan to eliminate air pollution from electric power plants.

In other key events, following last week’s action at the OPEC meeting, SAFE holds a book event on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. to discuss Bethany McLean’s new book Saudi America: The Truth About Fracking and How It’s Changing the World where she digs into the boom-bust cycles that have plagued the U.S. oil industry over the last 10 years.   Also, the American Geophysical Union’s Fall meeting is here in DC this week rather than its usual SanFran (bummer) so between that and COP24, look for lots of climate science discussions.  Finally, CASAC is meeting on NAAQS/ozone Wednesday/Thursday in advance of next Tuesday’s DC Circuit hearing on the topic.

Even though the Congress stays in next week, with it being the run up to the Christmas week, I wouldn’t expect many events for next week.  Please feel free to call with questions.  

Best,

 

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

C. (202) 997-5932

 

FRANKLY SPOKEN

“Our long-term economic and national security interests cannot continue to be held hostage by a cabal of oil producers who do not share America’s strategic interests or values. It is sad that American presidents need to ask for a cartel to collude in our favor instead of the free market working and America being able to make decisions on its own interest without the worry of OPEC or its member countries.”

SAFE President and CEO Robbie Diamonds following last week’s OPEC meeting where the cartel reportedly agreed to cut supply by 1.2 million barrels per day.

“I fear that the idea of a carbon tax is turning out to be a heavier lift than people envision.  As it is right now, starting from scratch, there is no constituency for it. ... And I think the climate movement needs to go through some rethinking."

Our friend RL Miller, founder of the advocacy group Climate Hawks Vote, in a POLITICO story on Carbon taxes. 

ON THE POD

GTM Podcast Focused on Midterm Results – Our friend Julia Pyper and her colleagues at GTM have a great podcast from a couple weeks ago on what a new Congress could do on clean energy.  In this episode of Political Climate, the team discusses whether the midterm election results will translate to meaningful climate action.  Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via ApplePodcasts, GooglePlay, TuneIn,  Overcast, Stitcher or Spotify.

FUN OPINIONS

One Chart on the Future of Demand for Cars, Trucks – This chart shows that road transport (in both light- and heavy-duty vehicles) remains a major consumer of oil through to 2040. But, according to IEA's 2018 World Energy Outlook, it is no longer a primary cause of demand growth. One reason is the rise in electrification and the digitalization of mobility services. The more significant factor is the increase in vehicle and logistics efficiency for both cars and trucks. In total, these avoid almost 15 mb/d additional oil demand in 2040. An increase in natural gas, biofuels and electricity consumption are factors as well. Read more here. 

IN THE NEWS

EPA Releases New Coal Plant Rule – EPA last week moved to rescind new Obama rules on new coal plants that require generators to install costly carbon capture technology. The current New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for coal plants require that new generators emit no more than 1,400 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt-hour of power, but EPA said the new rule will raise that limit to 1,900 pounds for large generators.  Utilities, analysts and EPA's own analysis of the new NSPS rollback say that new U.S. coal plants are still unlikely due to be built any time soon. 

Holmstead Says EPA Simply “Undoing” Great Obama Overreach – Former EPA air office Head Jeff Holmstead said the new rule just undoes one of the previous Administration’s biggest policy overreaches.  HOLMSTEAD:  “The Obama folks issued their rule during the run up to the Paris climate conference, and they wanted to tell the International community that they were banning new coal-fired power plants in the U.S.  They had no authority to do this directly, so they issued a rule requiring that any new coal-fired power plant had to be built with CCS.  To do this, they had to claim that CCS was a well-demonstrated, cost-effective technology for controlling CO2, even though there were a number of government studies issued during the Obama years that said otherwise.  The Trump folks obviously want to undo the Obama ban on new coal-fired plants, but it’s mostly symbolic at this point because no one is trying to build new coal fired plants in the U.S. these days.”  Finally, Holmstead added that if economics of coal plants change (if natural gas prices go back up), some power companies will be interested in new coal plants again, and this proposal will allow high-efficiency coal-fired plants to be built.

McNamee Approved – in a 50-49 vote, Bernard McNamee was approved to be a commissioner on the FERC for the remainder of a term ending in June 2020.  The party-line vote came despite concerns over the nominee's past work crafting a coal and nuclear bailout proposal at DOE and his criticism of renewable energy and environmental groups. Utilities Technology Council President and CEO Joy Ditto said in a statement that FERC’s first and primary responsibility is “ensuring the safe and reliable delivery of energy services. Utility communication networks are critical to maintaining resilient and secure energy infrastructure.”

Paper Highlights Pathways to Decarbonization – Given all the discussions (and today’s protest on Capitol Hill) surrounding the “Green New Deal”, I thought the energy reading public would like to have access to some of the deeper thinking on decarbonization that would be the underlying policy research for any actions on a GND, carbon pricing or anything else related to a carbon-related energy policy.  Energy experts Sam Thernstrom (EIRP), Jesse Jenkins and Max Luke (both former MIT Energy guys) have new paper in Joule that says expanding and improving the low-carbon electricity portfolio would significantly increase the odds of affordable decarbonization.  The paper adds embracing the need to make clean energy technologies for all fuels cost-competitive will transform the political landscape and unite Americans around a pragmatic plan to eliminate air pollution from electric power plan.  The paper suggests:

1. Getting to zero is a lot harder than modest decarbonization, and requires a distinctly different pathway—no “muddling through”
2. Having a portfolio of clean technologies greatly increases the odds of successful decarbonization;
3.  Broad decarbonization is only going to happen if we have affordable clean electricity.
4.  The challenges of variability increase sharply as Variable Renewable Energy penetration approaches 100%. To make an all-renewables power system work, you have to assume:
5. Firm low-carbon resources can lower decarbonization costs
6. Expanding and improving the low-carbon electricity portfolio increases the chances of affordable decarbonization.

OPEC Market Manipulation Highlights Need for NOPEC Legislation – At the OPEC meeting last week the cartel agreed to cut supply by 1.2 million barrels per day.  Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) President and CEO Robbie Diamond said the uncertainty and behind-the-scenes wrangling that led up to this agreement among Saudi Arabia, other OPEC countries and their new ally Russia underscore the unfree and unfair market practices of this opaque cartel. Diamond said nations are cutting supply to drive up prices and undermine the interests of American consumers—actions that are illegal under U.S. law. This action was taken in response to the issuing of U.S. waivers on Iranian oil imports to avoid market volatility, serving as a timely reminder of the diverging policy goals of OPEC and the United States.  The U.S. is the world’s largest oil-consuming country, requiring 20 percent of global supply to meet its daily demand. The transportation sector, which is 92 percent powered by petroleum, accounts for 70 percent of U.S. oil demand alone meaning that when oil prices spike, businesses and consumers have no alternatives available at scale. To counter OPEC’s influence, SAFE urges Congress to pass H.R. 5904 and S. 3214, the No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act (NOPEC). This would create a specific avenue for the Attorney General to pursue legal action against the cartel.  “It is time for the U.S. to counter OPEC’s malign effect on the American economy, and NOPEC would provide the federal government with an effective tool to do exactly that,” Diamond added. To counter this vulnerability and insulate the U.S. economy from oil price shocks, SAFE advocates for a range of policies designed to reduce the country’s dependence and achieve oil dominance. These include maximizing domestic production, modernizing and strengthening fuel economy standards, adopting advanced transportation fuels including electricity and natural gas, and expeditiously deploying autonomous vehicles.

Emissions on Rise Globally, Despite US reductions – The Global Carbon Project released new emissions data that says emissions are rising faster last year.  The expected increase is being driven by nearly 5% emissions growth in China and more than 6% in India, researchers estimated, along with growth in many other nations throughout the world. Emissions in the US which have dropped dramatic since 2005 will slightly growth this year as the economy has grown dramatically.  

Clean Energy Gaining Jobs in Midwest – Rural Midwest communities benefit more from clean energy sector jobs in wind, solar and energy efficiency than fossil fuels, a new report from NRDC says. The report shows the extent to which clean energy is contributing jobs to the rural economies of 12 Midwestern states. In 2017, the latest data in the report, clean energy employed about 158,000 people in the rural Midwest. While a larger number of clean energy jobs overall were in urban areas, the rural clean energy jobs stand out for making up a bigger percentage of the overall rural economy.

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

COP 24 Continues in Poland – The 24^th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will be held in Katowice, Poland in today through December 14^th. 

AGU Fall Meeting Set for DC – For the first time, the American Geophysical Union will hold its 100^th Fall Meeting in Washington DC this week.  This year’s meeting serves as the launch of AGU’s Centennial, with special events, sessions, and engagement opportunities for all attendees.  The forum is always filled with a series of climate-related stories.  Former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Amazon’s Kara Hurst and USGS Director Jim Reilly will all offer keynotes.

Forum to Look at Future Electricity Grid – Today at 4:00 p.m. at the Pepco Edison Place Gallery, the US Energy Assn and Asian Americans in Energy, the Environment and Commerce (AE2C) hold a forum that will look at the 2050 Grid and what pathways we need to get there.  Keynote Speakers will be FERC Richard Glick, former Commissioner Phil Moeller, Pepco’s Melissa Lavinson, DOE’s Eric Hsieh and former AWEA official Rob Gramlich.  Our Jeanette Pablo of the Energy Futures Initiative will moderate.

Forum to Look at Climate, Warming – The Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center and SilverLining host a discussion today at 4:30 p.m. in 2075 Rayburn on interventions for ensuring safety against the risks of a warming climate, and considerations for the US research sector.  Speakers include Rep. Jerry McNerney, Amanda Staudt of the National Academy of Sciences, former Senate Energy staff director McKie Campbell and Kelly Wanser of SilverLining

New Clean Water Roll Out Expected – The Administration is expected to roll out its new clean water rule this week. 

Forum to Look at Grid Resilience, Reliability – The CSIS Energy and National Security Program holds a workshop tomorrow on reliability and resilience in the electric power sector with Lawrence Jones, vice president for international programs at Edison Electric Institute, and Jeanette Pablo, general counsel and senior associate at the Energy Futures Initiative. The reliability and resilience of electric power systems affect the economic health of a country and the wellbeing of its citizens.  This workshop aims to identify key electric power reliability and resiliency issues that the developing countries face, understand the link to economic development, find the gaps in the data and reporting, and identify improved energy and economic policies to improve resiliency and reliability.

GTM Hosts Energy Storage Summit – Greentech Media hosts its 4^th Energy Storage Summit in San Francisco tomorrow and Wednesday.  The Summit will bring together utilities, financiers, regulators, technology innovators, and storage practitioners for two full days of data-intensive presentations, analyst-led panel sessions with industry leaders, and extensive, high-level networking. This year, we're expanding our traditional U.S. event to cover the global market.

House Energy Panel to Look at RFS Reform Legislation – The House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Environment, chaired by Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL), will hold a hearing tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. in room 2123 Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled, “Discussion Draft: The 21st Century Transportation Fuels Act.”  The panel will examine the 21st Century Transportation Fuels Act, a discussion draft led by Chairman John Shimkus and Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX) to reshape federal transportation fuel policies.  AFPM’s Chet Thompson is among those testifying.

EVs - Navigating the Road Ahead – Tomorrow morning at the National Press Club, there will be a forum on electric vehicles navigating the road ahead.  The event is an industry forum powered by the Copper Development Association. This premiere CDA educational summit will bring together leaders from the automotive industry, transportation officials, policy influencers, local, state and federal government officials and utility experts to discuss the progress in electric vehicle innovation and the hurdles that lie ahead for widespread integration in the U.S.  The event features industry leaders and policy influencers at the center of advancing EV innovations, integration and legislation. EVs: Navigating the Road Ahead is free and open to those interested in EV policy and technology.

NAS to Host Offshore Drilling Inspection Meeting – The National Academies of Sciences will host a day-long meeting tomorrow at the Keck Center looking at a review and update of Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Offshore Oil and Gas Operations Inspection Program. 

Forum Looks at Latin America, Energy – The Dialogue hosts a forum tomorrow morning at the National Press Club for an important discussion on the USMCA trade agreement and other implications of the new Congress for US-Latin America energy relations.  Latin America energy is among the developments for the energy sector: the newly minted USMCA free trade agreement, new governments in Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia, continued debate over Venezuela, and the role of US energy exports to the region, particularly natural gas and LNG. Meanwhile, President Trump and his administration have ratcheted up the rhetoric with respect to the region in recent weeks, the Democrats have regained control in the House of Representatives, and new committee chairs will attempt to reshape the agenda in both chambers. With many questions on the table, Latin America’s evolving role in US trade and foreign policy and the resulting shifts in hemispheric energy relations demand further analysis.

Forum to Look at China Energy – Tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., the United States Energy Association hosts Robert Amsterdam, who will discuss China’s rise as a major force in emerging energy and resource markets. He will provide a business perspective on the impact that China’s diplomatic and economic strategies are having in Africa, Central Asia, the Pacific and South America.

GABI Looks at US-Korea Energy – Tomorrow at Noon, the Global American Business Institute holds a forum at the St. Regis Hotel looking at avenues for expanding U.S.-Korea energy cooperation. 

Forum to Look at China, Pakistan Energy Relations – The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) in collaboration with the World Sindhi Congress (WSC) will organize a panel discussion tomorrow at Noon at the University Club assessing the environmental consequences of the China-Pakistan economic corridor.  The multi-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a crucial component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).  Experts have expressed, however, worrying prospects for the environment. The event will bring together academics, students and human rights activists to discuss the inevitable environmental consequences of the mega-project, paying particular attention to the construction of dams in the region.

Program looks at ESCOs – The Alliance to Save Energy will host a briefing tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. in 188 Russell focusing on opportunities for utilities and ESCOs to collaborate to advance building and campus-scale systems-efficiency programs. Join us as we bring together experts from the utility and ESCO community – including Donald Gilligan, President, National Association of Energy Service Companies and Clay Nesler, VP, Global Sustainability and Industry Initiatives, Johnson Controls – to discuss how systems efficiency solutions that improve building performance can help utilities meet their increasingly ambitious energy efficiency and distributed energy targets.  

Exelon Exec to Discuss Energy Landscape at EPIC – The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago hosts a conversation with Exelon Utilities CEO Anne Pramaggiore tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. in Chicago. 

International Climate Science Forum Set for AGU – At an AGU Forum tomorrow evening at Marriott Marquis there will be a forum looking at international climate science in the next decade.  The World Climate Research Program (WCRP), U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), and National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) play important roles in the development and coordination of future climate change research. They hope to hear from AGU community into the development and implementation of strategic plans to guide and conduct international climate science in the next decade.  Scientists from all three will host. 

EPA CASAC to Meet – EPA's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee holds an in-person meeting in Crystal City on Wednesday and Thursday to talk about the agency's Integrated Science Assessment as a part of the ongoing NAAQS review. 

House Energy Panel Looks at Federal Energy PPPs – The House Energy & Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Energy will hold a hearing on Wednesday looking at public private partnerships for Federal Energy Management.  

WRI to Look at Forest Mapping Techs – On Wednesday at 12:30 p.m., the World Resources Institute hosts leading restoration and social network analysis experts to learn more about how to create an environment for successful restoration and natural resource management techniques through participatory approaches and social media mining.  Traditionally, forest and landscape restoration has been concerned with mapping the biophysical opportunities to plant trees and shrubs. But restoration is not just about trees. It's also about the people. WRI’s recent guidebook, Mapping Social Landscapes: A Guide to Identifying the Networks, Priorities, and Values of Restoration Actors, introduces a new focus for mapping: the people who live, work and depend on landscapes. By translating methodologies frequently used in the crisis fields of national security and health, the guide offers strategies to build a movement around restoration.

Wilson Forum to Look at Water Security – The Wilson Center will host a discussion on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. with USAID-funded researchers, international scientists, water program managers, and policymakers about the implications of changing snow and ice resources for water security in High Asia. An expert panel of international scientists will summarize recent findings about High Asia’s snow and ice-dominated water supplies. We will then hear from NGO and government officials working on water security in Asia regarding operational use of hydrologic research, and where the programmatic priorities lie within their respective institutions.

ClearView Fuels Analyst to Discuss RFS – The American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Energy and Climate Affinity Group will be hosting its December meeting on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. Neelesh Nerurkar, Vice President at Clear View Energy Partners and former Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy, will be leading abroad ranging discussion of the renewable fuel standard (RFS), renewable identification number (RIN) markets, and recent legislative movements on advanced biofuels.

Ag Forum Looks at Climate, Policy Issues – FAO-EcoAgriculture Partners Landscape Roundtable holds a discussion Thursday at 8:30 a.m. of the latest in U.S. domestic-focused activity to scale climate smart agriculture (an upcoming roundtable will focus on developments abroad).  This roundtable will explore recent insights and innovations in climate smart agriculture and how these practices, programs, technologies and policies can help advance objectives including and beyond carbon sequestration. USDA’s Office of Energy and Environmental Policy Director Bill Hohenstein will speak, among others.

Forum to Look at PJM Policy Developments – The Great Plains Institute and Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions hold an expert workshop Thursday to explore recent energy and environmental policy developments in the PJM region and the potential challenges in 2019.  FERC’s Rich Glick and former FERC Chair Norman Bay are among the speakers. 

Siemens CEO Addresses Atlantic Council Forum – The Atlantic Council Global Energy Center hosts a lively conversation on Thursday at 10: a.m. with Siemens USA CEO Barbara Humpton about her view of which technologies promise to be the most impactful for advancing energy security and decarbonization and how, in turn, these technologies will reshape the geopolitical order.

Arab States, Climate Focus on Event – The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington will hold a forum on tackling climate change Thursday at 12:30 p.m. As the 24^th COP continues in Poland, AGSIW will host a discussion examining efforts by the Gulf Arab countries to tackle climate change, both in terms of mitigation and adaptation. The discussion follows a prolonged period of lower global oil prices, which, for the Gulf Arab countries, has increased momentum toward economic reforms and diversification away from hydrocarbons. These economic reforms also create opportunities for addressing climate change with promising co-benefits.

SAFE to Discuss NatGas Book – SAFE and Bethany McLean will hold a book discussion at the National Press Club on Thursday at 4:00 p.m.  SAFE President/CEO Robbie Diamond will discuss her book in a fireside chat with, before the floor is opened to questions from the audience. In her new book Saudi America: The Truth About Fracking and How It’s Changing the World, journalist Bethany McLean digs into the boom-bust cycles that have plagued the U.S. oil industry over the last 10 years, exploring the inner workings of a business reliant on ever-growing amounts of capital investment and returns that have yet to bear out.

WCEE to Award Kelly at Woman of Year – The Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment (WCEE) will honor the American Public Power Assn President Sue Kelly as its Woman of the Year recipient at the 2018 Women in Leadership Holiday Reception on Thursday.   The event will be an inspiring evening, where Ms. Kelly will share her take on making 2019 career resolutions and how to successfully execute them.  Kelly has been President and CEO of the American Public Power Association (APPA) since April 2014. Kelly was named one of Washington’s “Most Powerful Women” in the November 2015 issue of Washingtonian magazine in the “Business, Labor, and Lobbying” category. In March 2017, she was honored as WCEE’s Woman of the Year.

Clean Energy Leadership Institute holds Fellows Presentation – The Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) holds its Fall 2018 Washington DC Presentation Night Thursday at 6:00 p.m. at the Smart Electric Power Alliance.  CELI is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing the next generation of diverse, pragmatic clean energy leaders and believes technological innovation, financial creativity, and increasing public engagement are essential to solving our complex global energy and climate challenges. Through our 14-week Fellowship Program, Fellows learn the fundamentals of clean energy technology, policy, business, and finance while connecting with experts across the public and private sectors, and developing key 21st-century leadership skills.  Eleven of our current fellows will have 10 minutes each to present their ideas on topics ranging from clean energy advocacy strategies to decarbonization efforts.  Presentation Topics include Modular Energy Storage Systems, Making Progress in Renewable Energy Advocacy Despite Divisions, Powering the Blue Economy with Marine Energy, CCS & Natural Gas Decarbonization and Moving beyond an electrification assumption.

Low Carbon Fuels Workshop Set for SF – The Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) holds its Low Carbon Fuels and Carbon Markets Workshop next month on Wednesday through Friday in San Francisco.

BPC to Host Occidental CEO – The Bipartisan Policy Center’s Bob and Elizabeth Dole Leadership Series will host Occidental CEO Vicki Hollub on Friday at 10:00 a.m. 

Wilson Forum Looks at Ukraine Energy – On Friday at 10:00 a.m., the Wilson Center hosts a panel to address questions about Ukraine energy and will discuss the findings of a new report “Electricity Market Reforms in Ukraine: Challenges and Opportunities,” which provides assessments of both the hypothetical success and failure of electricity market reform in Ukraine.

IN THE FUTURE

NSR Comments Due – The EPA is also taking comment through Dec. 17 on its proposed amendments to new source performance standards for oil and natural gas emissions from new, reconstructed and modified sources.

DC Circuit to Hear Ozone Arguments – On Tuesday December 18^th, the DC Circuit hears arguments on the ongoing NAAQS Challenges.

Women Energy Network Happy Hour – Next Tuesday, the Washington DC Chapter of the Women's Energy Network is pleased to announce the Holiday 2018 Happy Hour Event December Happy Hour Event at Ballard Spahr.

State of the Energy Industry Event Set – Mark your calendars for Tuesday January 8^th when API will conduct its annual State of the Energy Industry event at the Reagan International Trade Center.   

Forum to Focus on Infrastructure, Resilience – The National Council for Science and the Environment will convene their 19^th Annual Conference from January 7-10, 2019 in Washington, D.C. The NCSE Annual Conference brings together a diverse community of experts for an enriching opportunity to collaborate on exciting projects, share research and best practices, and build professional relationships. Attendees include national and international leaders in education, government, civil society, and business. The conference is recognized for its notable presenters and innovative programming.  NCSE 2019 will focus on Sustainable Infrastructure & Resilience. 

Detroit Auto Show Ready – The 2019 North American International Auto Show will begjn in Detroit on January 14^th and runs through January 27^th at Cobo Hall in the Motor City. With the largest concentration of the world’s top automotive and technology executives, designers, engineers and thought leaders, the North American International Auto Show serves as the global stage for companies to debut brand-defining vehicles and industry-shaping announcements.  Events start with the 13^th annual ultra-luxury automotive event, The Gallery. The event has now become the official kick-off to the North American International Auto Show at the MGM Detroit.  Press days start on January 14^th with public show launching January 19^th. 

NPC to Host NOAA, Hurricane Resilience Expert to Discuss 2018 Hurricane Season – The National Press Club will host a Newsmaker on Tuesday January 15^th at 10:00 a.m. in the Club’s Zenger Room to recap the 2018 hurricane season featuring NOAA forecasting expert Dr. Gerry Bell and MIT resilience expert Jeremy Gregory.  Bell will focus on the 2018 season impacts, climate change and what it may mean for the 2019 season, while Gregory will focus on the 2017 rebuilding in Houston, Puerto Rico and Florida, as well as the impacts of the 2018 season on the Carolina coast and Florida Panhandle.