Energy Update: Week of March 18

Friends,

Spring is springing this week when it arrives on Wednesday – even if it hasn’t sprung just quite yet.  And you know what that means: Get your brackets ready, the NCAA March Madness hoops tourneys starts the road to Minneapolis TOMORROW in Dayton with play-in games including #16 seeds Fairleigh Dickinson/Prairie View A&M (6:40p tip) and #11 seeds Temple/Belmont (9:10p). 

Of course, as Beto rolled through my small hometown this morning (Center Line, MI) in metro Detroit, I am reminded of my respect for Tom Izzo and Michigan State, who won yesterday’s Big 10 Tournament shortly before the NCAA bracket was revealed. More than ever, it seems that the Spartans may have a fair shot at making a run to the Final Four. They will have to go through Duke though who is the top seed in the East and overall #1.  Other top seeds are Virginia, UNC and Gonzaga, who are dangerous, but face some challenges to advance.  If you have been watching the polls over the past two months, clearly there is a distinct group of better teams this year.  We’ll see if it plays out in the NCAA games where almost anything can and often does happen.  I have some tips for your brackets below.  The Women’s bracket comes out tonight at 7:00 p.m. right here.

Not to be overshadowed by the focus on hoops, the NCAA women’s Hockey Frozen Four is this weekend with Wisconsin-Clarkson and Minnesota-Cornell squaring off Friday in Hamden, CT, with the championship on Sunday.   The debate version of March Madness, the college policy debate national championship also starts Thursday and just happens to be in Minneapolis, too. The National Debate Tournament hosts 160 top debaters in the nation, competing in teams of two, over four days at the U of MN-Minneapolis.  Look out for top seeds Kentucky, Harvard, Georgia, Cal-Berkeley and Wake Forest to make waves… My fellow PRG colleagues and former debaters Josh Zive and Ezra Louvis will be in Minnesota.  Josh is a member of the NDT Board of Trustees and Ezra serves as a judge for his alma mater, Georgetown University.

With Congress in recess this week there is not much action in DC, but EPA is hosting its mercury rule reforms public hearing in DC today.  Tomorrow, the Global CCS Institute hosts its 8^th Annual DC Forum on CCS while WCEE holds a forum at ClearPath (611 MD Ave, NE) to look at nuclear power featuring NuScale’s Lenka Kollar and ClearPath’s Spencer Nelson. On Wednesday, ACORE holds its 2019 Renewable Energy Policy Forum with Gov. Inslee among the speakers. Finally, C2ES and Bloomberg Philanthropies are hosting their 8^th annual Climate Leadership Conference in Baltimore on Wednesday to Friday. 

Finally, Congress is back next week with more hearings including a Thursday nomination hearing of Interior’s David Bernhardt and next Monday and Tuesday, BNEF holds its annual summit.

We are monitoring all the action (hoops, politics and otherwise), following the key stories and are happy to discuss, but don’t call after Noon on Thursday!!!!  Good luck on you brackets and remember, don’t pick a 16-seed…Call with questions.  

Best,

 

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

C. (202) 997-5932

 

FRANKLY SPOKEN

“The ethanol industry has argued vociferously that there has been substantial destruction of demand in the physical ethanol market due to the SREs.  However, a series of farmdoc daily articles in recent months showed that the physical use of ethanol declined little if any due to SREs (September 13, 2018; December 13, 2018; January 16, 2019).  This is not really all that surprising because ethanol prices generally have been low relative to gasoline, which means that ethanol is a price competitive component in E10 gasoline blends and the RFS conventional ethanol mandate is non-binding (up to the E10 blend wall).”

                U of Illinois Ag Economist Scott Irwin releasing another study on Biodiesel demand impacts

ON THE POD

NCAA Bracket Podcast Breaks Down Tourney – The NCAA Tournament bracket is out. So CBS hoops experts Matt Norlander and Gary Parrish spend 79 minutes discussing the Field of 68 from every angle. Both argue the selection committee did a pretty good jobs.  They break down each region and pick winners, saying the best teams in country have been pretty consistent all year.

FUN OPINIONS

Blix: Nuclear Is Essential to Addressing Climate – Hans Blix, former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency from 1981 to 1997 and head of U.N. inspectors in Iraq from 2000 to 2003, wrote in a Time Magazine piece that that discusses the need of nuclear energy in the fight against climate change, an argument that I know my friends at ClearPath has been advocating.  As you may recall, Blix was UN Weapons Investigator for many years.

BRACKET TIME

Bracket – Get your bracket HERE

Tips for a Better Bracket – Here are some tips to help with your bracketology:

1) Work Backwards – As scoring increases, you only win brackets if you can pick the final four and even the eventual Champ.  Those games make or break your bracket.  Start with them, then pick the opening round which helps separate you from the others that pick the Champ too…

2) Don’t pick a 16^th Seed – While last year, UMBC became the first #16 Seed to win a game, (or UVa was the first #1 Seed to lose maybe), historically, these #1 seeds will likely go pretty far so don’t jeopardize you bracket to pick the BIGGEST upset.  And remember, law of averages says they probably won’t win another for 30 years. 

3) Upset City – Picking the #1 Seed doesn’t mean you can’t find upsets…they will occur.  In fact, all four #1 seeds only have made the Final Four only once.  Find teams that are hot or played their tournaments well and take a chance.  Some names to watch in the first round: Yale, Buffalo, Vermont, Liberty, Old Dominion, Wofford, Washington.  Maybe some for a Deep Run: Houston, Nevada, Texas Tech, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Florida St.  Old bulls with lower seeds this year that are always teams to watch: Louisville, Kentucky, Kansas, Villanova, Seton Hall, Michigan.  You probably want to pick about 10-15 upsets total given the yearly average is 12.7 over the 34 years of the modern tourney.

4) Don’t Pick the Best Defensive Teams – While defense may win championships in the moment, in the modern game (with a shortened shot clock, up-tempo play and lots of 3-pointers), it is more difficult today than ever to win with only “D”.  In each of the past 5 years, the defensive rating system has had UVa on top and they have only made it once to the Elite 8 and were bounced out by #16 UMBC last year.

5) Dogs Win Over Cats – While this may not be the best, sports-savvy strategy, mascots can influence our picks, especially in those toss up 8/9 seed games.  If you want to pick based on mascots, Dogs are your best friend with a 60% winning percentage over Cats.  Best Nicknames of NCAA tourney this year: UC-Irvine Anteaters, St. Louis Billikens, Vermont Catamounts, Iowa St “3pt-bomb” Cyclones.  Unfortunately, the Furman Paladins fell off the bubble and were left out.

6) Cinderellas – There are a few types of surprise teams that can bust brackets.  I already discussed traditionally strong programs that may have a higher seed, but there are also several “one-man bands” that can wreak havoc. This year, the top of this category is West #12 seed Murray State Racers featuring Ja Morant.  #5 Marquette’s Markus Howard will likely carry the Golden Eagles as well.  Both players are capable of going for 40-plus points on a given night.

Who Didn’t Get in – According to the committee, UNC-Greensboro was the first team left out of the field -- getting bumped after Oregon won the Pac-12 title game over Washington on Saturday night – despite only having just six losses all season. Those six losses came against #7 seed Wofford (three times), #2 Kentucky, #3 LSU and at Furman. The next three teams out of the field were Alabama, TCU and Indiana.

Power Conference Tourneys – Beside the ACC, Power Conferences champions didn’t get very many high seeds.  In fact, the bracket as a whole read a lot like it would have had they announced it before this weekend’s finals.  Big East Champ Villanova (6), Iowa State (6), Auburn (5) and Cincinnati (7) didn't seem to benefit much from tourney runs. Runners-up Florida State (4) and Seton Hall (10) essentially received the seeds they were expected to get going into the conference tournament.

Home Court -- North Carolina was probably thrilled to get a 1-seed until it saw Kansas as the 4-seed in its region. If the two teams win in the early rounds, they face each other in the Sweet 16 in Kansas City.  Tennessee faces a similar issue having to face Cincinnati in Columbus.

My Final Four:  Michigan State, Tennessee, UNC, Gonzaga

One Upset Pick I Would Bet On: Take Yale over LSU

Best Games: Tomorrow’s Temple-Belmont Play-in from Dayton & Michigan State-Duke in DC on March 31^st

Final Four – April 6^th- 8th in Minneapolis, MN.

IN THE NEWS

Small Refiners Granted Waivers – Once again, the EPA granted a number of waivers from the RFS for small refiners.  My colleague Scott Segal said "the methodology for granting small-refiner exemptions is determined by statute.  Attempts to set artificial barriers against granting SREs has been rejected both in court three times and by direction of Congress in EPA appropriations bills. To say that the current administration undertook any special treatment for refiners is completely inconsistent with law and precedent. It's just sour grapes from some in the biofuels sector."  Segal added that the case for SREs and other sources of waiver authority under RFS continues to be a strong one.  Finally, he added consensus of experts rejects that SREs suppress the demand or price of ethanol. 

Guith to Take Helm of Chamber Energy Institute – With Karen Harbert’s departure to become President and CEO of the American Gas Association at the end of the month, Christopher Guith, Senior Vice President of Policy, has been named Acting President and CEO of the Chamber’s Global Energy Institute. Christopher re-joined the Chamber in 2008 after serving at the U.S. Department of Energy, where he was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional Affairs, a position that included representing the Administration during the drafting and debate of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.  Earlier in his career, he worked on the Hill as a Legislative Director and Counsel, and was a legislative counsel here at the Chamber. GEI will continue our work on energy and environmental policy and analysis, as well as our EnergyInnovates initiative, and we’re always happy to chat on issues of the day.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out if we can be of assistance.  You can connect with Matt Letourneau if you have additional questions. 

Chamber Energy Electricity Cost Map Out – It’s time once again for one of the Chamber’s Global Energy Institute most interesting annual features – the state-by-state comparison of electricity prices.  Similar to past years, GEI based its electricity rate map upon the most recent calendar year price data released by EIA.  The electricity price “bands” highlighted on the map reflect what consumers, businesses, and industry must pay for a kilowatt hour of electricity.  The 2018 version of the electricity price map again utilizes the streamlined “heat-map” theme we unveiled last year.  This shading format readily identifies the states with lower electricity prices while highlighting those where residents are paying more to power their homes and run their businesses.  The individual state price page then groups all fifty states and the District of Columbia according to their respective price ranges.  The states with competitive (i.e. lower) retail electricity prices are grouped toward the left, while the states where individuals and businesses are more likely struggling to pay their power bills appear toward the right.   See all the details here.

Solar Market Adds 10.6 GW of PV in 2018 – For the third year in a row, the U.S. solar industry installed double-digit gigawatts (GW) of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity, with 10.6 GW coming online in 2018.  The amount was a 2% decrease from 2017. However, the forecast shows the market rebounding in the years ahead, according to the newly released U.S. Solar Market Insight 2018 Year-in-Review Report from Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).  Total installed PV capacity in the U.S. is expected to rise by 14 percent in 2019 with annual installations reaching 15.8 GW in 2021.  In addition to a market outlook, the report released today also details how the industry performed in 2018 in each segment. Wood Mackenzie also increased its five-year forecast for utility PV by 2.3 GW since Q4 2018. This was the result of a large volume of project announcements, the inclusion of more solar in long-term utility resource planning and an increase in project development driven by renewable portfolio standards and growing corporate interest.

Key findings from the report include:

• In Q4 2018, the U.S. solar market installed 4.2 GW_dc of solar PV, a 139 percent increase from Q3 2018 and a 4 percent increase from Q4 2017. This brought the annual total to 10.6 GW_dc, 2 percent lower than 2017.
• For the sixth straight year, solar was one of the top two sources of new electricity generating capacity in the U.S.
• Cumulative operating solar photovoltaic capacity now stands at 62.4 GW_dc, about 75 times more than was installed at the end of 2008.
• After a year in which residential solar experienced 15 percent contraction, 2018 marked a year of rebound as the market grew by 7 percent. Q4 was the largest quarter for the residential solar segment in two years, a sign that the residential market is stabilizing. In total, 314,600 new residential PV systems were installed in 2019.
• Non-residential PV saw an annual decline of 8 percent, largely due to policy shifts in states like California and Massachusetts.
• There were 6.2 GW_dc of utility solar installed in 2018, accounting for 58 percent of total U.S. annual capacity additions.
• After the uncertainty of the Section 201 tariffs passed, 13.2 GW_dc of utility solar PPAs were signed in 2018, though mostly with expected commercial operations dates in years after the tariffs have stepped down. The contracted pipeline peaked in Q3 2018 at 25.3 GW_dc, the highest in the history of U.S. solar.
• Wood Mackenzie forecasts 14 percent growth in 2019 compared to 2018, with over 12 GW of installations expected.
• Total installed U.S. PV capacity will more than double over the next five years, with annual installations reaching 15.8 GW_dc in 2021 prior to the expiration of the residential federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and a drop in the commercial tax credit to 10 percent for projects not yet under construction.

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

Food Policy Summit Set – The 2019 Agri-Pulse Ag and Food Policy Summit is being held today at the National Press Club.  The Summit is an educational event that is focused on shaping farm and food policy strategies for 2040. Investors are pouring billions of dollars into new agricultural and food startups at the same time as some of the more traditional players are going through consolidations and retirements.

Refinery Annual Meeting Set – The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) will hold its annual meeting today and tomorrow at the Marriott Riverside in San Antonio.  The meeting is the world's premier refining meeting, assembling key executives and technical experts from refining and marketing organizations worldwide, as well as representatives from associated industries. The general session features high profile speakers who will address current issues of widespread importance to the refining industry. During management and technical sessions, leading industry experts share valuable insights with attendees on major issues, including energy and environmental initiatives, and the latest technological developments impacting refining and petrochemical industry management and performance.

MATS Rule Hearing Set for DC –EPA hosts its public hearing on the Mercury and Air Toxics rule today at HQ in Washington. 

Wall St Green Summit in NYC – The 18^th annual Wall Street Green Summit launches today in NYC at the Princeton Club.  The summit covers cutting edge content, industry developments and features the practitioners and the leaders of tomorrow aimed at building the sustainable finance system for responsible investing and the changing role of business in sustainability. The emergence of the "Impact Economy" is where main street investors team up with corporations, entrepreneurs and government to solve environmental and social problems while generating financial returns.  Our friend Matt Piotrowski is among the speakers.  

CCS Forum Set – The Global CCS Institute hosts the 8^th Annual DC Forum on CCS tomorrow at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center looking at new perspectives for a decarbonized economy.  The event brings together a diverse set of speakers from the private sector, government, and NGOs to discuss the realities of decarbonizing the American economy in an effort to fight climate change. Topics will include the business of decarbonizing, the role of government - the California strategy, hydrogen economy issues and much more.

Forum to Look at Solar Financing – The Solar Power Finance & Investment Summit is in San Diego tomorrow to Thursday looking at the latest advances on the solar financing landscape. It also provides valuable insights into the ongoing developments in the industry, highlights upcoming strategic opportunities and explores the industry’s efforts to overcome pressing challenges.

Forum to Look at Climate, Human Behavior – Rare and the National Geographic Society hold a summit tomorrow on climate change and behavior change, a one-day summit to explore global climate change through the lens of human behavior.  Our friends Andy Revkin, Lynn Scarlett and Cass Sunstein are among the speakers. 

Forum to Look at Venezuela, Oil Diplomacy –The Inter-American Dialogue and the National Endowment for Democracy hold a discussion tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. on Venezuela's petro-diplomacy.  They will release Petrofraude, a comprehensive new report by investigative journalism platform CONNECTAS, documents the corruption and waste of public funds under the aegis of Petrocaribe, as well as the continuing diplomatic ramifications of the program. To discuss the report’s findings and their broader implications for the restoration of democracy in Venezuela, the Inter-American Dialogue is pleased to partner with CONNECTAS, the International Center for Journalists, the National Endowment for Democracy, and Transparency International

Chu to Address Chicago Forum – The University of Chicago Energy Policy Institute hosts a talk tomorrow at 11:45 a.m. with former Energy Secretary Steven Chu. Chu, now a Stanford University professor, will briefly describe new data on climate change before turning to the rapidly changing energy landscape and how science, engineering and innovation can provide a path to a sustainable and more prosperous future.

NuScale, ClearPath Nuclear Experts Headline WCEE Event – The Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment (WCEE) holds a forum tomorrow at ClearPath (611 MD Ave, NE) to look at Nuclear Power. The event will focus on nuclear energy from an electric power perspective and will introduce nuclear energy technology and discuss its successes and failures, legislation, and demonstrations.  Speakers include NuScale’s Lenka Kollar and ClearPath’s Spencer Nelson.

Georgetown Institute to Release Report –Tomorrow at 2:30 p.m., the Wilson Center is hosting colleagues from various organizations and programs, to inform a report by the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University. The report explores the new, dynamic Arctic and ways in which policies and partnerships may be developed to guide Arctic diplomacy in the decades to come.

Inslee Addresses ACORE Forum – The American Council on Renewable Energy holds the 2019 Renewable Energy Policy Forum on Wednesday with Presidential candidate Jay Inslee keynoting. The Policy Forum brings together industry leaders and policymakers to discuss energy and tax policy, debate key issues in the changing electricity marketplace, and identify priorities for Congress, the states, and relevant agencies. Other speakers include FERC Chair Chatterjee and commissioner McNamee, CRES’s Heather Reams, Alex Flint, GTM’s Julia Pyper, Interior’s Joe Balash and FERC staff Liz Salerno.

Forum to Look at Mexican Energy Sector in First 100 Days of New President – Talanza Energy will host a forum in Houston, TX on Wednesday to discuss the first 100 days of the new Mexican President and its impacts on energy.  The event will look at the challenges and opportunities for the Mexican Energy sector from a risk management perspective.  Speakers will include MIT’s Lourdes Melgar (a former Mexican Undersecretary of Hydrocarbons), UHouston Law Professor Sashe Dimitroff and Talanza CEO and former Director General of E&P in the Mexican Ministry of Energy Marco Cota. 

BPC to Host Transportation Forum – The Bipartisan Policy Center hosts a forum on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. looking at transportation funding and options for a sustainable future.  Former Reps. Joe Crowley and Bill Shuster will share their thoughts on how to fix the Highway Trust Fund and members of BPC’s Executive Council on Infrastructure will also lead a panel discussion on how the private sector can complement these efforts by bringing private capital, innovation, and expertise to our nation’s transportation system.

Forum to Look at US/Japan Energy – The Atlantic Council's Asia Security Initiative, housed within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, will hold a discussion on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. to look at how shifting geopolitics are shaping Japan's quest for energy security and its strategic implications for the US-Japan alliance moving forward.

Film to Look at Court’s Chevron Doctrine – The Cato Institute holds a film screening and discussion on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. looking at the past, present, and future of the Chevron Doctrine. Panelists include GMU’s Adam White, Assistant Professor at the Antonin Scalia Law School, and Executive Director, The C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State; NRDC’s David Doniger and Cato’s Will Yeatman.

Forum to Look at PR Energy Future – The Center for a New Economy holds a discussion in San Juan PR on the future of energy.  BlackStart 2019 is the first in a series of multi-annual events designed to provide the platform necessary for thinking, imagining, and planning to fulfill our dreams for Puerto Rico’s energy future.

Hogan, Others Headline Baltimore Climate Conference – C2ES and Bloomberg Philanthropies are hosting their 8^th annual Climate Leadership Conference in Baltimore on Wednesday to Friday.  The event brings together influential climate, energy, and sustainability professionals from around the globe to address climate change through policy, innovation, and business solutions.   Speakers will include MD Gov Larry Hogan headlines a great line up speakers including Exelon’s Chris Crane, Rep Paul Tonko our friends Abby Hopper of SEIA, BCSE’s Lisa Jacobson, Frank Sesno of GW’s SMPA, NEI’s Monica Trauzzi, Axios’ Amy Harder and CSIS’s Jerry Taylor.

FERC Looks at Cyber – FERC holds an open meeting on Thursday with some specific focus expected to be on cybersecurity issues. 

Wilson To Screen Film for Enviro Film Festival – The Wilson Center is hosting a film screening for the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital (March 14-24). This year, Wilson is screening a new documentary Thirst for Power on Thursday at 12:00 noon that takes a deep dive into water-energy confrontations facing our planet. Thirst for Power explores the ruins of Roman aqueducts in France, the mountains and deserts of California, and the vast landscapes of Texas, tracing the mysterious connections and growing confrontations between water and energy use. Combining personal stories with insights into the latest science of energy and water, the film identifies a hopeful path toward wise water-energy decisions and a more reliable and abundant future for humanity.  Following the screening, the filmmaker Mat Hames will join Jennifer Turner, who has managed the Wilson Center’s water-energy initiative Global Chokepoint for 8 years, for a discussion of the film.

World Water Day – Friday

Forum Focused on Water Issues – As it is WWW, the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs holds a conference on Friday looking at water problems and possibilities.  The forum will discuss past, present and future research projects. 

IN THE FUTURE

International Refinery Meeting Set – Following Last week’s annual American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) meeting, AFPM will also hold its International Petrochem Conference next Monday and Tuesday at the Grand Hyatt in San Antonio. The conference is the world's largest and most prestigious conference representing the petrochemical industry.  The meeting consists of a variety of sessions covering key political, economic, and environmental issues affecting the petrochemical industry. The sessions emphasize global competitiveness in the petrochemical business and are presented by recognized experts in the areas of petrochemical markets, economics, and politics.

BNEF Summit Set for NYC – Next Monday and Tuesday at the Grand Hyatt in NYC, Bloomberg New Energy Finance hosts its annual summit featuring executive interviews and expert panels that can facilitate constructive debate and create a forum to exchange ideas.   Speakers include Xcel CEO Ben Fowke, Hydro-Quebec CEO Eric Martel,  Duke CEO Lynn Good, PSEG CEO Ralph Izzo, Chilean Energy Minister Susana Jiménez, ChargePoint’s Pasquale Romano, as well as our friends AGA’s Richard Meyer, Christer af Geijerstam of Equinor Wind US and reporters David Biello and Tina Davis. 

Heritage to Discuss Water Overreach – Heritage and the Pacific Legal Foundation are hosting a forum next Monday at Noon on clean water act regulations  The event will feature first-hand accounts of the real-life abuses and highlight the “horror stories” that have occurred over the years.

Forum to Look at Climate, Security – The Atlantic Council Global Energy Center, the American Security Project, and the Center for Climate and Security hold a forum on next Monday at 2:00 p.m. featuring a conversation on climate change as a national security threat and the need for independent, objective science to inform threat assessments.  A panel of former senior defense, intelligence, and other national security officials will discuss the potential implications of that and the importance of independent, objective science to inform policy decisions.  Speakers include former White House aide David Banks and others.

USEA to Host African Utility Execs – The US Energy Assn will host 22 heads of utilities and energy companies from West Africa as they discuss the future of energy in the region next Tuesday at 10:00 a.m.  A strategic business plan has been developed by the West African Power Pool (WAPP) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA) to effectively address needs and ensure that the investment program is effective and relevant.  WAPP and ERERA executives will outline specific generation and transmission projects currently underway and in the pipeline for development and the opportunities for private investment to support and advance the economic and electrical goals of a thriving and growing region. 

Forum to Discuss Electricity Issues – The Women's Energy Network holds a lunch presentation next Tuesday at Noon looking at current policy and legal issues in the electric utility power sector hosted by and featuring experts from the Edison Electric Institute.

GW Forum to Look at Renewables in Russia – Next Tuesday, March 26^th at 4:00 p.m., the GWU Elliott School will examine subnational tendencies in Russian energy governance and clarify the role of local authorities and non-state actors in RE development.  Daria Gritsenko is an Assistant Professor at the Aleksanteri Institute and Helsinki Center for Digital Humanities, University of Helsinki (Finland) will speak. 

Forum Looks at Enviro Security – On Wednesday March 27^th at Noon, the Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council will host a panel discussion on environmental security in the region and the implications for regional stability. Peter Gleick, a world-renowned expert, innovator, and communicator on water and climate issues will frame some of the most impending challenges today. Kaveh Madani, an environmental scientist, educator, and activist, and former Iranian government official, will discuss Iran’s challenges in this area. Caitlin Werrell, co-founder of the Center for Climate and Security will discuss the implications of climate change, water stress and natural resource mismanagement in Syria and North Africa. Barbara Slavin, Director of the Future of Iran Initiative, will moderate the discussion. The event is open to press and on the record.

NAS Talk to Discuss Sea Level Rise, Climate – On Wednesday, March 27^th at 7:00 p.m., the National Academy of Sciences hosts a discussion on sea level rise.  In this talk, Dr. Eric Rignot will cover how and why the ice sheets are melting and what we can do about it. Practical solutions exist that are economically viable and ethically desirable, including transforming our energy production system and developing scalable carbon sequestration strategies. At stake is whether the world will be irreversibly committed to a multiple meter rise in sea level with potentially catastrophic consequences.

RFF to Hold Carbon Price Discussion – On Thursday, March 28^th at 8:30 a.m., Resources for the Future holds an RFF Live event on price on Carbon," where we’ll speak to Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. Don Beyer about their proposals for carbon dividends legislation, as well as the opportunities and challenges facing carbon pricing legislation in 2019 and beyond.

Senate Energy to Host Interior Nominee – The Senate Energy Committee will convene a hearing Next Thursday to consider the nomination of Mr. David Bernhardt of Virginia to be Secretary of the Interior.

FERC, Energy Host Infrastructure Conference – The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and Department of Energy (DOE) will co-host a technical conference next Thursday on Security Investments for Energy Infrastructure, to provide a forum to discuss security practices to protect energy infrastructure.

Forum to Lead Discussion on CCS – The Carbon Utilization Research Council (CURC), the Global CCS Institute, and the Carbon Capture Coalition for “Carbon Lunches” a carbon capture 101 briefings series starting on Thursday March 28^th in the Capitol Visitor Center. The briefings will provide an introduction to Carbon Capture, Use, and Storage, and how this suite of technologies can deliver steep emissions reductions alongside other clean and renewable sources of energy in the transition to a zero-carbon economy, while supporting clean energy production and creating high-wage energy, industrial, and manufacturing jobs.  Center for Climate and Energy Solutions President Bob Perciasepe will speak, among others.

Forum to Look at Ag Resilience – The Johns Hopkins University holds a forum on Friday, March 29^th at 12:00 p.m. agriculture resiliency and climate.  While agriculture continues to be the primary source of income for many communities around the world, the increase in climate-related severe weather events may have a significant impact on local farmers.  The Swiss Re Practicum team will present this research on the economic impacts of climate shocks in agriculture dependent communities, which will be followed by a panel discussion on how farmers, local, and federal governments are responding to these devastating impacts.

Waterpower Week Set – The National Hydropower Association’s Waterpower Week conference is set for April 1^st and 2^nd in DC.  Waterpower Week is comprised of NHA’s Annual Conference and the International Marine Renewable Energy Conference (IMREC).  Marine energy, America's next-gen renewable, is on a path towards commercialization. The conference will look at funding and maritime market opportunities to new deployments, Waterpower Week's IMREC sessions are focusing on the biggest challenges facing marine energy.  FERC’s Rich Glick and ACORE’s Greg Wetstone are speaking. 

Planet Forward Summit Set – The George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs holds the 2019 Planet Forward Summit on April 4-5^th at GW.  It will feature some of the best communicators, photographers, innovators, policymakers, and journalists in the world. Discover what “impact” really means for communicators and creatives alike, and network with influential people and organizations in sustainability and science. 

SEIA, NEI Headline MIT Energy Conference – The MIT Energy Club hosts its 2019 MIT Energy Conference on Thursday April 4^th at the Boston Marriott Cambridge.  The focus this year will be on power grids and what they may look like in 2040.  Speakers include SEIA’s Abby Hopper, NEI’s Maria Korsnick, PSEG CEO Ralph Izzo and our friends at GTM’s Energy Gang Podcast, who will do a live show.

Petraeus to Address Energy Economists Annual Meeting – The National Capitol Area Chapter of the US Association for Energy Economics is holding its 23^rd annual conference on Wednesday April 24^th at the Marvin Center Continental Ballroom at George Washington University. The theme of this year's one-day event is Energy Security.  The confirmed keynote speaker at lunch is David Petraeus, Chairman of the KKR Global Institute. General Petraeus is former director of the Central Intelligence Agency and was commanding general of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, and Commander of United States Central Command.  Morning panels will focus on the international role of the United States, the perspective of the U.S. military, and the response of the refining and shipping industries to changes in emissions limits for bunker fuel. Afternoon panels will cover the security of the electric power grid and fossil fuel delivery systems.  There are many leaders from think tanks, government, the private sector and consultancies to explain how energy security concerns are driving the energy markets.