Energy Update: Week of September 26

Energy Update - September 26, 2016

Friends,

Today starts with sad news of the loss of golfing legend Arnold Palmer.  Palmer really brought golf to the common man and his legions of followers were the first steps of making golf the mainstream sport it is today.  He was a great person who always went out of his way to help others and promote his love for golf…he will be sorely missed.  And he also will be remembered for his classic and delicious ice tea/lemonade mix.

The presidential race is now all about today’s debate.  Our team has folks with decades of experience handling both policy debate and policymaking in Washington, DC and will be live tonight.  Scott Segal (scott.segal@bracewelllaw.com, 202-828-5864), Josh Zive (josh.zive@bracewelllaw.com, 202-828-5838, Follow: @jczive) and others are available to comment on the debates for your coverage.  While we will be discussing and “live tweeting” the general issues, we will also be targeting very specific energy, environmental and climate issues, as well as some law enforcement issues.  We are aggregating them at the @PolicyRez and @ERCC_Facts Twitter handles, so make sure you are following/tuning in.

The Really Big Event this week is tomorrow’s Clean Power Plan arguments at the DC Circuit.  While everybody has done a really nice job curtain-raising the arguments, special kudos to Emily Holden and crew at E&E News for stellar, in-depth preview coverage that you can see here and Mark Drajem and the Blomberg First Word Energy for its 3-days of previews.  More openers today including the New York Times.  Also today at 12:30, WV AG Pat Morrisey and TX AG Ken Paxton will headline a Texas Public Policy Foundation a panel discussion on the case.

The ERCC Twitter account will be very active over the next few days as we approach the oral arguments. For the CPP, the site is expected to feature a preview of the oral argument, identifying main arguments we will be watching as well as adding contact info for Scott and Jeff (jeff.holmstead@bracewelllaw.com, 202-294-8700), THE experts who are ready to help provide insight and analysis.  SO if you have a twitter account, you are going to want to follow @ERCC_Facts

Tomorrow may take on a bit of a circus atmosphere as protesters/activists are expected to descend onto the Courthouse.  After, both sides will respond in “spin areas.” Scott, Jeff and I will be available around the Courthouse and attorneys general challenging the rule and supporting members of Congress will host a presser for after oral arguments in the Senate Swamp outside of the U.S. Capitol.  NRECA CEO Jim Matheson is also talking about tomorrow’s arguments outlining what’s at stake for America’s electric co-ops.  He addresses the SCOTUS Stay, impacts on Co-ops, risks on low-income consumers and discussion of what co-ops are doing on coal and renewables.

Congress is trying to finish up on budget, WRDA and other issues.  House Rules meets today to set the table for the legislative debate.  Lots on the table including what will happen with Flint aid.

Staying focused on tomorrow’s big case.  See you at the week’s events.  Call for questions…

 

Best,

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

(202) 997-5932

 

FRANKLY SPOKEN

“America’s electric co-ops have a lot riding on how the Clean Power Plan litigation plays out, because the rule hits not-for-profit, consumer-owned electricity providers and their members especially hard. Instead of crafting sensible regulations to address power plant carbon emissions, EPA issued a rule that would significantly restructure the power sector, far exceeding its legal authority and burdening electric co-ops with a disproportionate share of the costs.

“The rule would force many co-ops to prematurely shutter coal-fired power plants on which they’re still repaying loans. Members of those co-ops would be charged twice for their electricity—once to continue paying down the loans on assets that are no longer generating revenue, and again for the cost of purchasing replacement power from somewhere else.”

NRECA CEO and former House Energy & Commerce Rep. Jim Matheson on impact of tomorrow’s Clean Power Plan arguments.

 

IN THE NEWS

White House, 100 Others Commit to HFC Reductions – Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday in New York at the UN that more than 100 nations and other entities are joining together to reduce emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).   The countries will declare their plans to limit HFCs in an effort to reduce global warming by up to half-a-degree Celsius. The event could create momentum behind negotiations to amend the Montreal Protocol to limit HFCs at an October meeting in Kigali, Rwanda. AHRI’s Steve Yurek, who has been a key player in this process, said by avoiding up to 0.5°C of warming by the end of the century, a Montreal Protocol hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) phasedown amendment is one of the most significant steps the world can take now to deliver on the goals of the Paris Agreement. Yurek: “We call upon world leaders to adopt in October an ambitious amendment to the Montreal Protocol, including an early first reduction step.  We declare our intent to work to reduce the use and emissions of high-global-warming-potential HFCs and transition over time to more sustainable alternatives in a manner that maintains or increases energy efficiency‎.”

NHTSA Releases Rules for AVs – Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx rolled out new NHTSA rule for autonomous vehicles last week.  SAFE experts Gen James Conway and Dr. Henry Claypool, a disabilities advocate, joined Foxx on the stage at the announcement.  Conway, 34th Commandant of the Marine Corps and Co-Chair of SAFE’s Energy Security Leadership Council said “if deployed properly, driverless cars will significantly enhance quality of life for all Americans through improved safety and accessibility of transportation—and will also reduce our over-dependence on petroleum.”  SAFE applauded NHTSA’s effort to create a policy platform that encourages innovation. Much of NHTSA’s approach aligns with the philosophy put forward in SAFE’s National Strategy for Energy Security, released in May of this year.  SAFE will also be working with policymakers and regulators to ensure the rules are cemented in federal legislation in the coming months. Autonomous vehicles are a critical technology with the potential to spur one of the greatest changes in society since the industrial revolution. The status quo of our transportation system comes with unacceptably high costs and autonomous vehicles are an opportunity to transform that system for the better.

Chamber Rolls Out New Report – Continuing its Energy Accountability Series, the Chamber’s Energy Institute’s second report found that America’s economy would be much weaker today if certain politicians and special interest groups had gotten their way and oil and natural gas resources had not been developed. This report, titled “What if America’s Energy Renaissance Had Not Actually Happened?,” uses data from 2009 through 2015 to imagine what the American economy would look like had the energy revolution not occurred. The report found that, without the energy renaissance, America would have lost 4.3 million jobs and $548 billion in annual GDP.  Were it not for the growth and development of oil and natural gas, today’s electricity prices would be 31 percent higher, and motor fuels would cost 43 percent more. The report takes a closer look at four states that, in different ways, have realized some of the biggest benefits of expanded energy development.  It finds that Pennsylvania and Ohio would have lost $13 billion and nearly $10 billion in GDP, respectively. The report also includes an analysis of Texas, which would have lost over 675,000 jobs, and Wisconsin, which would have lost 46,000 jobs. The analysis also finds that very few jobs and very little growth would have been realized in other sectors had the renaissance not taken place.  In other words, it is thanks to a massive expansion in America’s oil and gas production that the U.S. has experienced job growth and economic expansion since 2009. The Energy Institute’s report examines the oil and gas value chain impact, as well as the economic impact that has been spurred by lower energy prices.  The report breaks down benefits for both the residential and industrial sectors, and provides an in-depth examination of the sources of jobs.

The Energy Institute’s report utilizes publically available data on jobs and production levels and the IMPLAN macro-economic model.  A Technical Appendix to the report explains the methodology and sources of data.

USWF Wind Project To Continue Commitment To WV Community — US Wind Force Foundation is accepting grant applications from qualified nonprofit organizations for grants from its Community Benefit Fund.  The Community Benefit Fund was established as a way to provide locally-controlled financial resources for worthy “bricks and mortar” community projects in the communities immediately surrounding the Pinnacle Wind Farm.  The 55 megawatt, 23-turbine Pinnacle Wind Farm is located on Green Mountain near Keyser, West Virginia.  The foundation, through its Community Benefit Fund, has awarded more than $132,000 in grants to local community organizations since the wind farm was completed in January 2012.  Pinnacle voluntarily committed to donate $60,000 to the Community Benefit Fund at the start of commercial operations and $20,000 per year for the life of the project.

 

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

AGA Food Truck Highlights NatGas Use – The American Gas Association (AGA) continue to keep its natural gas-fueled food truck on Capitol Hill this week serving free grilled cheese sandwiches around Capitol Hill today through next Friday. The modernized food truck will help to demonstrate the relationship between natural gas and daily American life by bringing the benefits of cooking with natural gas to the public during their lunch hour. In order to receive a free grilled cheese, all you have to do is tweet to eat. Follow AGA on Twitter at @aga_naturalgas to get the latest details on the location of the food truck. Show up during lunch, smart phone in hand, and tweet using the hashtag #NatGasFuelsUs. Step up to the window and show your tweet as part of the online dialogue about natural gas to the food truck team and you will receive a grilled cheese of your choice.

Transmission Forum to Look at Key Western Issues – Infocast’s 8th Transmission Summit West, will be Held on September today through Wednesday in San Diego, CA at the Marriott La Jolla.  The Summit brings together senior transmission industry owners, operators, generators, regulators, financiers and other key players to address the strategic, regulatory, investment and technology issues facing the industry, and explore strategies for maximizing the true value of their business.

AGs Preview CPP Case at Forum – The Texas Public Policy Foundation is hosting a panel discussion today at 12:30 p.m., on the eve of oral argument in the D.C. Circuit. The discussion will provide lawyers, the media, policy analysts, academics, legislators, regulators, and the general public with a window on the key legal arguments that will be addressed before the en banc panel regarding EPA’s authority to regulate the nation’s power generating industry under the so-called Clean Power Plan (CPP). Participants in the discussion include the Attorneys General of the states of Texas and West Virginia, two of the lead petitioners in the consolidated cases, as well as private counsel representing a variety of intervenors and amici supporting the petitioners. The key issues to be addressed involve constitutional challenges striking at the heart of the CPP, focusing on EPA’s usurpation of state powers to regulate the use of in-state natural resources, as well as the extent to which EPA is permitted to rewrite the Clean Air Act to suit its overarching goal of regulating carbon dioxide emissions throughout the nation.

Wilson to Host Climate Conflict Forum – Next Monday at 3:00 p.m., the Woodrow Wilson Center will host a forum as part of an ongoing effort by ECSP to investigate the conflict and peace-building potential of climate change, including two reports: “Backdraft: The Conflict Potential of Climate Change Adaptation and Migration” and A New Climate for Peace: Taking Action on Climate and Fragility Risks.  The event will feature a roundtable discussion on current efforts to understand the potential “backdraft” effect of responses to climate change.

Presidential Debate – Hofstra 9:00 p.m.

Post to Host Forum with Vilsack – The morning after the first presidential debate at 9:00 a.m., the Washington Post The Daily 202 host James Hohmann will talk one-on-one with Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack. The former Iowa Governor will give his take on the debate, including how the candidates’ policies and personas are resonating with rural voters, share thoughts on how Democrats can make gains in rural Republican strongholds and discuss the pressing issues facing the next administration.  This is the first program in a new series tied to Hohmann’s Daily 202 newsletter, which has become a go-to for Beltway insights and analysis. Each month, Hohmann will interview D.C. power players and political operatives about the issues and news shaping Washington.

Forum to Look at Advanced Biofuels – The BioRenewable Deployment Consortium Symposium will be held tomorrow and Wednesday at the Embassy Suites Hotel in DC.  This special meeting will bring together BDC members, Agency Directors, House Biofuel and Paper Caucus Representatives, and Advanced Biofuels/Biochemicals Companies who are making great strides toward commercialization.

NTU Forum Looks at Puerto Rico Issues – The National Taxpayers Union will host a panel discussion tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. at the National Press Club’s Morrow Room to assess next Steps for Puerto Rico following the appointment of a federal Oversight Board and ahead of the Economic Task Force’s critical final report.  The event will offer a broad overview of PROMESA and an update on several key initiatives included in the bill. Additionally, discussion will focus on the Oversight Board appointees and specific policies that the Board as well as the Task Force should consider to restore Puerto Rico to economic growth. The panel will also address what Congress and the Administration must still do to help the Commonwealth prosper, including federal tax and regulations.

Clean Power Plan Hits DC Circuit – The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear oral arguments tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. in a case challenging the Clean Power Plan, the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulation limiting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from existing power plants. The hearing by the full court is the first time judges will hear arguments on the merits of the rule. Many expect the circuit court decision will be appealed to, and may ultimately be heard by, the U.S. Supreme Court. The Clean Power Plan is on hold while it makes its way through the legal system.

USEA to Look at CCS, Paris – Tomorrow, USEA will host a forum featuring John Gale of IEA.  Gale will make presentations that will review the outcomes of the Paris Agreement with regard to mitigation needs and the role of CCS in any future mitigation strategies both short term and post 2030. The presentation will assess the research and policy needs to position CCS in future mitigation strategies that countries will provide to the UNFCCC as their Intended National Contributions.  It will examine the role that the IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Program can play in  meeting those future research/policy needs to ensure that CCS technologies can be deployed effectively to meet both short term and long term climate strategies.

WCEE Forum to Look at Energy Security – The Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment (WCEE) will host a Brown Bag lunch tomorrow looking at security of the energy industry.  The advance of new technologies and the introduction of new players and new potential interactions on the grid have made the industry very aware of threats and potential game changers. Cyber security and physical security are just two of the constant concerns of those who manage the industry’s assets.  Speakers will be former DOE Officials Jeff Lane and Peter Tseronis, the former Chief Tech Officer.

Dicks, Perdue Headline BPC Nuclear Waste Forum – The Bipartisan Policy Center’s Nuclear Waste Council will host a discussion tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. on the challenges and solutions to America’s nuclear waste management and the promise consent-based siting can have for future projects.  BPC will release a series of recommendations on the topic of consent-based siting as the culmination of the second phase of the council’s work. These will serve as a foundation for the upcoming national nuclear waste management conversation and are based on a year of intense research, surveys of state government officials, and visits to communities undergoing nuclear waste siting consideration.  Speakers will include former Washington Rep. Norm Dicks and former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, who both Co-Chair BPC’s Nuclear Waste Council.

BGov Hosts Forum on Latino Impacts, Climate – Bloomberg Government will host a forum on Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. looking at issues weighing heavily on Latino voters, including the environment. According to a June 2016 Pew Research Center poll, roughly two-thirds of Hispanic voters consider the environment a very important issue—compared to only half of the overall voting population.  To mark Hispanic Heritage Month, BGov, in partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund and the Hispanic Federation, will bring together policymakers, Latino leaders and health experts for a discussion on the impact of climate change on Latino communities, and how climate issues may factor into Hispanic Americans’ voting decisions during the upcoming elections.

Foxx, Moniz to Host Infrastructure Forum – The Center for American Progress and NextGen Climate America will host a half-day conference on Wednesday featuring three-panel discussions centered on energy, water, and transportation infrastructure. Our distinguished speakers and experts will discuss how federal policymakers can update America’s infrastructure to create jobs, protect public health, and respond to the intensifying challenges of climate change.  Keynote speakers will include Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and DOE Secretary Ernest Moniz.

Georgetown to Host Post DC Circuit Round Up – On Wednesday at 9:00 a.m., the Georgetown Climate Center and the Georgetown Environmental Law program will host a forum with litigants in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals case challenging the Obama Administration’s signature climate change action, the day after oral argument before an en banc panel of judges at the D.C. Circuit.  The event will include West Virginia Solicitor General Elbert Lin (attorney for state petitioners), Thomas A. Lorenzen (attorney for industry petitioners), Sean Donahue (attorney for NGO intervenors supporting EPA), New York Assistant Attorney General Morgan Costello (attorney for state intervenors supporting EPA), and EPA Associate General Counsel Lorie Schmidt.

CSIS to Host Book Launch on LNG – On Wednesday at 10:00 a.m., the CSIS Energy and National Security Program is hosting the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies Research Center and the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies to launch their newly published book, LNG Markets in Transition: the Great Reconfiguration (editors: Ms. Anne-Sophie Corbeau, KAPSARC, and Mr. David Ledesma, OIES).  The book posits that dramatic changes are taking place on global liquefied natural gas (LNG) markets today and that this development is about to topple 50 years of practice in the LNG business. The speakers will explain the nature, drivers and extent of changes that are taking place in global LNG markets and illuminate how new and existing players are challenging the norms of the LNG business in relation to business structures, contracts, and price dynamics.

Forum to Review CPP Oral Arguments – The DC Bar and the Environmental Law Institute will host a forum on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. at Beveridge & Diamond to discuss the oral arguments from the Clean Power plan.  Speakers will include NRDC’s Dave Doniger, Peabody’s Tristan Duncan, WV Solicitor Elbert Lin, and EPA’s Ethan Shenkman.

Challenging AGs to Host Presser – Attorney General Patrick Morrisey will join partnering attorneys general and supporting members of Congress at a press conference set for after oral arguments in West Virginia v. EPA, the coalition’s challenge to President Obama’s Power Plan.  Morrisey, along with U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, will be joined by AGs Ken Paxton (TX), Leslie Rutledge (AR), Samuel Olens (GA), Jeff Landry (LA), Scott Pruitt (OK) and Peter Michael (WY).  U.S. Reps. David McKinley, Alex Mooney and Evan Jenkins of West Virginia, and U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith of Virginia will also attend.

CSU Hosting Energy Transition Forum – The Colorado State University Energy Institute and School of Global Environmental Sustainability are hosting the 6th annual 21st Century Energy Transition Symposium (formerly known as the Natural Gas Symposium) on Wednesday and Thursday in Ft. Collins, CO to discuss complex energy issues while finding viable solutions.  Keynote Speakers will include DOE Deputy Secretary Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, U.S. Department of Energy, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn and ARPA-e Director Ellen Williams.

JHU to Host Saudi Oil Policy Discussion – On Wednesday at 5:00 p.m., Johns Hopkins University ERE’s Global Leaders Forum and Middle East Studies will host Jean-François Seznec on “Oil Policy and Proposed Energy Reforms in Saudi Arabia.”  Faced with continuing low prices and oversupply in the world oil market, will Saudi Arabia and OPEC return to earlier policies of cutting oil production to stabilize or raise prices.  Meanwhile, important energy reforms have been proposed by the new leadership in Saudi Arabia to modernize the economy, reduce subsidies, privatize at least part of Saudi Aramco, and introduce a Value Added Tax.

Argus to Host Politics, Energy Webinar – On Thursday at 10:00 a.m., Argus Washington bureau chief David Ivanovich will lead a Webinar to examine the role energy may play in the upcoming US presidential race and the battle for control of the US Senate.  The webinar will discuss how energy prices could affect voter sentiment this November, what Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton’s energy policies say about them as candidates and whether energy issues could help tip the balance in some key Senate races.

Forum to Look at Climate Response in Asia, Pacific – The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace will host a forum on Thursday at 2:00 p.m. that will explore the market tools and financial instruments being deployed to respond to climate change in the Asia-Pacific. It will focus on the growing capital expenditures in sustainable development, and the emerging role of carbon pricing as a tool for reducing emissions in an efficient and cost-effective way. The event will also serve to launch the Asia Society Policy Institute report, Roadmap to a Northeast Asian Carbon Market, and discuss how growing regional cooperation is essential for achieving the goals laid out in the Paris climate change agreement.

 

FUTURE EVENTS

India to Sign Treaty on Sunday – Prime Minister Narendra Modi said yesterday India would ratify the Paris climate change agreement on Sunday October 2nd on Gandhi’s birthday.  India joining brings the   agreement closer still to formally taking effect this year. Once India signs, countries accounting for nearly 52% of global emissions will have joined the agreement.

Offshore Wind Forum Set for RI – The Business Network for Offshore Wind is hosting an International Offshore Wind Conference at the Hotel Viking in Newport, Rhode Island next Sunday through Tuesday.  The event will feature an array of governmental, international and national development and energy leaders.  The event will wrap up with a tour of the Block Island Wind Farm, the first offshore windfarm in the U.S. on Wednesday.

CSIS to Host Maritime Security Discussion – The Maritime Security Dialogue will be held on October 3rd at 10:00 a.m. and will bring together CSIS and USNI, two of the nation’s most respected non-partisan institutions. The series is intended to highlight the particular challenges facing the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, from national level maritime policy to naval concept development and program design. Given budgetary challenges, technological opportunities, and ongoing strategic adjustments, the nature and employment of U.S. maritime forces are likely to undergo significant change over the next ten to fifteen years. The Maritime Security Dialogue provides an unmatched forum for discussion of these issues with the nation’s maritime leaders.  Admiral John M. Richardson, USN Chief of Naval Operations will be the speaker.

Holmstead to Lead BPC Panel on EPA Rule – The Bipartisan Policy Center will hold a forum on Tuesday October 4th for a panel discussion with leading legal experts to unpack the arguments presented to the circuit court on September 27 in a case challenging EPA’s Clean Power Plan.  They will also be asked to read the tea leaves on the judges’ questions and reactions.  Speakers will include my Colleague Jeff Holmstead, Hunton’s Allison Wood, NRDC’s David Doniger and Chris Courchesne of the Massachusetts AG’s Office.

RFF Seminar to Look at Past Energy Crisis – On October 5th at 12:45 p.m. Resources for the Future will host a seminar looking at the history and politics of energy policy in the 1970s., Meg Jacobs, Princeton historian and author of Panic at the Pump: The Energy Crisis and the Transformation of American Politics in the 1970s,* will examine how the twin oil shocks of that decade—the 1973–1974 Arab oil embargo followed by the Iranian revolution five years later—caught American policymakers by surprise and discusses why they encountered so many challenges in devising effective solutions. Even as the crisis gave momentum to the creation of the US Department of Energy, the lines for gasoline undermined public confidence in Washington’s ability to resolve the crisis. President Carter made some progress with the passage of his National Energy Act of 1978, but the political divisions made enduring reforms of energy production and use challenging. The result was a stalemate rather than a new framework for national energy policy. By the time of the 1991 Gulf War, Americans had continued to be substantially reliant on oil from abroad, including from the Middle East. Meg Jacobs analyzes these issues in her history of the energy crisis, providing a cautionary tale for today. The seminar will also feature remarks from former RFF President Phil Sharp.

USEA to Host Energy Supply Forum – The US Energy Assn will host its 9th Annual Energy Supply Forum on Thursday at the National Press Club.  The event is one of USEA’s premier events, bringing together over 150 key policymakers, government officials, senior corporate officers, and industry professionals to discuss the latest in innovation, technology, policy and trends facing the energy supply sector.  Topics for discussion will include:  Challenges to the next Secretary of Energy; Global Gas Markets; The Global Nuclear Picture; Integrated Energy Network; Outlook for Carbon Capture & Storage Utilization; and more.

Forum to Look at Food Waste, Recycling – Next Thursday, at 12:00 p.m., the Environmental Law Institute will look at food waste and recycling issues.  In 2015, the U.S. announced its first ever domestic goal to cut food loss and waste in half by 2030. In the hierarchy of food waste recovery options, a key objective is to divert waste to composting facilities or anaerobic digesters, rather than landfills and incinerators. In the second panel in ELI’s food waste series, we will discuss innovations in the food waste processing sector, potential municipal and state best practices in waste reduction, and opportunities to convert waste into renewable energy.

WRI to Launch Report – On Friday, October 7th at 10:00 a.m., World Resources Institute

Will host a high-level panel discussion, chaired by Andrew Steer, in conjunction with the launch of the report – Climate Benefits, Tenure Costs: The Economic Case for Securing Indigenous Land Rights in the Amazon. This major new research report finds that securing land rights for local forest dwellers in Brazil, Colombia and Bolivia is a low cost investment that would generate substantial returns at the global and local levels.  The report will be launched in Washington, DC, at a side event of the World Bank Group Annual Meetings. WRI’s event will feature a panel of leading economists and finance ministers. The WRI report focuses on Bolivia, Brazil, and Colombia, provides original matching analysis on deforestation rates, emphasizes climate mitigation but incorporates an array of ecosystem services into the Benefit-Cost Analysis, and includes a set of policy options and recommendations.  Lord Nicholas Stern is among the speakers.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Day Set – The 2nd Annual National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day will be held on October 8th to highlight the advances on hydrogen fuel cell advances.  The event focuses in recognition of the atomic mass of hydrogen, 1.008 (October 8th).

Borenstein, Holt, Mann Headline Penn State Science Forum – Penn State University will hold a forum on October 13th at 7:00 p.m. to discuss Science, climate and energy policy.  The panel will feature former Rep. and Princeton Physicist Rush Holt, controversial climate scientist Michael Mann, AP Science report Seth Borenstein and Penn State energy center director Peter Hudson.

Rogers Headlines New Energy Summit – The 2016 New Energy Summit will be held in Washington at the House of Sweden on October 17-18, 2016 in Washington, DC. The 4th annual event will cover such topics as tax equity, community solar, net metering, and more. This year’s event will also feature a roster of pioneers, innovators and industry champions including Jigar Shah – Co-Founder of Generate Capital, Jim Rogers – Former CEO of Duke Energy, and Reed Hundt – Co-Founder of Coalition for Green Capital.

CIBO Meeting Set – The Council of Industrial Boiler Owners (CIBO) will hold its annual meeting on October 18-19th In Woodstock, Vermont.  The meeting will consider the energy and environmental questions corporate and institutional CEO’s and Government legislative and regulatory leaders will be asking in the upcoming year as well as discuss the broader energy and environmental issues that could be impacting overall corporate operations and planning in the near term.

Conference to Focus on Consumers, Cities – On November 1st and 2nd, The Energy Times 2nd annual Empowering Customers and Cities conference will be held in Chicago.  The conference we will feature Jeremy Rifkin, bestselling author of 20 books on science, technology and the economy, society and the environment. Rifkin will kick off our conference and lay out his entire vision for the coming global transformation and how it will transform electric power production and consumption.  Anne Pramaggiore, President and CEO of ComEd, will discuss ComEd’s vision of what its customers will want and need in coming years, and the steps they are taking to provide those services. Thomas Birr, Chief Strategy Officer of RWE, Germany’s second largest utility, will discuss what RWE is doing to become the utility of the future and the steps they are taking to secure the most innovative and potent technologies to help build a 21st century energy enterprise.

TransForum East Set for Nov – GenerationHub’s TransForum East is scheduled for November 15-16 at the Capital Hilton in DC. TransForum East brings together electric transmission executives who operate, plan, build, regulate and invest in electric power transmission systems in Eastern North America.

This regional forum provides two days of interaction and collaboration on the business of power transmission. You’ll gain insight from case studies of successful business models, regional planning strategies, financing trends and practical lessons learned from new construction and upgraded transmission projects occurring in the United States and Canada.