Energy Update: Week of April 18th

Friends,

Hope you enjoyed your Passover/Easter/Ramadan weekend and got a chance to spend a little time with family.  And now everyone heads over to the White House for today’s annual Easter Egg Roll.  The White House didn’t wait for the Easter baskets though dropping out a Good Friday/Passover/Ramadan 5:00 pm Friday News dump saying they were going to restart federal leasing with higher royalty rates. BTW, this is the second time they have made an O&G announcement in a news black hole when DOI released its long-anticipated oil and gas leasing report on Black Friday. (Thanks Matt Choi/Ben Lefebvre for reminding us) 

My enviro friends were NOT amused as they blasted the Administration for breaking its campaign climate promises. I understand why they would want to sneak it out a news Blackhole, but why the Administration would give enviro groups on Earth Week this climate/campaign promise news hook to bash them with seems a bit like a PR misstep. Happy to discuss the politics of this any time and also have a bunch of great resources for you.

Congress remains in their states/districts this week, but it is Earth Day on Friday so look for a lot of coverage on environmental and climate issues in addition to the Biden Campaign promise/oil leasing story. There are also a bunch of random events on Friday and weekend rallies across the country, including a major one in DC on Saturday. Expect the Administration to spread out including Biden heading to the Seattle/Portland and EPA Admin Regan in the Midwest at the end of the week.  Already, DOE Sect Granholm was in AZ, NV and Cali (she visited a new Air Liquide hydrogen plant in Las Vegas on Friday).

There will also be a House Science subpanel hearing on Thursday looking at EVs and critical minerals supply and FERC holds its Open Meeting the same day, so keep your eyes out for any LNG developments there.

Finally, earnings season is heating up, and a handful of notable energy-adjacent companies are set to report their 1Q results this week including Tesla, Baker Hughes and Kinder Morgan on Wednesday.  BH and KM could give us a sense of oil/gas earnings and activity.

Today is Patriots Day and of course, (back to its regular time) running of the Boston Marathon.  Good luck to all those running and enjoy the return of the Wellesley scream tunnel.

Taxes are also due TODAY…Get ‘em in!!!! Call with questions...

Best,

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

C. (202) 997-5932

FRANKLY SPOKEN

“We have entered a historic period of transformation in the energy industry, especially in the electric industry. When we weigh the pace of investment, both in the transformation of our generation fleet as well as the investments we’re making in our grid, we’re looking very closely at how we finance that.”

DTE Energy CEO Jerry Norcia in a Wall Street Journal article by Katherine Blunt on utilities planning huge grid upgrades.

ON THE PODCAST

Columbia Energy Exchange Talks Critical Minerals with SAFE Expert – Russia’s oil and natural gas commodities get a lot of attention, but the country’s critical metals and minerals supplies – which include steel, titanium, nickel, cobalt and lithium – are also cause for concern. These minerals are essential components of clean energy technologies like solar panels, wind turbines and batteries for electric vehicles.  For a look at how global supply chains of critical minerals will be crucial to the energy transition – and how these supply chains can be managed effectively – Columbia Energy Exchange host Bill Loveless spoke with Abigail Wulf, Vice President and Director of Critical Minerals Strategy at SAFE, a nonpartisan organization that promotes U.S. energy security policies.

Bracewell Enviro Podcast Talks Solar Projects at Landfills – In a recent Environmental Law Monitor podcast episode. Bracewell’s Jason Hutt and Daniel Pope had a conversation with Mike Borkowski, president of Community Power Group, about the opportunities and challenges of building solar facilities atop contaminated properties like landfills and unused industrial sites.

FUN OPINIONS

PA Sen Yaw:  PA LNG Plant Delays helping Putin – PA Senate Energy Committee Chairman Gene Yaw writes in an op-ed mentioned in the Philadelphia Inquirer that three environmental groups handed Russian President Vladimir Putin a major victory when they shut down an $800 million LNG project in one of the most rural parts of Northeast PA.  New Fortress Energy had plans to build a high-capacity facility in Wyalusing, Bradford County to produce LNG that would then be shipped through a terminal in New Jersey for distribution to foreign countries. “Somewhere along the line, organizations have an obligation to think beyond their own self-serving politics and consider what is in the best interest of the nation. An environmental victory in Pennsylvania means bombings and death will continue to occur in a country where our energy assets could play a significant role.” 

Yergin/Pascual: Cutting Russian Oil W/O Chaos – In a new op-ed in the Washington Post, New Map author and CERA Week host Daniel Yergin and former U.S. ambassador to Mexico and Ukraine Carlos Pascual write banning Russian oil and gas sales in a Europe that depends heavily on Russian energy is becoming increasingly likely. But it will need to be done right if it is going to work. “Completely severing Europe from Russian energy, though, will depend on skillfully managing the resulting energy shortages and turbulence. To succeed requires something that has until now been largely missing: collaboration between government and industry.”

FROG BLOG

US Can Lead on Aluminum – SAFE Commanding Heights executive director and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Jeb Nadaner writes in an opinion piece for Industry Week that the ongoing crisis in Ukraine presents another reminder of America’s reliance on problematic sources for essential products and materials. We already are experiencing price hikes stemming from sanctions on many Russian companies and commodities. From passenger airplanes to kitchen appliances, aluminum is one of those foundational industrial materials that a modern society needs to function—in addition to being an essential component of many systems used by the U.S. military. Today, the global picture for aluminum is not promising overall—for American interests or values.  “There is an opportunity for America to take a leading role in more cleanly produced aluminum as part of a long overdue revival of manufacturing. But only if our government is willing to pursue the right incentives and investments here at home.” 

FUN FACTS

Hydrogen Blending: There are 26 pilot projects injecting hydrogen into existing gas pipelines. These range from individual utilities testing new hydrogen production and storage technologies to the ambitious US DoE HyBlend collaborative project. 

WORLD WIND: Top 10 Countries using wind to generate electricity, as a percentage of total electricity.

1.            Denmark (48%)

2.            Uruguay (43%)

3.            Ireland (33%)

4.            Portugal (27%)

5.            Luxembourg (25%)          

6.            Spain (23%)

7.            United Kingdom (21%)

8.            Germany (20%)

9.            Greece (20%)

10.         Kenya (16%)

(Aggregation Source for both: American Energy Society)

IN THE NEWS

Admin to Restart Drilling on Fed Lands – On Good Friday/Passover/Ramadan Friday at 5:00 p.m., the Interior Department said it would restart onshore oil and gas lease sales on federal land and raise the royalty rate, with the Bureau of Land Management posting sale notices tomorrow. The new royalty rate of 18.75%, up from 12.5%, is the federal government's first increase of the fee imposed on oil drillers on public land. This is the second time they have made an O&G announcement in a news black hole when DOI released its long-anticipated oil and gas leasing report on Black Friday.  And remember, this is part was forced by a federal judge in Louisiana who halted the Administration’s suspension of lease sales for the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska waters “and all eligible onshore properties.”

API weighs in on Announcement – API’s SVP of Policy, Economics and Regulatory Affairs Frank Macchiarola said of the announcement that “U.S. energy resources are the envy of the world and a long-term strategic asset that strengthens our national security and fuels our economy. We are pleased to see the Interior Department finally announce a restart to the long-delayed onshore leasing program required under the law, but we are concerned that this action adds new barriers to increasing energy production, including removing some of the most significant parcels. At a time of high energy costs, these changes to long-standing fair and reasonable lease terms may further discourage oil and natural gas investment on federal lands.”

EPA to Allow E15 Year Round – The EPA said it will allow an ethanol-blended form of gasoline known as E15, which is usually prohibited in much of the United States between June 1 and Sept. 15 due to air pollution regulations, to be sold this summer as part of the administration's efforts to tamp down prices at the pump. The President went to Iowa to talk about gas prices and E15, it is important to remember that E15 is only a very small portion of our gasoline supply (less than 1%) and it is really only available in a few states.  And in many places, those prices are sometimes artificially low because of state subsidies in states like PA and VA.

Steelworkers, Delek Send Letter Asking For Small Refiner Exemptions – Small refiners are looking to engage as well.  Delek and USW wrote the President today as well to suggest that he urge EPA to protect union jobs and help secure the future of domestic refining by issue small refinery exemptions (SREs) to the RFS which will lower gas prices. USW International President Tomas Conway and Delek CEO Uzi Yemin wrote “failure by the EPA to issue SREs would imperil the viability of America’s small refineries, which play a vital role in producing our nation’s supply of transportation fuels. That will exacerbate the economic harm small refineries suffer due to the RFS and jeopardize the jobs of many hardworking Americans represented by the United Steelworkers.”

SCOTUS Reject Missouri Pipeline Appeal – The Supreme Court declined to hear a St. Louis-based natural gas company’s appeal of a lower court’s decision that could close a pipeline that runs through parts of Illinois and Missouri.  The court rejected Spire Inc.’s appeal without comment. Spire President Scott Smith pledged to continue fighting to keep the 65-mile (105-kilometer) pipeline up and running. American Gas Association (AGA) President and CEO Karen Harbert said “AGA is disappointed that the Supreme Court will not review the matter and the precedent the D.C. Circuit’s decision sets for delivering essential energy to American homes and businesses. The fact that the lower court did not fully consider the disruptive consequences of its action on families and businesses in this community that rely on natural gas for affordable and reliable energy for warm meals, hot showers and comfortable homes is very concerning.” AGA filed an amicus brief in the case calling interstate natural gas pipelines “the arteries of the nation’s energy infrastructure.”

Renewables Hit Record High (Briefly) on Cal Grid – The California Independent System Operator (ISO) said last week that the state’s electric grid has hit a new daily high of electricity generated from renewables, making up 97.6% of grid power in the late afternoon on April 3^rd.  The peak, which occurred briefly at 3:39 p.m., outdistanced the previous record of 96.4% green electricity set on March 27.  ISO said renewable peaks typically occur in the spring, due to mild temperatures and the sun angle allowing for an extended window of strong solar production. ISO analysis forecasts a potential for more renewable records in April.

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

TAX DAY – TODAY.  Not so good!!!

Brookings to Discuss IPCC Report – Today at 3:30 p.m., Brookings will host a forum on the follow up to the IPCC report.  Washington Post reporter Sarah Kaplan will moderate an expert panel discussion on the findings from the IPCC’s 6^th assessment report and the future of climate policymaking given the report’s findings. Panelists include two contributing authors to the WG3 report, along with experts who represent a range of knowledge around climate policymaking. The discussion will include reflections about the key findings and what comes next in terms of climate policymaking given what is currently known about how climate change will change our world.

Hydrogen Forum Set in Houston – US Energy Stream holds the 3^rd annual Hydrogen & LNG Forum 2022 today and tomorrow at the Petroleum Club of Houston, Texas.  The Forum is an annual market intelligence platform that brings together powerful U.S. Congressmen, Senators, government leaders, senior energy executives, investors and experts.  Speakers will include Reps. Gary Palmer, Brian Babin, Sheila Jackson-Lee and Deb Lesko, as well as several company execs.

Gensler to Address Reuters Conference – The Reuters' Responsible Business USA 2022 event will be held tomorrow and Wednesday with comments from SEC Chairman Gary Gensler. The conference will convene more than 400 executives to discuss ways to ensure their businesses meet targets related to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees C. Last week, Gensler defended the SEC's proposal to require large companies to disclose details about their emissions and will likely use this venue to further state his case.

Columbia Sabin Center Holds Global Climate Litigation Conference – The Sabin Center and United Nations Environment Program will hold their first Annual Conference on Global Climate Litigation tomorrow and Wednesday. The conference will address key themes on global climate litigation and feature several members of the Peer Review Network and invited speakers.

FP Forum Looks at Financial Assistance for Developing Countries – Tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., Foreign Policy, in partnership with Microsoft, holds a forum on financial assistance for least developing countries will welcome finance experts, impact investors, and entrepreneurs for a conversation on ways public and private sectors can contribute to sustainable development and bolster economic growth.

ITA to Host LNG, Hydrogen Forum – The International Trade Administration holds a forum tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. to discuss Europe's shifting geopolitical landscape and its implications for U.S. LNG and hydrogen companies.  Participants will learn how Europe's gas supply challenges will impact the U.S. LNG value chain; the role of hydrogen in Europe's energy security and decarbonization goals; U.S. government resources available to U.S. LNG and hydrogen companies

Forum to Address Climate Resilience – The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) holds a web forum tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. on climate resilience.  This webinar will explore on-the-ground projects at the nexus of economic development and climate resilience and illustrate how common strategies can reduce climate and economic risks and create new opportunities.

Forum Looks at Storage Challenges – WRISE holds a forum tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. on the growing pains in the battery storage market. The panelists will cover supply chain, integration, market operations, and how participants are delivering viable storage products to the market.

Kerry Headlines Green Financing Forum – The Center for Global Development holds a discussion on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. on financing green development in a fireside chat with Secretary John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate. The virtual event will feature a one-on-one discussion between Secretary Kerry and PBS NewsHour anchor Judy Woodruff where they will discuss the Administration’s efforts to reduce global carbon emissions and elaborate on U.S. policies to expand access to finance for sustainable development.

WSJ Forum to Look at ESG, SEC Regs – The Wall Street Journal hold its Pro Sustainable Business Forum on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. The event will feature several corporate sustainability leaders, as well as a speech from Satyam Khanna, former senior policy adviser for climate and ESG at the SEC. The forum will address recent SEC regulations and cover topics such as Scope 3 emissions and carbon credits.

Wilson Discussion to Look at China Food System – The Wilson Center holds a forum on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. on China’s food system transformation and its ability to reduce GHGs. At this Green Tea Chat, Patty Fong, program director on Climate and Health & Wellbeing at Global Alliance, will discuss the multiple ways China and other countries can reform food and agricultural systems and potentially reduce global emissions by more than 20%. To catalyze this change, countries should include food and land use into their climate plans submitted as part of the UN climate agreement.

Sect Pete Address FutureTense Forum – In a forum on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m., New America’s Future Tense is asking Sec. Pete Buttigieg what role imagination plays in managing a federal department as sprawling and impactful as the Department of Transportation. The will also have a panel of three Future Tense Fiction authors to talk about how they see their work inspiring visions of futures that might come to pass.

NASEO Looks at Infrastructure – On Wednesday at 2:00 p.m., NASEO holds a webinar on the infrastructure and jobs act’s impact on procurement issues. In this meeting, NASEO members will have the opportunity to hear from and ask questions of procurement expert Dan Kelly of McCarter English, who has deep expertise in government contracting processes at the state and federal level, to inform IIJA and EECBG implementation over the coming years.

Energy Economists Hosts OPEC Expert – The National Capital Chapter of the US Energy Economists will host their monthly meeting on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. to discuss the impact Covid-19 has had on the world oil market and the recovery of oil prices. This seminar will feature NCAC's Bryn Kirk and Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, a professor at Virginia Tech. The discussion will focus on the role OPEC has in the oil economy.

EPIC Forum Features former Mayors on Climate, Race – The Energy Policy Institute at U of Chicago holds a forum on Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m. focused on City Mayors grappling with climate change costs to their communities. Many of America’s most populous regions are reeling from the effects of climate change, from rising sea levels, increased flooding, extreme heat, and a surge in wildfires and hurricanes. At the same time, the nation’s biggest cities within those regions are home to a higher proportion of communities of color. Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and former Greenville Mayor Heather McTeer Toney will speak.

IEA to Discuss Energy, Ukraine – On Thursday at 5:30 a.m., IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol and European Commission Director-General for Energy Ditte Juul Jørgensen will host a roundtable discussion about the initial version of the IEA’s new guide for how consumers can save energy. The livestreamed event will include the participation of leading representatives from consumer associations, unions, civil society and governments. The full agenda of speakers will be made available in due course. Based on the discussions at the event and broader feedback from stakeholders in the following weeks, the IEA and European Commission will publish an enhanced set of key energy saving measures.

Forum Launches Report on Peacekeeping, Renewables in Somalia – On Thursday at 9:00 a.m., the Stimson Center holds a panel discussion to launch their latest report, “Powering Ahead: The United Nations and Somalia’s Renewable Energy Opportunity.” Co-hosted with Norway and the United Arab Emirates, the event is part of a series on evaluating energy options in peacekeeping as the UN aims to shift 80% of its energy supply to renewables by 2030. The session will include a presentation of our report as well as updates on precedent-setting renewable energy projects being developed by the private sector to supply both the UN and local consumers.

FERC OPEN Meeting – Thursday at 10:00 a.m.

House Science Panel Looks at EVs, Critical Minerals – The House Science Subcommittee on Oversight holds a field hearing on Thursday at 11:00 a.m. EV batteries and the critical mineral supplies. Rivian’s Chris Nevers, Nate Baguio of the Lion Electric Company, Argonne’s Venkat Srinivasan and Chibueze Amanchukwu of the University of Chicago.

World Bank, IMF Forum Looks at Green Financing – The World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund hold a forum on Thursday at 11:00 a.m. on financing climate action for a green future. This event will look at the actions that are needed to create enabling environments, leverage different pools of capital at the right time, for specific needs, while involving communities and bringing them along in the global low-carbon, resilient transition.  

ELI to Look at NEPA – On Thursday at Noon, the Environmental Law Institute and expert panelists hold a forum to explore the proposed changes to NEPA, how these rules may impact on climate change policy and environmental justice, and how the administration may overcome obstacles to promulgating new rules.

EPIC to Feature Harvard Expert on Geoengineering – The Energy Policy Institute at U of Chicago holds a forum on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. focused on solar geoengineering versus carbon removal with Harvard’s David Keith.

Forum to Look at Arctic Cooperation with Russian Invasion – On Thursday at 12:30 p.m., the Wilson Center’s Polar Institute holds an armchair discussion with Icelandic Minister of Foreign Affairs Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir to discuss: Iceland’s position and priorities in the Arctic; the Iceland-United States bilateral relationship, and; current global affairs and how they affect security and cooperation in the North Atlantic.

Forum to Look at IPCC Report, Ocean Carbon Removal – The Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy and the Environmental Policy & Culture Program at Northwestern University holds a webinar on Thursday at 1:00 p.m. to look at the potential Of ocean-based carbon removal. The event provide an overview of the scientific, technological, legal and social elements of the study. Panelists will include both principals in the drafting of the report and reviewers.

Forum to Focus on Transactive Energy – On Thursday at 3:00 p.m., a forum will focus on leveraging distributed energy resource capabilities through transactive energy.  The event will feature

SEPA’s Larisa Dobriansky, National Grid’s Eli Shakun, PNNL’s Hayden Reeve and IEEE Blockchain Transactive Energy (BCTE) Initiative Chair Claudio Lima.

Catholic U Holds Sustainability Forum – The Catholic University of America is organizing a conference on Friday addressing the impact that a changing global climate will have on work and careers throughout the 21^st century. This is part of the University’s ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship as part of its recent 5-year sustainability plan. The conference will feature speakers from government, industry, universities, and the nonprofit sector. Building on themes addressed by Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato Si’, the conference will address the ways that jobs throughout the global economy will be, and are already being, impacted by climate change and by increased attention to environmental stewardship, resiliency, human ecology, and sustainability.

Forum Looks at Natural Capital Issues – On Friday at 9:30 a.m., Stanford’s Natural Capital Project holds a high-level panel intended to set the stage for natural capital conversations at Stockholm+50, aiming to spur actions that tackle inequalities and create sustainable prosperity. This Earth Day panel brings together global leaders in natural capital science and approaches from academia, government, and finance to discuss successful implementation of natural capital approaches and advances and mainstreaming implementation of natural capital approaches.

Event Addresses Climate Finance in Emerging Markets – The US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is hosting the “Investing in a Sustainable Future–Climate Finance in Emerging Markets” virtual event on Friday at 9:00 a.m. for businesses, NGOs, foundations, and other stakeholders focused on climate sector projects or projects in other sectors that have an opportunity to produce co-benefits related to climate adaptation, resilience, or mitigation. This event will allow DFC to identify and inform businesses, NGOs, commercial banks, investment funds, and institutional investors around the world who have active projects relevant to climate mitigation, adaptation, and/or resiliency.

Brookings Forum Focuses on Africa, Climate – In celebration of Earth Day and as part of the ongoing Foresight Africa event series, the Brookings Africa Growth Initiative will host a discussion on Friday at 9:30 a.m. looking at climate change in Africa—including energy transition, local action, and climate finance, among other topics—as well as the implications and hopes for COP27 - “Africa’s COP” - to be held in Egypt later this year.

USEA Holds Presser on Battery Shortage Issues – The US Energy Assn holds a virtual press briefing on Friday at 11:00 a.m. on the impact of the lithium-ion battery shortage for electrification issues.  Speakers will include Redland Energy’s John Howes, EPRI’s Stephanie Shaw, economic geologist/author Ned Mamula and EEI’s Scott Aaronson. Journalist questioners include Ken Silverstein, Herman Trabish of UDive and Peter Behr of E&E News.

Forum looks at Resilience in Middle East w Mangrove Forests – On Friday at 11:00 a.m., the Middle East Institute holds a forum on innovations in climate resilience using mangrove forests. Blue Forest, a UAE-based ‘blue carbon’ specialist, is working to implement large-scale mangrove forest restoration world-wide. Using technological innovations, Blue Forest seeks to rehabilitate and expand mangrove populations with the goal of sequestering 1 million tons of CO2 by 2024. Vahid Fotuhi, the founder and CEO of Blue Forest, and Mohammed Mahmoud, Senior Fellow and director of MEI’s Climate and Water Program, will hold a discussion on the future of mangrove carbon sequestration and innovative efforts to build climate resilience in the MENA region.

DOE Solar Office Looks at Projects – On Friday at Noon, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office honor the innovators and entrepreneurs working toward a cleaner, brighter future for our planet at the American-Made Earth Day Celebration webinar. The American-Made Challenges program is accelerating opportunities in clean energy for innovators and entrepreneurs, diversity and inclusion, jobs and training, and problem solving across technologies and research areas.   Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm speaks, followed by talks from key energy industry players and networking sessions.

IN THE FUTURE

S&P Power Markets Conference Set – The 37^th S&P Global Power Markets Conference will be held on next Monday to Wednesday at The Wynn Las Vegas. The Conference focuses on the latest trends in energy policy, generation development, power market dynamics, power finance, power asset valuation, A&D, and energy transition.

Minnesota Energy Facts Released – The Business Council for Sustainable Energy, BloombergNEF and Clean Energy Economy Minnesota hold the public release the “2022 Minnesota Energy Factsheet” next Monday at 1:00 p.m. The 2022 Minnesota Energy Factsheet will provide an overview of the state’s energy landscape, including the progress of the clean energy industry made in 2021. See additional event information here and also below. The Factsheet is a companion piece to the national Sustainable Energy in America Factbook, which was released earlier this year and produced by BCSE and BloombergNEF. Speakers include BCSE’s Lisa Jacobson and BNEF’s Ethan Zindler.  Panelists include MN Clean Energy Economy’s Virginia Rutter, Minnesota Department of Commerce Deputy Commissioner Kevin Lee and Trane Technologies Becky Wacker.

FT Conference Looks at Future Cities – The FT holds a Future Cities American Conference on Tuesday and Wednesday next week which will bring together government leaders, corporates, innovators, academics, investors, and financial services, to establish a common vision for the sustainable, equitable, and safe cities of tomorrow.

FERC to Hold Hydro Conference – FERC convenes a Commission staff-led technical conference on Tuesday April 26^th at 11:30 a.m. to discuss whether, and if so, how the Commission should require additional financial assurance mechanisms in the licenses and other authorizations it issues for hydroelectric projects, to ensure that licensees have the capability to carry out license requirements and, particularly, to maintain their projects in safe condition.

Forum Looks at New Energy Workforce Issues – The American Association of Blacks in Energy and the Bipartisan Policy Center will host a virtual public event on Tuesday April 26^th at 2:00 p.m. with experts to share their experiences and ideas for ensuring these new federal infrastructure investments create direct value and economic opportunity in communities, support the build-out of an inclusive workforce, address disproportionate energy burdens, and leverage public-private collaboration. Rep. Veasy has keynote remarks and Exelon’s Robert Matthews will also speak.

Bloomberg Green Event Set – On Wednesday April 27^th, Bloomberg Green will convene top climate leaders to create solutions and drive actions that will shape the future of our planet. Coinciding with Earth Month, the Bloomberg Green Summit will be a true thought leadership experience operating at the crossroads of sustainability, design, culture, food, technology, science, politics and entertainment.

Kerry, Moon to Address FP Climate Summit – John Kerry, the first U.S. special presidential envoy for climate, joins Foreign Policy’s Climate Summit on April 27^th and 28^th to discuss the urgency of the global climate crisis and the policy pathways that can contribute to a more sustainable future.  Kerry will be joined by fellow policy leaders and sustainability trailblazers for a look at the solutions and partnerships that can transform energy supply chains and consumer markets. The Summit will advance the global conversation on how to make up for lost time and achieve global climate commitments collaboratively, innovatively and inclusively. Other Speakers include former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, former Irish President Mary Robinson, NEI’s Maria Korsnick and many more.

NY GEO Conference Set – On April 27^th and 28^th, the 2022 New York Geothermal Energy Organization Annual Conference will be held at the Albany Marriott.  The event features two days of sessions from industry leaders and energy policy stakeholders on the role of geothermal energy in the energy transition.  Speakers include NY PSC Chair Rory Christian and Ithaca Sustainability Director Luis Aguirre-Torres.

Curtis to Address Youth Climate Group – Deseret News Elevate hosts a forum on Wednesday April 27^th at 12:30 p.m. at the National Press Club featuring a climate discussion with Rep. John Curtis.  Curtis will be joined by ACC’s Benji Backer and other special guests. 

Forum Looks at Green Hydrogen –The Environmental and Energy Study Institute holds a briefing on Wednesday April 27^th looking at an enviro perspective of green hydrogen. Panelists will discuss opportunities and considerations for ramping up green hydrogen, including the role of federal policy. RMI’s Alexa Thompson and NRDC’s Rachel Fakhry will speak.

Stern to Address Paris Climate Targets – On Wednesday April 27^th at 5:00 p.m., Johns Hopkins University’s SAIS Dean James B. Steinberg will host a conversation on the role of the U.S. in accelerating action on climate change with former US climate negotiator Todd Stern, now a Nonresident Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution. The discussion will focus on what it will take and what are the potential trade-offs to reach the Paris climate targets.

EPIC Holds Carbon Pricing Event – On Wednesday April 27^th at 6:30 p.m., the Energy Policy Institute at UChicago holds a deep dive conversation into carbon pricing, and how a policy could be structured to help consumers, the climate and energy security. The event will include bp’s senior vice president Mary Streett, as well as EPIC’s 2021-2022 policy fellows Heather McTeer Toney of EDF and former Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), who proposed a carbon tax-gas tax swap when he was in Congress. The event will be moderated by EPIC’s journalism fellow, Lisa Friedman, climate policy reporter for The New York Times.

Cal Clean Energy Forum Set – The California Clean Energy Procurement Summit will be held on April 28^th and 29^th.  The event features a streamlined agenda that includes a policy outlook, strategies to achieve California's climate and clean energy goals and the outlook for storage procurement in California.

House Science to Look at IPCC Report – The House Science Committee will hold a hearing on the findings of an intergovernmental panel report on Thursday April 28^th at 10:00 a.m.  The hearing will look at IPCC climate change mitigation report.

Forum Talks with Climate Author – Arizona State’s Consortium for Science Policy and Outcomes holds a forum on Thursday April 28^th at Noon with Andrew Dana Hudson, who will discuss his debut book, Our Shared Storm: A Novel of Five Climate Futures, Hudson is a climate fiction author and imagines the five possible futures for the COP and climate politics. Inspired by the IPCC’s Shared Socioeconomic Pathways scenarios, which were used in the recent Sixth Assessment Report, the stories examine the cultures of climate policy making in futures that range from hopeful to harrowing. The book also includes non-fiction discussions of the opportunities and challenges of writing climate fiction and using stories to advance policy thinking.

Forum to Look at Fleet Electrification – ICF hosts a forum on Thursday April 28^th at 1:00 p.m. looking at fleet electrification advisory services. Consumers Energy will share details about the PowerMIFleet program, which is designed to help fleets reduce operating costs, eliminate emissions, and simplify vehicle maintenance by transitioning to electric vehicles. National Grid will also discuss their MA Fleet Advisory Service Program, which offers a no-cost assessment to public transit and government fleets to identify vehicles ready for electrification and provides the technical support to accelerate their electrification plans.

Granholm Heads to House Approps Panel – The House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies holds a hearing on the FY 2023 Budget Request for the Department of Energy on Thursday April 28^th at 2:30 P.m. DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm testifies.

Discussion Focused on India Energy Transition – On Friday April 29^th at 9:00 a.m., the CSIS Wadhwani Chair and the Network for Global Innovation hold a joint US-India round table discussion about how best the subnational entities can support each other in navigating the challenges of a fast-evolving energy transition. This event will feature opening remarks from Richard Rossow, Senior Advisor and Wadhwani Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies, and Fred Wati, president and CEO of NGIN, followed by a panel discussion. Panelists include S. Suresh Kumar, Manisha Mhaiskar, Praveer Sinha and Martin Adams.

House Foreign Affairs Points at Climate Issues – The House Committee on Foreign Affairs will convene a hearing on Friday April 29^th at 10:00 a.m. on fostering American competitiveness in global climate action.

RFF To Address Working Forests – Resources for the Future holds an RFF Live webinar on Wednesday May 4^th exploring how working forests can contribute to achieving climate change goals as well as provide a sustainable supply of wood products. It is the third event in an RFF Live series focusing on the role forests play in responding to climate mitigation and adaptation. Speakers include International Paper’s Sophie Beckham, John Crockett of the USDA Forest Service, National Alliance of Forest Owners official Suzy Friedman and several others. 

Aspen Ideas Fest on Climate Set – The Aspen Institute holds Aspen Ideas: Climate 2022 on May 9–12^th in Miami Beach. The event will feature main stages both in and outdoors, breakout and roundtable sessions, tours of local and historic resilience points of interest, as well as fashion, food, art, and music activities.

White House to Host ASEAN Summit – The White House will host the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for a D.C. summit on May 12^th and 13^th.  The White House said the summit will build off of last year’s meeting, covering COVID, climate change, LNG/energy supplies, economic growth and gender equality issues.

US-Mex Chamber Hosts Forum – The United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce holds its annual Board of Directors Meeting, Conference and Good Neighbor Awards Gala on May 19^th at The Decatur House in Washington, D.C.  The conference this year will focus on the implementation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, current supply chain challenges and nearshoring opportunities.

Hydrogen Plant Opening Set for North Las Vegas – Air Liquide will formally open its new North Las Vegas Hydrogen Production Facility on May 24^th.  It will be the largest H2 Production facility in the US and is design to reach California’s emerging hydrogen market.