Energy Update: Week of April 8

Friends,

CRAZY…That UVa NCAA Semifinal game again makes me think this just might be Tony Bennett’s year.  And he is such a good guy. Back in the early 1990s when he was coach at UW-Green Bay (and turned the program around), he would do political events with us when I worked for Congressman Toby Roth. Finals tonight at 9:20 p.m. from Minneapolis where they take on 2012 SEJ host Texas Tech (GUNS UP).  And congrats to the Baylor Lady Bears who denied Notre Dame a repeat defeating the Irish in the yesterday’s NCAA Women’s hoops Championship, 82-81.  Finally, Frozen Four launches Thursday in Buffalo with finals Saturday.

It also is Masters Week… That first major of the year is always special as it really tells us summer is getting closer.  The NHL regular season is done and now it is show time for hockey’s real or second Season: the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  Washington is excited about the Caps chances to repeat but Tampa again looks strong.  Games start Wednesday.

We are jammed packed early in the week before House Dems head to Leesburg for a policy retreat and Easter Recess next week.  As we’ve already seen, there will be a bunch more climate hearings starting tomorrow with House Oversight’s morning sitdown with former Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel (yes, that of Byrd-Hagel fame).  In the afternoon, the new Oversight Environment subpanel hears from former Sen. and UN official Tim Wirth, Heritage’s Nick Loris, Columbia’s Jeffrey Sachs and former Clinton climate official/Princeton prof Michael Oppenheimer.  House Foreign Affairs also takes up the climate legislation focused on preventing the President’s Paris withdrawal that House Energy rammed through last week. 

Over in the Senate, the Commerce panel on Transportation and Safety holds a hearing Wednesday to examine pipeline safety featuring PHMSA and NTSB heads, as well as API’s Robin Rorick and INGAA member Paul Amato of Iroquois.  On Thursday, Senate Energy holds a hearing on opportunities for energy innovation featuring former APRA-E head Arun Majumdar and others.

Finally, the long-awaited Presidential Executive Order on transportation and pipeline infrastructure is expected to be released late in the week.

Other great events include Andrew Wheeler joining the Environmental Council of the States at their Spring Meeting today, as well as an early week NY Offshore wind event hosted by the Business Network for Offshore Wind. AWEA publishes its annual market report for 2018 tomorrow providing a comprehensive look at the U.S. wind energy industry, including wind projects, wind turbine and component manufacturing, market rankings and key industry players.  Wednesday morning is busy with a WCEE infrastructure breakfast event at Bracewell featuring Alex Hergott, BP’s Heidi Keller and our colleague Ann Navaro; ClearPath, DOE and U.S. Nuclear Industry Council hosting the inaugural Up & Atom Morning Briefing at 8:30 a.m. featuring Idaho National Lab Director Mark Peters and at 9:00 a.m., a SAFE event on NOPEC legislation issues Wednesday featuring ADM Dennis Blair and Indy Mayor Greg Ballard, among others. Columbia U. also hosts it annual energy summit Wednesday in NYC with Jay Inslee and FERC’s Neil Chatterjee among the speakers.  On Thursday, CRES hosts a panel on “Republican Solutions to Reduce Emissions,” with ClearPath’s Jeremy Harrell on the panel and Friday EPIC holds its Energy Forward Conference in Chicago.

We are monitoring all the action (sports, politics and otherwise), following the key stories and are happy to discuss.  Call with questions.  

Best,

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

C. (202) 997-5932

 

FRANKLY SPOKEN

“I have church bells that ring across from my office here in D.C.  I know that noise doesn't give me cancer, otherwise I'm sure I'd have church bell cancer.”

Sen. Joni Ernst responding to last week’s “ridiculous” (her quote) comments by President Trump about windmills causing property values to decline and the noise causing cancer.

ON THE POD

Cement Folks Headed to Capitol Hill – The Portland Cement Association’s new podcast is on line and discusses next week’s fly-in with workers from the cement industry visiting Capitol Hill offices.  Every industry group impacted by the infrastructure debate is looking to have its voice heard on Capitol Hill, so host Rachel Derby talks about their plans to discuss issues impacting the industry from transportation infrastructure to alternative fuels and construction resiliency.

FUN OPINIONS

DOE Budget Has Positives for Energy Storage R&D – In a new blog, ClearPath’s lead storage analyst Faith Smith dove into the budget proposal and unlocked a couple of highlights aimed at helping consolidate and better target energy storage R&D efforts across multiple DOE offices, many of which also currently primarily focus on transportation rather than grid-scale storage.  That includes a new Advanced Energy Storage Initiative across multiple DOE offices, as well as a new “launchpad” hosted at Pacific Northwest National Lab focused on testing and evaluating battery and potentially other grid-scale storage materials and systems.  As Faith (with the help of ClearPath’s graphics guru Mitch Kersey) explains, this is all part of a vital missing piece of a larger clean energy puzzle. With wind and solar an ever-increasing percentage of our power generation, we need a broad portfolio of technologies at low cost to speed the transition to cleaner energy. That starts with smart investments in next-generation grid-scale energy storage and batteries.

IN THE NEWS

HFC Ruling Deals Another Setback – On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit vacated a portion of a 2016 EPA rule aimed at phasing out many uses of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The judges said they were bound by a previous D.C. Circuit decision striking down part of a related 2015 regulation, which focused on other uses.  The trade association representing the HVACR industry said the ruling underscores the need for legislative action to address the issue.   “AHRI is satisfied that court battles over EPA’s SNAP rules are complete. Litigation causes uncertainty, and now we have legal certainty on EPA’s authority. We look forward to EPA’s revised SNAP rule, which we anticipate will squarely address the court’s decisions.” said AHRI General Counsel Caroline Davidson-Hood.  “Now that this chapter is closed, we can move forward to find alternative avenues to bring about a national phase down of HFC refrigerants.”

Congress Focusing on EV Supply Chain, Issues – Federal officials are working on a national strategy to ensure an electric vehicle supply chain and plan to sit down with car manufacturers and lithium mining groups in early May to discuss it. Sens. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) have lead the charge on this issue and are expected to attend. Murkowski also is expected to introduce legislation to ease permitting for domestic mining of lithium and other elements critical for electric vehicles.

Bipartisan Sens Say Fund CCS – A bipartisan group of 12 senators want Congress to set an aggressive timeline in spending legislation for the Energy Department to develop new and improved carbon capture technologies.  The senators are urging their colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to fund Energy Department programs for carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies at the “highest possible levels” in fiscal year 2020. The Trump White House, in its fiscal year 2020 budget request, proposes a nearly $200 million cut to the Energy Department’s Office of Fossil Energy Research and Development.

Don’t Forget Energy Storage – Lawmakers reintroduces a perennial attempt to add stand-alone energy storage to the list of technologies eligible for the federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC).  The Energy Storage Tax Incentive and Deployment Act, introduced Thursday by Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA), is the latest update to a bill first introduced in 2016 by Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM). Its goal, broadly speaking, is to extend to batteries and other electric storage systems the same 30 percent ITC offered to solar PV systems. The latest version would grant full ITC eligibility to investments in commercial, residential and utility-scale energy storage, with the same ramp-down now set for solar — 30 percent through 2019, 26 percent in 2020, and 22 percent in 2021.

CPP Court Case Stalled Again – Late Friday, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals again gave the Trump Administration more time to finish changes to the previous EPA’s Clean Power Plan.  Despite complaints from some judges last year and constantly from enviro groups about EPA’s pace, the court has consistently given EPA more time since it released the proposed replacement, the Affordable Clean Energy rule, last year. The order places the case "in abeyance" for another 60 days, though that effectively comes with a couple more months attached informally, giving EPA well into summer to produce its rule, which is expected this early this summer.

Enviro Groups Sue Shell for Climate Inaction in Netherlands – Environmentalist and human rights groups said on Friday they are suing Royal Dutch Shell in the Netherlands to force the energy firm to cut its reliance on fossil fuels.  The groups, including Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth Netherlands, handed over a court summons to Shell at its headquarters in The Hague, demanding it stop extracting oil and gas and cut its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050. Good luck with that, but maybe this is one reason Shell is revisiting its positions in trade groups that made some news last week.

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

Wheeler Headlines ECOS Spring Meeting – The Environmental Council of the States' spring meeting is today and tomorrow at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View in Crystal City.  The event which brings state environmental officials together includes a discussion between EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler and ECOS President Becky Keogh, director of Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, on advancing collaboration with EPA.

Offshore Wind Conference Set – The Business Network for Offshore Wind holds its International Partnering Forum (IPF) on today through Wednesday in NYC.  The event is the leading technical conference for offshore wind in the United States and is dedicated to moving the industry forward.  Speakers include our friends Liz Burdick, BOEM’s Walter Cruickshank, Equinor’s Christer af Geijerstam and Julia Bovey, Utility Dive’s Iulia Gheorghiu and UDel’s Jeremy Firestone, as well as NJ Gov. Phil Murphy, NYSERDA’s Richard Kaufman and many more.

SoCo’s Fanning Headlines Platts Global Power Markets Event – Platts hosts its 34^th annual Global Power Markets event today through Wednesday at the Wynn in Las Vegas.  Southern CEO Tim Fanning is the featured Keynote Address, while other key speakers include Avangrid CEO Laura Beane and many more.

Conference to Look at Energy in Central Asia – CERES holds an international, all-day conference at Georgetown today on energy and economics in Central Asia. Ambassador Richard Morningstar of the Atlantic Council will keynote.

WRI to Host Forum on Climate – The World Resources Institute holds a dialogue today at 3:30 p.m. on how to advance policies in the United States that respond to the scale of the climate challenge. Axios reporter Amy Harder will moderate a keynote conversation with Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL), who leads the newly created House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.  This will be followed by an interview with former Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), co-founder of the Climate Solutions Caucus, and a panel of energy and climate experts that will dive deeper on what Congress can do in the near-term to shift the U.S. electricity system toward cleaner sources of power.

Green Investing Conference Focused on Renewable Finance Projects – IMN’s 7^th annual Green and SRI Investing Symposium, takes place tomorrow in New York City and will discuss social and environmental sustainability.  The program has focused on the renewable energy finance sector given the rise in professionally managed Socially Responsible Investments (SRI) assets of more than 12 trillion.

House Oversight to Hit Climate – The House Oversight Committee will hold two hearing tomorrow on climate issues. The first at 10:00 a.m. will feature Kerry, Hagel.  Then in the afternoon, the Committee’s Environment panel hosts a hearing at 2:00 p.m. featuring former Sen and UN official Tim Wirth, Heritage’s Nick Loris, Columbia’s Jeffrey Sachs and former Clinton climate official/Princeton prof Michael Oppenheimer. 

Wheeler Heads to House Energy for Budget – The House Committee on Energy and Commerce Committee hosts EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler to discuss the agency's budget for fiscal year 2020. The so-called Annual Performance Plan and Budget of about $6 billion represents a $2.76 billion, or 31 percent reduction from last year.

Senate Energy to Hear from Forest Service on 2020 Budget – The Senate Energy Committee will hold a budget hearing tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. on the 2020 Budget for the USDA Forest Service. USDA Forest Service Chief Victoria Christiansen will testify.

Resources Looks at Puerto Rico Power Co – The House Committee on Natural Resources will hold an oversight hearing tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. on the controversial status of the rebuilding and privatization of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA).

House Members Get Approps Day Tomorrow – The House Energy and Water Development Subcommittee will hold its members' day hearing tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. to hear about appropriators' spending priorities for fiscal 2020.

EIA STEO Released – The EIA issues its Short-Term Energy Outlook report tomorrow to offer a forecast of energy supply, demand, and prices. Among other recent trends, strong international demand for coal, particularly in Asia, has provided relief for U.S. coal producers reeling from the effects of the shale revolution, which has led to national coal consumption declining every year since 2008.  The report has also been a harbinger for showing that ethanol demand loss has not been occurring as claimed by ethanol advocates.

JHU Forum to Look at Water-Energy –Tomorrow at 12:00 p.m., Johns Hopkins University’s SAIS Energy Practicum Team for Fluence with a presentation looking at how water stress impacts thermal and hydro electricity generation. Practicum students have partnered with Fluence to analyze how water stress impacts thermal and hydro electricity generation.

AWEA Release Market Report – The American Wind Energy Association will publish its annual market report for 2018 tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. providing a comprehensive look at the U.S. wind energy industry, including wind projects, wind turbine and component manufacturing, market rankings and key industry players.

Forum to Look at Arctic Issues – The Woodrow Wilson Center's Polar Institute holds a discussion tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. on Arctic research in the national interest.  The event

House Resources Panel to Look into Mountaintop Mining Legislation – At 2:00 p.m., the House Resources panel on Energy and Mineral Resources will hold a legislative hearing looking at the health and environmental impacts of mountaintop removal mining, including legislation from Kentucky Rep. John Yarmuth to place a moratorium on permitting for mountaintop removal coal mining until health studies are conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services, and for other purposes. Appalachian Communities Health Emergency Act of 2019.

Homeland Security Panel to Look at Climate – The House Homeland Security Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery Subcommittee hearing tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. in 310 Cannon on assessing the homeland security impacts of a changing climate.  Witnesses include enviros, children’s health advocates, first responders and disaster relief officials.

JHU Looks at India Energy – Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies holds a discussion tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. looking inside India's energy access revolution.

Columbia Hosts Energy Summit – Columbia University hosts 6^th annual Columbia Global Energy Summit on Wednesday in Lerner Hall in NYC.  The event features keynotes with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Occidental CEO Vicki Hollub and FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee.  Other speakers include Dan Yergin, State’s Frank Fannon, David Banks, Pioneer’s Scott Sheffield, former Rep. Carlos Curbelo, former ARPA-E head Arun Majumdar, DOE’s Paul Dabbar and former EERE head Cathy Zoi (now CEO of EVgo).

WCEE Event to Feature Transportation – Bracewell is hosting a Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment (WCEE) breakfast on Wednesday at Noon to discuss infrastructure with CEQ’s Alex Hergott.  The federal environmental review and authorization for energy infrastructure often requires review across several agencies, with varying degrees of coordination on timing and scope, leading to delays and uncertainties. Reforming this process has been a cornerstone of the Trump Administration’s domestic policy agenda.  Other speakers include my colleague Ann Navaro and Army Corps Reg Chief Tammy Turley.

Idaho Lab Director to Speak at Nuclear Briefing – ClearPath, DOE and U.S. Nuclear Industry Council host the inaugural Up & Atom Morning Briefing Wednesday morning at 8:30 a.m. in 209 SVC in the Capitol Visitors Center.  The event will feature Idaho National Lab Director Mark Peters and former DOE Nuclear office head David Blee.

SAFE Event to Focus on NOPEC – Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) hosts a panel discussion at its office on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. to look at NOPEC legislation to look at the cost of OPEC's actions and explore potential policy responses. The panel will address the geopolitical, economic and legal ramifications for OPEC and its member countries if NOPEC is enacted into law. Panelists are Admiral Dennis Blair (Ret. & former Director of National Intelligence), NYU Law’s Harry First, Texas A&M University’s School of Innovation Dean Andrew Morriss and former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard. 

Energy Panel Looks at Infrastructure Efficiency – The House Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee holds a legislative hearing on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. looking at investing in America's energy infrastructure and improving energy efficiency and a diverse workforce.  Legislation includes Blue Collar to Green Collar, weatherization enhancement and other similar bills.

Senate Environment looks at Legislation on Utilizing Emissions – The Senate Environment Committee holds a Business Meeting Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. to consider several Pieces of legislation including emissions and diesel technologies.

Senate Commerce to Focus on Pipelines Safety, Security – The Senate Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. to examine federal pipeline safety and federal oversight as the Commerce Committee considers reauthorization of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s pipeline safety program.  Witnesses include PHMSA Administrator Howard “Skip” Elliott, NTSB Chair Robert Sumwalt, Iroquois Pipeline exec Paul Amato (representing INGAA) and API’s Robin Rorick.

Forum to Look at Book on Resilience, Democracy – The New America Fellows Program and Future Tense hold a conversation on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. with David Wallace-Wells, author of the New York Times bestselling book The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming, and Vann Newkirk, Staff Writer at the Atlantic, about the far-reaching impacts of climate change and steps policymakers and citizens can take to address short-term threats and build long-term strategies for resilience.

Senate Energy to Look at Innovation – The Senate Energy Committee will hold a hearing Thursday at 10:00 a.m. to discuss innovation in the energy sector that can help fight climate change.   Witnesses include former APRA-E head Arun Majumdar, Robert Bryce of the Manhattan Institute, CSIS energy expert Sarah Ladislaw, Columbia’s David Sandalow and NRG’s Abe Silverman.

IEA to Release Oil Report – On Thursday, the International Energy Agency will release its closely watched report on U.S. and foreign oil markets, covering supply, demand and prices. The IEA Oil Market Report (OMR) is one of the world’s most authoritative and timely sources of data, forecasts and analysis on the global oil market.  It will look closely at U.S. shale oil production, which will continue to grow through 2030, ultimately reaching more than 10 million barrels per day compared to 2018's 6.5 million.

Book Event to Look at Climate, Resilience – The New America Fellows Program and Future Tense hold a conversation on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. with David Wallace-Wells, author of the New York Times bestselling book The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming, and Vann Newkirk, Staff Writer at the Atlantic, about the far-reaching impacts of climate change and steps policymakers and citizens can take to address short-term threats and build long-term strategies for resilience.

CRES Forum to Look at Energy Solutions – On Thursday at Noon, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions hosts a panel on Republican solutions to reduce emissions at the Capitol Hill Club. Panelists including ClearPath Managing Director-Policy Jeremy Harrell, former Heritage expert Katie Tubb, AEE’s Dylan Reed and NTU’s Brandon Arnold, will discuss the new policy landscape for Republican engagement in clean energy and climate change. Attendees will include Hill staff, and energy and climate policy experts.

Forum to Look at Local Water Infrastructure Challenges – The Northeast-Midwest Institute organizes Capitol Hill briefing on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. to discuss the primary laws governing water quality and appropriation mechanisms that finance water infrastructure.

CEQ Neumayr to Address Coal Council Meeting – The National Coal Council kicks off spring meeting in Washington, D.C. on Thursday evening and Friday at the Marriott Wardman Park.  CEQ Head Mary Neumayr speaks Thursday evening while DOE official Mark Menezes and Steve Winberg speak Friday.

EPIC Holds Booth Energy Conference – On Friday at the University Club of Chicago, the Energy Policy Institute of UChicago holds its Booth Energy Forward 2019 conference to examine the trends and opportunities that are defining the energy markets this year and beyond. Topics and questions addressed will include oil and gas, power and utilities, renewables, transportation, and more.

Kuwait Minister to Address GWU Programs on Energy Diversification – The Institute for International Economic Policy, The Institute for Middle East Studies, and the GW-Center for International Business Education and Research (GW-CIBER) will host a conversation with Kuwaiti Minister of Finance H.E. Dr. Nayef Al-Hajraf on Friday at 9:00 a.m. looking at economic diversification in the post-oil era.

Forum to Look at Urban Transition – The World Resources Institute’s Coalition for Urban Transitions presents a forum on Friday at Noon looking at investing in a sustainable urban future, a new guide to national and sub-national reform.  The creation of clean, compact, and connected cities can stimulate job creation and economic growth, improve air quality and living standards, and avoid the costs of sprawl - all while reducing carbon emissions. However, the sustainable urban infrastructure financing gap currently exceeds $1 trillion per year. Join us for a lively discussion on the means and methods of addressing this critical gap. This event will be the official launch of a major new publication 'Scaling up investment for sustainable urban infrastructure: A guide to national and sub-national reform' co-authored by the London School of Economics and the Coalition for Urban Transitions.

JHU Forum to Look at NatGas in Transportation – JHU’s SAIS program will host a forum on Friday at Noon looking the future of natural gas in the transportation sector.  It is take a closer look at the use of natgas in marine, trucking and rail transport.

IN THE FUTURE

TAX DAY – April 15^th PAY UP!!!

WOTUS Revision Comments Due – April 15^th

Forum to Look at China Energy, Climate Policy – Next Monday at 5:00 p.m., Johns Hopkins University hosts a forum on China’s energy and climate policies.  In 2006 China became the world’s leading emitter of greenhouse gases. Its policies for limiting emissions will have significant impact on the global climate for decades to come. China was an active participant in the Paris accord and has adopted climate goals including the peaking of CO2 emissions by 2030, lowering the carbon intensity of GDP, increasing the share of renewable and nuclear energy, and increasing its stock of forests. However, China consumes over half of the world’s coal.  While it seeks to reduce the role of coal, it is still building new coal power plants. This discussion will look at what climate policies China is pursuing and their potential success.

Forum to Look at Impacts of Russian Sanctions on Energy – The Atlantic Council hosts a forum on Wednesday, April 17^th at 9:00 a.m. on the implications of Russia sanctions legislation on the energy sector.  The expert panel will explore the potential effects the sanctions will have on the global LNG markets, new crude oil development, and Russian state energy projects abroad and the potential implications for oil and gas markets, energy projects, and companies if DASKAA becomes law.

WCEE Sets Happy Hour – The Women's Council on Energy & Environment holds a Happy Hour on  Wednesday, April 17^th 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm at Archipelago.

Good Friday – April 19^th

Easter Sunday – April 21^st

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.

EPIC Forum to Look at RFS Issues – On Wednesday, April 24^th, the Energy Policy Institute of Chicago (EPIC) holds a forum to release new, cutting-edge research that sheds light on long-standing questions about the precise impact of RPS policies on electricity rates and their overall efficiency as a climate policy and discuss the economic and climate impacts of renewable portfolio standards. Speakers include EPIC head Michael Greenstone, former DOE Official Melanie Kenderdine and former staff director of Senate Energy McKie Campbell.  The event will be moderated by Amy Harder of Axios.

White House Correspondents Dinner – President Trump announced Last week he wasn’t going to attend the White House Correspondents’ Dinner again this year.  No surprise there.  The dinner, often referred to as DC’s Nerd Prom, will be held on Saturday April 27^th.  It is always a fun time and while Trump won’t go, I always will!!!

EPA E15, RIN Market Reforms Comments Due – April 29^th

ACCF to Host Chatterjee – The American Council for Capital Formation and the ACCF Center for Policy Research hosts a special event on April 30^th at noon in the Chinese Ballroom of the Mayflower Hotel discussing the 2019 FERC Agenda that features a conversation with Chairman Neil Chatterjee. 

SEIA to Host Diversity Challenge – On May 6^th, the Solar Energy Industries Association will be issuing a Diversity Challenge in concert with the broader energy industry.  The purpose of the challenge is to start a conversation about what our sector is doing to address diversity and inclusion. It’s intended to be a constructive way to bring the energy world forward to talk about an issue that is of critical importance to its collective businesses. For example, organizations and businesses with diverse workforces are more innovative and more successful.  To launch this challenge, SEIA will be hosting an event at the National Press Club with the Solar Foundation to release an updated Solar Diversity Study and Diversity Best Practice Guide.  They will also launch a #DiversityChallenge that can be shared on social media regarding what companies/organizations have done, what they are working on, and what has been successful in increasing diversity and inclusion.  Other Components of the Challenge Include: 

• SEIA is recruiting dozens of solar companies to sign on to the PWC CEO Action Pledge 
• Hosting ancillary events around the country after May 6^th to ensure this important topic is discussed outside of DC with solar companies 

• Planning a workshop at the Press Club event to learn about and share components of a successful diversity campaign.